If you want to spoil mum with roses this Mother’s day, surprise her with the gift of a perfect miniature rose.
Roses may be a traditional Mother’s Day gift but that doesn’t mean going go the traditional route of a bunch of roses and chocolates.
Miniature roses are a true novelty in the rose world, and their appeal lies in the perfection of their minute, classically shaped blooms. Like the Tom Thumb of fairytale, this aspect never fails to fascinate adults and children alike.
Mini rose ‘Dreaming Parade’
Miniature roses are ‘everywhere’ roses. They can be squeezed in between paving stones, as low flowering borders, in pots, on tables, around water features, trained up arches or espaliered in a formal garden.
Don’t be misled by the term ‘miniature.’ It only refers to the flower and leaf size. The bush can vary in height from a compact 40cm to as high as a metre and even climbers .
Their biggest asset is the profusion of flowers that they produce. Because they have a multitude of small 10cm to 15cm-long stems covering the bush, miniatures produce more flowers and repeat flower more quickly than normal bush roses.
Mini rose ‘Kayla’
They are also much hardier growers and have fewer problems than bigger roses. They recover much more quickly from black spot because leaf production is so fast and the genetic background of miniatures, mainly Rosa chinensis, has resulted in a more disease resistant plant.
Mini rose ‘Zinger’
For an effective border in front of taller roses or other flowers plant two rows of medium high mini’s like ‘Zinger’ (60cm tall) for a mass effect. Zinger is a healthy vigorous plant that provides excellent garden value and also creates a splash of colour in a hanging basket.
Mini rose ‘Chasin’ Rainbows’
Another compact mini is ‘Chasin’ Rainbows’ (40cm) that is excellent for neat borders. It is compact, but vigorous and hardy and the bloom colours change from yellow to orange, red and pink.
Mini rose ‘Peach Festival’
Create a hedge by planting together some of the taller growing miniatures, like Peach Festival’ (80cm), and clipping them with hedge shears. By pruning them lightly they will grow up and can make a decent sized hedge. ‘Peach Festival’ is a sturdy grower with large blooms of a deep glowing coral on long pickable stems.
Mini rose ’Scentsational’
Grow some of the more pickable varieties like ’Scentsational for charming arrangements of miniature roses in the home. Look out for fragrant ‘Lavender Jade,’ orange ‘Denver’s Dream’(80cm) and ‘Valerie Jeanne.’
‘Scentsational’ is a strongly fragrant mini that grows to hip height, producing clusters perfectly shaped blooms to pick for the home.
Mini rose ‘Raindrops’
If you are going to put miniatures in containers, plant three of the same kind in one large container for a really spectacular effect, like this combined planting of ‘Raindrops’ with a mini standard in the centre.
‘Raindrops’ has shapely lilac purple blooms that appear in clusters all over the bush.
Details: www.ludwigsroses.co.za
Article and images by Alice Coetzee.
