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Rosy Thoughts Ron Chronister Armed and Ready It is time to shop for those must-have varieties to add to the rose garden either late this Fall or early next Spring. For several years, I had bare root roses delivered in early November for immediate planting. However, the last few years, I have elected to have new bare root rose delivered the first week of April. And, I have purchased more own root roses which really cannot be planted in late Fall. I subscribe to the Rose Exhibitors’ Forum, one of the specialty quarterly publications from the ARS. I also purchase Horizon Roses and review the annual Roses in Review results. The Forum includes information on rose varieties that excel on the show table. Horizon Roses and the Roses in Review provide assessments of the exhibition and garden performance of newer varieties. In addition to poring over these publications, I also made a list of the varieties that caught my attention at the District Rose Show. In reading through Horizon Roses or the Roses in Review summaries, it is important to look for comments from gardeners that live in our region of the country or in a similar climate zone in evaluating whether particular varieties are suitable for growing here. It is also useful to focus on those varieties that have been grown for more than one year by commentators since a bush’s first year may not be indicative of its performance as a mature plant. You may want to wait a few years before purchasing those “horizon” roses to allow for a longer period of evaluation. Too many highly touted varieties are one-year wonders. At the cost of most bushes, especially the latest varieties, some patience may be in order. I have a preliminary list of the varieties that I am looking to purchase this year. Now the fun begins --visiting the websites of the mail order nurseries to see whether the varieties I covet are being offered. So far, I have reserved bushes from Rosemania, from Wisconsin Roses (maiden plants) and from Palatin Roses (in Canada). I have selected hybrid teas, floribundas, mini-floras and a few OGRs. I plan to add some own-root roses from Roses Unlimited and, perhaps, a few from either Edmunds or J&P. The biggest challenge may come next Spring when I have to decide which plants to “shovelprune” to make room for these new varieties. But I will worry about that next Spring. For now, I am enjoying the search for new varieties to add to the garden. A holiday recipe - Creamy Broccoli Gratin 2 large heads broccoli, about 3 pounds, trimmed and cut into 3-inch florets, about 10 cups ½ cup butter or margarine 1 medium size red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips, about 1 cup 1 small onion, diced, about ½ cup ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups milk, light cream or half-and-half 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper, optional 1 cup coarsely grated sharp Cheddar cheese, about 4 ounces 2 slices rye bread, trimmed of crusts and torn into coarse crumbs Heat oven to 350 degrees F. grease 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. BRING 3 quarts water to boil in 6-quart saucepot; add broccoli; return to boil. COOK broccoli in boiling water 3 to 5 minutes, until just crisp-tender. Drain; place in large bowl. MELT butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat; add red bell pepper and onion; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender-crisp. With slotted spoon, remove to bowl with broccoli. STIR flour into drippings in skillet; cook, still over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes until blended. STIR milk in gradually; cook and stir until mixture thickens and boils, about 2 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in salt, black pepper and ground red pepper. STIR in cheese until melted and mixture is smooth. POUR cheese sauce over vegetables in bowl; toss to coat well. SPOON mixture into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with breadcrumbs. BAKE 15 minutes until mixture is hot and bubbly and crumbs are browned. Makes 6 to 8 servings. |
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