What are you going to get your Mother for Mother’s day?
Morden Sunrise
As I pen this story it seems impossible to believe that spring is actually here as I look at the 8 inches of new snow covering the ground. Heck, it's May 2nd! It will soon be gone – and then with hope our thoughts will turn to the joys of the garden!
Most moms I know can’t wait to get their hands in the soil and plant their flower beds. What better way to honor your mom and feed her passion for growing than with roses? There are literally hundreds of roses on the market today from hybrid tea roses to roses that need to be trellised and all have a dazzling array of colors and fragrances.
But choose wisely. Get roses that were developed from northern climates such as Minnesota or even Canada! I say this because these roses have consistently over wintered through our rugged winters with no special care given. Further, these roses are often insect and disease resistant and almost all of them flower throughout the summer.
I am particularly fond of the Parkland and the Explorer series of roses developed out of the prairie provinces of Canada. These are truly remarkable roses for their built in durability, colors and fragrance!
I’m especially fond of three roses; my first choice for overall beauty is the Morden Sunrise rose. The Sunrise is a compact 3’ high by 3’ wide rose with bright, intense yellow-orange flowers. It blooms from late may through the first frost of autumn. This one melts my heart every time I see it!
The next is the Morden Fireglow rose that stands about 2’ tall and 2’ wide and is loaded with large fiery orange petals with a saturated red reverse and like the Sunrise rose blooms season long.
And lastly one of the purist whites on the market today is the Morden Snowbeauty. This rose stands about 4’ tall and 3’ wide and blooms season long with semi-double white blooms. Another feature about these roses is the huge showy rose hips they develop that add interest to the garden in winter.
You don’t need to plant these roses on Mother’s day but just the thought that you got one of these gems for your mother will be a gift that she will love all season long and for years to come. Remember Mother’s Day is Sunday May 10!
