In February many folks think of roses for Valentine’s day.
But actually roses are timeless, beautiful and useful in so many ways. One of the advantages to growing your own fragrant roses is to be able to use them in beautiful wreaths, potpourri and foods.
  Of all the roses, Hybrid teas are most elegant and look like what many people think a rose should look like. They are bit more difficult to grow but there are many natural ways to grow them successfully. I love to make potpourri with them and also dry them in silica for wreaths and decorations.
  Carefree shrub roses bloom well and are easy to grow. Romantica roses, sometimes also called old French roses, are strong, vigorous and bloom all season. They were bred in the south of France and have disease resistance qualities as well as fragrance resulting from the marriage of many good old-fashion and modern traits. Pick them for vases or to dry in silica.
 The almost flat types, white or deep pink blooms, found on the Rosa Rugosa smell most like a rose and are great for potpourri. They thrive at the shore and were once grown on Cape Cod where they were called sea tomatoes. Full of vitamin C they were used by ancient sailors to prevent scurvy. These hardy, low-maintenance sturdy shrubs are adaptable to almost any soil condition except wet clay. I give mine a handful of 10-10-10 once a season. They thrive in my gardens despite the sandy soil. I love the true ‘rose’ fragrance of these blooms and often pick them to place in little vases or wine glasses. The petals are pretty in salads and the colorful hips can also be used for tea or crafts. A friend of mine makes jelly from Rugosa rose petals that is bright pink and very perfumy. The petals dry beautifully and retain fragrance when used in potpourri or teas.

Crafting with fragrant petals
  One ancient use of fresh petals is to make rose beads. There are many ways and secrets when it comes to making rose beads. A basic recipe with many variations is quite simple, yet time consuming.
  Fragrant fresh rose petals chopped and covered with water in a black, cast-iron pan are simmered and stirred often with a wooden utensil. Continue for several hours until petals are pulp, adding water if they dry out. When the pulp is like a paste and can be molded into balls, stop cooking and roll into beads. At this point, add a few drops of real, not artificial, rose oil. Make a hole in beads with large pin or thick wire or small nail. String on heavy thread to dry in warm dry place for about a week, turning occasionally. Store rose petal beads in a box or jar when not wearing them, to preserve the fragrance.
  The Rosary derived its name from the rose hips, which were strung as prayer beads by the monks. Later rosary beads were formed from the fragrant paste of rose petals. I have these beautiful beads made by nuns in Spain where they are still made today. I never cease to marvel at the true rose fragrance when I open up their case.
  I love all roses, but I like bright colored fragrant roses best for crafting. Petals or buds spread on screens set up in dry places such as an attic dry well. Use blocks or books at corners to allow air to circulate under screens. Tiny buds found in many hues from the Sun blaze roses are perfect for this.
   Once completely dry add orrisroot and oils to petals as per recipe. I usually add two teaspoons of granulated orris or calamus root fixative to each quart of rose petals. About 10 drops of real rose oil should be sprinkled on the orris before it is added.  Attar of Rose was one of the most prized perfumes of the ancient world. Attar is the essential oil extracted from rose petals. It takes several hundred pounds of petals for just a few ounces of oil. Artificial rose oil is less money but has a terrible, harsh smell that may cause allergic reactions. When the petals from fragrant roses are used orrisroot aids in drawing out fragrance.

Roses dried in silica
  Another wonderful way to use and preserve beautiful roses is to dry them in silica gel or Flower Dri. This is available in garden centers or florist shops. Pick roses just beginning to open that is free from dew. Place blooms face up in about 1 inch of silica in a cookie tin; first fill around the sides and then in the center of the rose. Cover with a lid if you are using airtight cookie tins and allow about a week for drying.  We do such large quantities of this we use dehydrators and layer our roses in cardboard trays into silica gel powder. These are put on shelves of our homemade wooden box dehydrators. The rose takes anywhere from 3 days to a week depending on moisture content. The reason we put them in dehydrators is that the silica absorbs the moisture from the roses and has be dried between uses. If it is placed in the dehydrator it is automatically dried in a constant process and does not have to be placed in the oven.
  The roses dried in silica are best hot glued to wreaths. Remember, these must be kept away from moisture at all costs or they will soon become limp and lose their color.  Sprays the finished product with a poly clear spray to insure they will not absorb moisture.
  We dry wedding bouquets in this manner for a long lasting keepsake. Most blooms can be preserved in a similar manner.

Rose Culture
   Roses need rich soil with lots of compost and do best in full sun. Drip watering or a soaker hose works best in a rose bed. When signs of black spot appear on leaves sprinkle the plant and the ground with sulfur or copper powder. This is a safe old remedy and will insure that disease under the plant will not spread or bounce up to the foliage with rain or watering. To insure healthy plants all season, feed roses early and often with food high in the middle number, phosphate. This is what they need to produce good strong stems and roots as well as buds and blooms. I used 14-14-14, which is a time release, or 10-10-10 the common granular.
  The very prolific red shrub rose called Knock Out is said by many to be the easiest of all to grow. It is now available in two other shades pink and a blush peach. Said to tolerate more shade than other roses, it blooms from frost to frost and is truly a rose for all seasons.
  Spring is a great time to plant roses for a long blooming season. And one of the best things you can do for your rose bush is pick it! Enjoy the fragrant bloom on your table or desk or pick one for someone else, knowing that where you picked that one another will grow.
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