Rose Cuttings – October, 2007

With warm temperatures approaching, it is a good time to plant annuals. They embellish our gardens, not only for summer, but well into fall. I have found that annual combinations with roses are stunning, especially with roses that bloom so heavily again in the fall. The following annuals can take the heat even in Texas’ full sun.

Try durantas. [editor’s note: a new Texas SuperStar™ introduction; see the excerpt from our May/June magazine in this issue of e-gardens.] They can get 4 feet tall after three months’ growth. They have lavender-blue flowers that butterflies love. This color works best with pink and yellow roses. My favorite combination is with ‘Belinda’s Dream,’ ‘Caldwell Pink,’ and ‘Carefree Beauty’ in the pink shades. ‘Lafter’ and ‘Engelmann’s Quest’ are yellow blends that contrast well with durantas.

For a really tough annual with bright yellow flowers, try helenium ‘Dakota Gold.’ It loves the heat and is stunning with red roses like ‘Cadenza,’ ‘Valentine,’ ‘Dame de Coeur’ and ‘Cramoisi Superieur,’ It blooms throughout the summer and into the fall.

Many pentas are also show-stoppers. The ‘Graffiti’ series come in shades of red, pink and violet. Plants are small (to 1 foot), but are great understories to the roses. I like to combine with ‘Caldwell Pink,’ ‘Old Blush’ and ‘Mutablis.’

Also, try trailing torenias, bat-faced cuphea, Mexican heather, and even ‘Dragonwing’ begonias while you are at it. They all perform in our heat, throw out an amazing amount of color, and even more inspiring are the roses that awaken in the cooler weather of the fall.

About the author: Mike Shoup is the owner of the Antique Rose Emporium. Visit the ARE Brenham and San Antonio display gardens for endless ideas on landscaping with roses, and to order roses online, visit www.weAREroses.com