Roses That Beat The Heat
It's done got hot in Alabama."
Where has the summer gone? We are already on our third flush of rose blooms and I must say that this rose season has been one of our best.
We’ve made lots of changes in the garden this year. A new pergola, lots of new varieties of roses, and also adding more perennials to the garden. It has been hot. Real hot. Did I mention it was hot? Despite the heat, our roses seem to be thriving. Lots of glorious rain showers and the sunshine has produced a bumper crop of blooms. |
Roses make for a colorful landscape even in the heat of an Alabama summer. Select varieties that are hardy to this area. There are tons of available landscape shrubs such as the OSO Happy and OSO Easy varieties along with Knockout varieties that hold up extremely well in the summer and come in a variety of colors. Our front garden is planted with these types of roses and we are enjoying a constant stream of color in the garden. Best of all, they only require weekly watering, NO Spray, just a semi-annual haircut to keep them looking sharp! |

Your garden should reflect what you love. I love roses and my garden reflects that. Our garden is filled with things that remind me of friendships, events past and those things that are most precious to me. What’s blooming in your garden this summer?
About The Author

Nicknamed "The Redneck Rosarian", Chris VanCleave is passionate about gardening and growing roses. He is an active member of the Birmingham chapter of the American Rose Society, serving two terms as President. In 2007, he created the Rose Chat Podcast which has reached over a half a million listeners with news and information on growing the world's most beloved flower, the rose. He was a contributor to the 2015 Southern Living Gardening Book, has appeared on P. Allen Smith's Garden Home television show and was featured in the June 2015 issue of Southern Living Magazine. Locally, Chris serves as Chairman of the Helena Beautification Board where he has spearheaded efforts to create a sustainable landscape in one of the Top 100 places to live in the US. His writing is seen on About.com, HGTV, Home Depot Gardening Club and on his popular website; RedneckRosarian.com, where he chronicles his gardening adventures and explores an intrinsic mix of life, faith and gardening. An agent of change with over 20 years' experience in process innovation, Mr. VanCleave is leading the charge to reinvigorate horticulture societies and helping them to reach their full potential in the social media age.