There are so many great roses, how can this be named one of the best? It won a prize! The only rose to receive the AARS award for 2010. All American Rose Selections is dedicated to the introduction and promotion of exceptional roses (diseases resistance, ease of care and beauty) and they lend their stamp of approval to one or two roses every year. But who cares about those distant green thumbs, I’ve grown Easy Does It and it’s one of the best! It didn’t succumb to black spot and other fungal diseases, but was able to fight back and produce numerous blooms throughout the summer and into fall last year. The flowers themselves are fascinating, having a ruffled edge and chameleon colors that begin dark peach, pink and orange, fading to lighter shades with time. The scent is not memorable, but exists in a modest sphere, overshadowed by beauty. When I walk towards this plant it’s the eyes that are drawn in, not the nose (It’s the opposite with my Pope John Paul II Hybrid Tea Rose, my nose gets buried in the petals first, followed by the gaze). This shrub is medium in size, about three feet high, and has dark green glossy leaves. Check out my photo above. It was taken today, July 5th, after a cool wet spring and no chemical controls. This rose is a vigorous grower. Wanting to garden organically, and not able to find my neem oil spray, I was forced to give my roses more attention. I used a soapy water spray when the aphids were thick, selective pruning to remove the diseased leaves before they could spread from the bottom up, and an examination. The examination always included lots of touching and talking. Pulling off of aphids. Exclamations of delight at new growth. Cries of dismay at a new black spot. That’s the fun part of gardening, watching the plants, their growth, the changes, the surprises good and bad. Finding solutions. Sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it’s Easy Does it.
Rainyleaf 