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This is the best time for making rose performance observations! A visit to The Rose Garden at MCC

provides us an opportunity to observe and learn which roses are performing the best to the

characteristics we are looking for in growth and size of the plants, flowers, color and even disease

resistance. With nearly 400 varieties planted, there are lots to see that are excellent performers and

those that fall short of excellence. With the price of roses at least $21 up to nearly $50 in the nurseries, it

makes sense to plan and choose carefully. In visiting several nurseries and garden centers I am seeing

varieties that may grow well in other climates but do not perform well in our Sonoran Desert weather, no

matter how hard I try to make them grow and produce beautiful flowers. The rose garden has many of

the latest varieties to be introduced as well as new test roses being evaluated. The AGRS test garden

area and the Sonoran International Rose Trial Roses both have some roses that I would like to have in

my garden at home and some that I am glad I don't have.

Local Nurseries

There are several very satisfying reasons for shopping locally, including that we can see the condition of the plant before we buy and the (almost) instant gratification of such a short time between choosing and having it planted in the garden. It is especially satisfying for many of us to support nurseries that are locally owned.

Berridge Nursery – best known as the local source for bare root roses which usually begin arriving in

the store in December and are mostly gone by mid to late January. They also carry a sizeable stock of roses in containers year-round (not that we recomend planting year-round.) On Saturday mornings in

January they offer presentations by local consulting rosarians.. Discount on roses and rose-related products with the presentation of MEVRS membership card.

4647 E Camelback Rd

Phoenix 85018

602-952-8080

https://www.berridgenursery.com

Whitfill Nursery - Three locations, container roses only, usually older varieties, conventional choices

and landscape roses

http://www.whitfillnursery.com

East Valley

820 N. Cooper Road

Gilbert, AZ 85233

(480) 892-2712

North Phoenix/Scottsdale

824 E. Glendale Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85020

(602) 944-8479

Main Tree Farm

2647 E. Southern Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85040

(602) 268-9096

Treeland Nurseries - Carries some landscape roses and related products.

2900 S. Country Club Dr.

Mesa, Arizona 85210Phone: 480.497.2525

Email: info@treeland.com

Summer Winds Nursery - They carry roses in containers, some landscape roses and an interesting

variety of others. Three locations in the Valley including:

3160 S. Country Club Dr.

Mesa, AZ 85210

Phone: 480-892-1469

http://www.summerwindsaz.com/

Lowes and Home Depot do carry a selection of roses in containers in their garden centers, mostly

landscape roses, all in containers. Home Depot has begun carrying some of Ping Lim’s series of True

roses. Stay away from their so-called bare root roses, the ones with both canes and roots over-pruned

crammed into those plastic bags. They require so much babying and often are never as vigorous and

those in containers and true bare roots.

As we face October, it is still hot, and enduring this seemingly endless summer requires such patience. We and our roses have all had enough:

the children are sort of back in school, virtualvacations are over, the days are growing shorter, Halloween decorations and costumes fill the

stores. It’s fall – isn’t it? Not quite. And until both days and evenings show significant cooling, the roses will not welcome any radical actions from us. Do your best to back off until the daytime highs drop into the 90s consistently and the

overnight lows are at least down to the 70s. Still, there are some things you can do for your beleaguered plants. Pay attention. Walk through your garden regularly. Go out early in the morning before breakfast, when temperatures are coolest.

Watch for signs of water problems, for spider mites and chilli thrips, and for beneficial insects. I have often found that after my roses have struggled through an exceptionally hot summer, some will die in

 October. Water, water, water. Continue with your summer water schedule until day and night

temperatures drop significantly. As the days grow shorter, check the “start times” on your irrigation system controller so when they run

you are awake and can keep an eye out for leaks and broken sprinkler heads. Watering in the heat of the day leads to substantial water loss through evaporation and the possibility of scalding the leaves. Twice a week continue to use your garden hose and water wand to direct a strong spray of water to the undersides and then the tops of leaves, washing away dust and breaking up the colonies of spider mites and such.