Everything is coming up roses

The Rose Garden at Renziehausen Park in McKeesport is still a month away from being filled with fabulous blooms, but Georgianna (Georgie) Papale is there to care for the plants, just like she does every Wednesday on “work day,” along with the other volunteers who make this garden special.

Georgianna (Georgie) Papale is the president of the Pittsburgh Rose Society. She’s posing at the Rose Garden at Renziehausen Park in McKeesport. It’s one of the greatest collection of roses in Western Pennsylvania.

It’s a spectacular decades-old collection of more than 1,800 roses. Papale has been president of the Pittsburgh Rose Society “forever,” she says with a chuckle. She is dedicated to seeing the garden thrive. The rose society discovered the garden in the late 1980s, transforming it and rebuilding it with the help of the Garden Club of McKeesport and many other volunteers.
This is the perfect time to plant roses and just about anyone can grow them. “They can be fussy,” she says, “but it’s not that bad, every plant is fussy.”
The first thing is to find the right spot.
“They’ll do best with at least six hours of sun,” she says. “Dig a nice deep hole, a couple feet deep and supplement the soil with a mixture of compost and good soil,”
The hole should have good drainage too.
Newly planted roses and existing plants should be mulched and fertilized in the spring. At the park, they are using alfalfa pellets, as they give the plants the nitrogen they need to get started and they’re inexpensive. Rosetone, she says, is a fantastic commercial product to use throughout the season. Papale recommends about a half cup around the bush every month.

This is a photo of the Rose Garden at Renziehausen Park in McKeesport when in full bloom last June. It’s one of the greatest collection of roses in Western Pennsylvania.

All the plants here have been pruned to promote healthy growth and more blooms.
“They like to be cut back,” she says. “You want to clear out any dead growth. Roses do best when they have some air circulation through them, and it gives them a fresh start.”
The canes are cut back until the gardener sees good wood. That means observing white in the center of the cane.
Roses can be susceptible to fungal issues, there’s an organic fungicide called Serenade that will combat those diseases. It should be applied once a week, she says.
When pressed to pick a favorite, Papale usually says, “the rose I happen to be looking at.” But after thinking for a while she picks one. “I love ‘Elina.’ It’s a pale yellow rose that blooms prolifically. I think it’s a rose that everyone should have in their garden, it’s beautiful.”
For years, she’s watched visitors react to the fragrance and beauty of the thousands of blooms in the garden. “I think they are amazed at the roses,” she says. “Every time I look at a rose, it’s like I’m looking at if for the first time.”

Michael Marriott is head rosarian for David Austin Roses. He’s been in love for roses for over three decades.

Michael Marriott is head rosarian for David Austin Roses, a company that breeds roses that look like old-fashioned varieties, but have modern features like repeat blooming and disease resistance. Its roses are available locally at garden centers and nurseries and online.
He’s always loved plants, inspired by his parents and actually took over his grandparents’ garden as a child. He didn’t get into roses until later and has spent more than 30 years caring for them at the company.
In the 1950s, David Austin started hybridizing roses as a hobby in his teenage years. He wasn’t impressed by the hybrid tea roses of the day and discovered old roses from a book by Edward Bunyard, which was a gift from Austin’s sister.
He bought and planted some, but soon discovered their limitations. The varieties would only bloom once in a season and have a narrow color range.
“That’s when the lightbulb went off in his head,” Marriott says. Austin decided to take the old varieties and cross them with newer types. “A plant that would have the beauty, the charm, the fragrance of the old roses and the wide color range and the repeat flowering of the modern roses,” Marriott adds.
Austin, 91, still is breeding roses in the same way, his varieties are often referred to as English roses. There is something about the flowers that are captivating. “He chooses his new varieties on beauty,” Marriott says proudly.
Sure, repeat blooming, informal style, fragrant and disease resistance is great, but the flowers are everything.
“I think that’s the real secret of why his roses have been so successful,” Marriott says.
Marriott spends many of his days evaluating the aroma of the roses. “People say a rose is only half a rose if it doesn’t have a fragrance,” he says. “The first thing you do when you see a rose is stick your nose in it, and if there’s nothing there, you’re a bit disappointed really.
“No two ever smell exactly the same,” he says. “It’s a never-ending delight. It has this ability to excite you, raise your spirits and at the same time calm you down. It is magical.”

‘Gertrude Jekyl’ is a beautiful and fragrant rose from David Austin Roses.

One of his favorites is ‘Gertrude Jekyll,’ named for the famous English gardener and author. “Who could get tired of ‘Gertrude Jekyll’? When that starts flowering I reckon that summer has finally arrived because it has such a beautiful flower and wonderful fragrance,” he says.
‘Buttercup’ has yellow semi-double flowers that’s another variety he prizes for its fragrance. “It’s totally delightful, I can never tire of it,” Marriott says. He describes the aroma as similar to orange blossoms then changing to cocoa powder as the flower ages.
‘Desdemona’ is a newly released rose with pink buds that open to pure white flowers. It blooms early and repeats quickly. “It’s the best white rose there is really,” he says.
Marriott has been under the spell of roses for more than three decades and hopes other gardeners will fall for them, too. “I think it just gives you great pleasure,” Marriott says. “It’s as simple as that. Why do you have a garden — to give you delight.”
Doug Oster is the Tribune-Review home and garden editor. Reach him at 412-965-3278 or doster@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @dougoster1. See other stories, blogs, videos and more at everybodygardens.com.

Rose Day is an annual celebration at the garden and will be held on June 10 from 1 p.m. until 4.p.m. at The Rose Garden at Renziehausen Park in Mckeesport. It’s a chance to see the garden in it’s peak and meet the volunteers who take care of the roses. “Everything will be blooming, Papale says, it’s just beautiful, it’s just something everyone should see.

Details: pghrosesociety.org
davidaustinroses.com

Doug Oster will lead a free tour of the rose garden on Wednesday June 14th from 10 a.m until 12 noon. It’s a chance to see the roses in their peak with Doug and meet the volunteers from the Pittsburgh Rose Society and Garden Club of McKeesport.