Clematis, Roses, and Lessons Learned
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yellow rose with purple clematis

Clematis, Roses, and Lessons Learned

Posted June 12, 2020 08:37h in Creative Corner, Garden Plants, Garden Practices by

Clematis in the rose garden.

This June we have been celebrating the beauty of the Dean Bond Rose Garden as it continues to give us a stunning display of floral wonder. The talented Beck Armstrong has created another set of coloring pages inspired by images of rose and clematis pairings in the garden. While these images capture a moment of beauty, the roses in the Dean Bond Rose Garden are evaluated over time for their disease resistance and garden display throughout the growing season. Therefore as we explore the featured plants of each image, some are successes and others are failures. 

roses on a trellis

Growing on a trellis in the Dean Bond Rose Garden is the pairing of Clematis [Ice Blue™] ‘Evipo00’ and Rosa ‘Pinkie’. photo credit: R. Armstrong

Growing on a trellis in the Dean Bond Rose Garden is the pairing of Clematis [Ice Blue™] ‘Evipo00’ and Rosa ‘Pinkie’. A successful pairing, Ice Blue™ is an early large flowering clematis in pruning group 2. This large white flower is frosted with a tinge of blue when it first opens. With a compact habit, it reaches 5 to 6 feet tall. Rosa ‘Pinkie’ is a small rambling rose with rose pink semi-double flowers. With almost thornless stems, and reaching only a height of 8 to 12 feet, it is ideal for training in small spaces. These graceful, cascading stems can also be grown without support as a shrub. 

yellow rose with purple clematis

Our second pairing features Rosa [Julia Child®] ‘WEKvossutono’and Clematis [Ooh La La] ‘Evipo041′. photo credit: A. Glas

Our second pairing features Rosa [Julia Child®] ‘WEKvossutono’and Clematis [Ooh La La] ‘Evipo041′. Julia Child® rose was selected by its namesake herself because of its unique fragrance. This clove-like scent is reminiscent of the herbs the famous cooking personality, Julia Child, would use in her kitchen. This floribunda butter-gold flower was performing well in the garden until succumbing to rose rosette virus. As is practice with this virus, all infected plants were removed from the garden. Upon removal, our sweet Ooh La La clematis was left behind to ramble through the garden. In pruning group 2 and reaching a height of 2 to 3 ft, this climber does well when it is trained on a small shrub or as a groundcover as it is currently being grown in the rose garden. This large-flowered clematis produces numerous pink flowers with deep magenta stripes and deep pink anthers. 

pink English rose

Our final image features the large, cupped, richly fragrant blooms of Rosa [Abraham Darby®] ‘AUScot’. photo credit: R. Armstrong

Our final image features the large, cupped, richly fragrant blooms of Rosa [Abraham Darby®] ‘AUScot’.  This David Austin selection blooms in shades of pink, apricot, and yellow and is extremely fragrant. As noted earlier, these images capture a moment of beauty. Unfortunately, Abraham Darby® is very susceptible to diseases in our climate and has already been removed from our collection. 

single white rose blooms

Rosa ‘LETlyda’ [Lyda Rose] was added to the Dean Bond Rose Garden in 2018. photo credit: R. Robert

In order to maintain an organic system in the rose garden, we are selecting plants that have natural resistance to the common rose pests and diseases. Adam Glas, Garden Supervisor, noted that none of the David Austin selections have done well in our climate. Luckily these trials have led to some great recommendations for roses in our region. Check out Adam’s complete list here. 

pink blooms of Rosa 'Nearly Wild'

Rosa ‘Nearly Wild’ greets visitors at the third garden gate. photo credit: R. Robert

Thank you for joining us as we take this journey to explore growing healthy roses in the Delaware Valley region. Please enjoy the rose garden coloring pages for a rainy day distraction and embrace the idea that beauty can be fleeting. 

 

Coloring Pages to Download

Rosa ‘Pinkie’ and Ice Blue Clematis

Julia Child Rose and Ooh La La La Clematis

Abraham Darby Rose

Becky Robert
rrobert1@swarthmore.edu
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