What a treat to share a writer friend's story about John Cabot Rose from the Explorer Series. Koleen Garland, from Canada, titled her two-hour writing binge -That Indestructible, Irresistibly Beautiful John Cabot Rose.
We wrap up the episode with wisdom from a child I met while volunteering at Comfort Zone Camp (a bereavement camp for kids.) Flora Forever - The young arborist-to-be is already an explorer of plants; may we all be the same.
I hope you enjoy the story.
Related Stories & Helpful Links:
The Irresistible John Cabot Rose
Enjoy Koleen's hilarious childhood memory of making Dandelion Wine in Ep 157. Benefits of Plantain & Dandelion "Weeds."
The Canadian Rose Society has an informative PDF of the varieties of Explorer Roses.
Beauty and Beast of Roses – Blog Post
Ep 72. Beauty and Beast of Roses
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I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in.
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Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page
Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,
Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
AskMaryStone.com
More about the Podcast and Column:
Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.
It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Ep 162. The Irresistible John Cabot Rose
Sun, May 26, 2024 9:11AM • 10:39
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
john cabot, roses, rose, garden, grow, landscaper, branches, plant, stories, clematis, explorer, trees, blooms, gardeners, share, life, blossoms, beauty, comfort zone, camp, dilemmas, mary stone, garden, nature, inspiration
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone
Mary Stone 00:01
Hello fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens, it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Mary Stone 00:26
Hello there, it's Mary Stone on the screen porch, and it feels like it's summer, but it's the third week of May so we still have some spring left, but it's nice to have the summer tees. Thanks to those that reached back after last week's chat about the Wonders of Willowwood Arboretum. The Grand Tour I received from Bruce Crawford. It was fun to hear back from those who also admire aging and declining trees and allow them to live out their lives. One listener shared a story they read about clematis being the best climbing vine to grow in trees and shrubs. I've heard the same thing. Clematis like moist, cool feet. So their host, a tree or shrub, will provide that. Just be sure to manage the size so the clematis doesn't shroud the plant and hinder photosynthesis.
Mary Stone 01:12
Speaking of stories, I received another from Koleen, my writer friend who shared the hilarious childhood memory of making Dandelion Wine. That was in episode 157 benefits of plantain and dandelion weeds. This delightful story is about John Cabot Rose. I've shared before that I have not had luck with roses. It's becoming like a wrestling match between all the plethora of diseases and then there's the Japanese beetles, but I adore their beauty. Koleen's story gives me hope. She describes it as a two-hour writing binge, meaning a first draft which is hard to imagine that a first draft could be so polished. She went on to say that she created a new flower bed just for her favorite roses. My home is in my home unless I have my favorite roses in my garden. It was fun writing. And I found it interesting that roses are now grown in Michigan. Koleen lives in Canada with similar harsh winters. Her title, the indestructible irresistibly beautiful John Cabot rose, and it starts like this.
Mary Stone 02:16
So what is the difference between a landscaper and a gardener anyway? I rather think that those of us sporting a green thumb are sometimes landscapers and sometimes gardeners, even though there are diplomas and degrees that belong to each. On several occasions during my life after the moving van left, I found myself back in landscaper mode, planning the makeover of a non-existent or a derelict garden. And I find myself in that mode now. But I have a background to turn to for inspiration and guidance. Experiences a wonderful teacher, and this lesson is one worth sharing.
Mary Stone 02:52
At one time in my life, I ordered a rose by mail, and I got a surprise. The bare roots that lay inside the package left in my mailbox looked like a collection of dried-up twigs. But the label said it was indeed when I ordered a John Kabat rose that I decided was a stretch of the imagination, but I planted it anyway just in case it grew. Aren't all we gardeners alike - giving it a chance. I dug it into an abandoned sheep manure pile on the north side of our huge barn and gave it a chance. On its third birthday, it rewarded me with a seven-foot-high fountain of nearly 600 blossoms. Shortly after that, our farm was sold. I was heartbroken that the beautiful rose was going to be left. But without anyone else knowing it our son drove the tractor loader under its graceful branches and in one scoop wrenched it out of the ground. He then dumped it unceremoniously into the back of his pickup truck and drove it 120 miles to his house in sub-freezing December weather. There he dropped it beside his back patio and put some snowy earth around it. That was 20 years ago and to this day, it dutifully and magnificently out blooms anything around.
Mary Stone 04:04
John Cabot is one of the Explorer roses that came out of Canada agriculture's research experiment to create roses that could survive our harsh Canadian climates. Starting in the 1960s, several names were allocated from our historic past to newly baptized roses before John Cabot was named in 1978. The large plant is formally called a climber and it could be persuaded to do so. But I never bothered with the climbing end of things. Instead, I let it become a fountain that gracefully extends branches all the way around the plant, sometimes touching the ground. The clusters of blooms form down each branch, each vying for attention. It takes a few years to get to this stage. But in the meantime, John Cabot makes life easy for the gardener. Deer don't touch it. Rabbits and mice can't get through the thorns. Aphids don't like it and it doesn't get thrips mildew or black spot?
Mary Stone 05:01
Holy moly, Colleen, maybe even I can grow this beauty.
Mary Stone 05:05
And although my zone five doesn't challenge it, I'm betting it could make it through the zone three it is rated for with no winterizing needed. Just prune it back in the Spring when the green comes back to the branches and prune other branches just not in the right place. John Cabot blossoms are almost red in the bud but turn dark pink when open. They are three-inch-wide double rose with 40 plus pedals. And deadheading? Well, if you want to patiently deadhead more power to you, one of mine had 1500 blooms give or take a few hundred last year. But even if you don't deadhead, John Cabot will keep on blooming sporadically all through the summer and end the season with a good size blush just for good measure.
Mary Stone 05:47
So, my fellow listeners, you know what deadheading is don't you? And that is cutting off dead blooms. Can you imagine cutting off 1500 blooms? I didn't think so.
Mary Stone 05:58
I recently moved to another city. And yes, I have to have my small collection of roses. Firstly, my trademark John Cabot, then my husband's favorite, light pink, John Davis, only three feet high. And of course the pure white Henry Hudson, also small enough for a perennial border. They are all named after explorers who mapped out our newly found country in its infancy.
Mary Stone 06:22
I recently found a beautiful John Cabot rose at my local garden center. When I looked at where it came from, I was surprised. It seems that many of the Explorer rose series are now started in Michigan. We're on the same latitude, and I'm happy to say we can share our bounty. Beauty knows no boundaries, and anyway – Mother Nature doesn't give a darn about the 49th parallel. Explorer roses are easy to grow and maintain, and they are show-stoppers. They can make both landscapers and gardeners happy. How can you beat that?
Mary Stone 06:57
Thank you, Koleen, you are turning my love hate relationship with roses to one of hope that maybe even I can grow them. I think I will give it a try. I had to look up what Koleen meant by the 49th parallel. The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49 degrees north of the Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean. So, there you go, a rose lesson along with geography. You can't beat that. Garden dilemmas, AskMaryStone.com. And by the way, the Canadian Rose Society has a very informative pdf of the varieties of the Explorer roses, and I'll put a link in the show notes.
Mary Stone 07:39
Speaking of explorers last weekend, I had the privilege to volunteer for Comfort Zone Camp in conjunction with the Little Hope Foundation each year. This particular Comfort Zone Camp is for those children and young adults who lost a loved one to suicide. So many heartbreaking stories, but such a brave kids. I admired how the campers shared their stories and realized that they were not alone in their journey of grieving, healing and growing. On Sunday, which is the last day of camp, the healing circle group pow-wowed what they'd like to do at the memorial service that afternoon. Share a song that makes them think of their loved one or a poem that they wrote. Or maybe perform a skit of an activity like fishing or tossing a baseball they once did in tribute of their parent or sibling. Our group decided to find finds in nature that reminded them of their loved ones lost.
Mary Stone 08:29
One child, I'll call him Tim here, gathered sticks that had cut ends that remind me of the Beaver Dam we saw on the lake while row boating. Beavers are very smart and creative and build their own homes. My dad was like that too.
Mary Stone 08:43
Others gathered flowers, and Tim named the wild geranium, another camper put it in a hair. You know about plants I said. Mostly trees, but I'm learning about ground plants. I share that I work with arborists as a garden and landscape designer. His face lights up. I don't know what I want to do.
Mary Stone 09:01
Maybe you'll be a tree surgeon? I wanted to be not knowing there was such a thing when I was your age. But when it's time there are college programs and horticulture you can look into. His big smile with wide spaces between his teeth symbolizes the room ahead of him to grow.
Mary Stone 09:17
Before the memorial service, kids have opportunities to sign Comfort Zone T shirts. The young arborist-to-be wrote on mine, Flora forever. See that Tim is already an explorer of plants. And may we all be the same. Explore, make an adventure. Seek out the beauty in the world around us and in your gardens. Experiment, try new things. And I will try some roses. Thank you, Koleen. And I want to thank all of you that reach back to me each week and for sharing your stories. It's really such a delight to share them and I'm encouraging more of you to do the same. It means so much to me - that we're learning and growing in the garden of life together. May we all become great adventures exploring our dear Earth. See you next time on the screen porch.
Mary Stone 10:06
You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.