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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # |
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Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary. If the term you are looking for starts with a digit or symbol, choose the '#' link. |
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Attar of roses. (also called Otto of roses, rose oil, or essence of rose) is made from the petals of roses, primarily Damasks and Gallicas. The term 'attar' is defined as a 'fragrant oil.' The attar of roses used in making certain perfumes is super concentrated. How concentrated? Well, it takes two tons of rose petals to produce a pound of attar. Back to Top- B -Balling. Blooms do not open fully, usually occurring in areas with cool, damp nights. Roses with many petals are more susceptible to balling, thus many old roses are liable to ball on occasion. If you live in an area where your roses ball more often that you would prefer, choose roses with fewer petals.Bareroot. Roses sold in a dormant state, without soil around roots. This is the most common method of shipping roses, usually in fall, winter, and early spring. Basal Cane. One of primary canes of a rose plant, originating from the base of the plant. Bicolor. Rose bloom with two distinct colors. Blackspot. The bane of many a rose gardener, blackspot is a fungus which thrives in warm, humid weather. Rather than constant spraying to control this plague, plant resistant plants and practice good husbandry (sun, water in the morning, burn diseased canes, periodic cleaning of shed leaves, and plant at proper spacing for good air circulation). To learn more, Click here... Blind shoot. Stem which fails to produce a flower. Blue rose. No true blue rose exists, but many lavender roses have been introduced. The reason that a, forgive the pun, 'true blue' rose may never be produced is that the blue pigment (delphinidin) is not present in roses. Buck, Dr. Griffith. Late professor at Iowa State University, Dr. Griffith Buck developed many beautiful and cold-hardy roses. Most of the Buck roses are hardy to Zone 5 (dieback hardy to Zone 4). Budding. Method of propagating roses by grafting a leaf bud in to the neck of root stock. Bud Union. The point where the grafted canes join the rootstock on budded (grafted) roses. Very easy to determine due to the swelled appearance of the union. Bud union is important for determining how deep to plant the rose (varies by region). Back to Top- C -Callus. Scar which forms over a pruning scar.Calyx. The green protective cover over the flower bud which opens into five sepals. Cultivar. Short for "cultivated variety," the term refers to a variety which originated in cultivation rather than the wild. Back to Top- D -Deadheading. The practice of removing spent flowers. Deadheading is a good practice, since the plant will channel energy towards producing more flowers, rather than seeds.Disbudding. Removing the side buds on a stem to send energy to the development of the flower growing at the tip of the stem. Primarily done in order to develop larger, high quality blooms used for exhibition purposes. Double. Flower with twenty-four or more petals. (All roses have at least five petals). Some rose experts class roses with more than fifty petals as 'very double'. Back to Top- E -Earthing. Piling dirt around the base of a plant to protect the bud union during periods of very cold weather.Back to Top- F -Flore Pleno. Double Flower.Fossil Roses. Fossilized roses estimated to be at 7 to 25 million years old have been discovered in Asia, Europe, and North America. Fragrance. Fragrance is one of the traits which roses are bred for and is determined by the chemicals present in the plant, concentrated in the petals, and how these chemicals interact with each other and the atmosphere. Oils, resins, alcohol's, fatty acids, and phenols all contribute to the character of the scent. While there are generally held theories about which roses are fragrant, there are fragrant roses of every form and color, so the best practice is to smell for oneself (or read about roses which are fragrant). For recommended fragrant roses: Fragrant Roses. Back to Top- G -Grades. Bareroot roses are graded #1, #1 1/2, and #2 according to the number and size of canes on a bush. #1 is the highest grade. Standards are set by the American Association of Nurserymen.Genus. Sub-class of plants which have common characteristics. The genus name for roses is 'Rosa.' Back to Top- H -Heeling In. Temporary planting of roses when conditions (temperature/soil condition/no time to plant!) prevent permanent planting.High-centered. Having the center petals the longest. Attribute associated with the classic ideal of Hybrid Tea form. Hip. Seed pods of a rose; considered a desirable feature for providing interest after bloom. The finest hips are set from 'Old Roses' (roses originated before the Modern Era which began with the introduction of Hybrid Teas). Hybrid. Bred from two parents. Most roses are indeed hybrid roses, whether Bourbon or Floribunda or Hybrid Tea. Hybrids, while not always bred by humans (hybrids can result from natural cross-pollination in the wild), are selected for characteristics such as flower form, disease resistance, fragrance, and repeat flowering (remontance). Back to Top- I -Back to Top- J -Back to Top- K -Knees. Terms used to describe the bare underside of many roses, usually later in the season and almost always unflattering. Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras are especially prone to bare knees; planting perennials or annuals which grow 12-18 inches in front of the roses is an effective way to cover bare knees.Back to Top- L -Lateral cane. Secondary branches originating from the basal cane. Shrubs with strong lateral cane growth tend to be bushy, whereas shrubs that do not create many lateral canes tend to have an arching form.Back to Top- M -La Malmaison. The gardens (and home) of Empress Josephine (wife of Napoleon I) and in it's heyday the home of over 250 species of roses. Although the gardens are in ruins today, La Malmaison re-introduced the rose as an ornamental plant. Empress Josephine may be considered the first true rosarian.Meilland. Well-known French family of breeders. Their most famous introduction was the legendary Hybrid Tea 'Peace'. Mildew. See Powdery Mildew. Morden Research Station. Home of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Branch, a pioneer in breeding cold-hardy roses. Most famous introductions are the Explorer and Parkland series. Myrrh. Aromatic gum resin derived from several trees and shrubs of the genus Commiphora of India, Arabia, and eastern Africa. Used in incense and perfume. Back to Top- N -
Back to Top- O -Organic Fertilizer. Fertilizer made from natural substances rather than chemicals. Examples of organic materials include compost (excellent!), alfalfa, blood meal, fish emulsion, manure, bone meal, and kelp.Back to Top- P -Pemberton, Joseph. Before David Austin, there was the Reverend Joseph Pemberton, one of the most famous rose hybridizers of the 20th century. Pemberton developed the Hybrid Musk class of roses, which are characterized by graceful arching form, clusters of delicately colored flowers, and some shade tolderance.Pegging. Securing of long flexible canes (usually with old rose varieties) to the ground. The benefit is that canes with flowers will grow from the laterally growing pegged canes. Pillar Rose. Indicates a form, not a class of roses. Roses grown as pillars have flexible canes of five to twelve feet which may be trained around an upright support (it does not have to be an actual pillar). Roses suitable for use as pillars are moderate in growth so that they will not overwhelm their support. Pistil. Female organ of a flower. The pistil includes the stigma, style, and ovary. Powdery Mildew. A fungus disease, powdery mildew strikes under cool, humid conditions. Leaves will become covered with a whitish residue and may be curled and distorted. Powdery Mildew is not normally a serious affliction in that plants do not normally succumb to the disease. However, it is certainly unnattractive. To prevent, water in the morning so that leaves dry during the day (also a good preventitive for blackspot). Back to Top- Q -Quartered. A flower in which the center petals are folded into four quarters.Back to Top- R -Recessive gene. Genes are either dominant or recessive. A dominant gene's characteristics will predominate when paired with a recessive gene. For a recessive gene to show, it must be paired with another recessive gene. For example, in humans, blue eyes are recessive and brown eyes are dominant; thus, a person who has blue eyes must have received the recessive blue eye gene from each parent. Of interest perhaps, two blue-eyed parents can have only a blue eyed child; two brown- eyed parents can have either a blue or brown-eyed child.Reverse. Underside of the petal. Redouté, Pierre Joseph. Court appointed painter to Marie Antoinette and Empress Josephine, Redouté's credo was, "one does best what one loves most, however humble the pursuit." He is best remembered for his paintings of plants, especially roses and lilies. His paintings from Empress Josephine's garden at La Malmaison provide modern gardeners with an invaluable visual documentary of the roses grown two hundred years ago. Remontant. Flowering more than once in a season. Species roses tend to bloom once a season. Roses which are remontant may bloom continuously or in regular waves (for example, floribundas or hybrid teas or some older classes), whereas others may have a two waves, one in spring and one in fall. Rootstock. Host plant to which selected rose varieties are grafted. Most commercial growers propagate new plants by grafting cuttings to a rootstock. The advantage of rootstock is that many roses, especially modern cultivars, have weak root systems. The primary rootstocks used are Rosa multiflora, 'Dr. Huey,' with 'Fortuniana' recommended for very warm climates. The issue of whether 'own root' roses or grafted roses are better is one of the enduring debates of rosarians, and each technique has its advantages. Cold hardiness is the primary benefit of 'own root' roses, while grafted roses are often attributed with greater vigor. Rugose. Leaf veins which are deeply etched into the leaf. Rugosa roses are so-named for this specific characteristic. Rustling, a.k.a. rose rustling. The practice of searching for Old Roses in the hopes of taking cuttings (or if the bush is in imminent danger, rescuing the entire plant). Favorite haunts of rose rustlers include abandoned properties, cemeteries, and roadsides. Always ask permission before taking cuttings. Back to Top- S -Scion. The leaf stock or shoot which is grafted to rootstock.Semi-double. A rose with 12 to 24 petals. Single. A rose with 5 to 12 petals. Species Rose. Roses which are self-fertile, and if self-pollinated will come true. Another term used is 'wild'; species roses are those which have evolved naturally to adapt to their native habitat. Sport. Genetic mutation in a plant. Sports in roses are not unusual, and many new introduced varieties are sports as opposed to hybrids. Sports may be evidenced in different flower colors, flower form, and growth habit. For example, Souvenir St. Anne's is a semi-double sport of Souvenir Malmaison, and Climbing Souvenir Malmaison is a sport of this relatively small Bourbon. Stamen. Male organ of flower. Pollen comes from the anther. Substance. The amount of moisture in the rose's petals. While it is difficult to ascertain how much moisture is in a particular rose's petals by touch, thickness and firmness are keys to determining substance. A rose with substance will last well after being cut, thus, it is important that exhibition roses (or roses you would like the family to enjoy in the house) have good substance. Sucker. Stem or shoot growing from the rootstock instead of the grafted variety. Suckers should be cut off at their base. Back to Top- T -
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