MARSHA YOKOMICHI / HONOLULU ROSE SOCIETY Marsha Yokomichi, treasurer of the Honolulu Rose Society, nutures about 60 rose plants in her Aiea garden, above, including the Love & Peace rose in the foreground.

Growers say roses are not
as fussy as believed and thrive
in Hawaii's climate

Classes

---

By Ruby Mata-Viti
ruby@starbulletin.com

Rose, a leggy, sophisticated babe, appears so dauntingly beautiful, few people dare approach, much less get to know her. Fear of rejection keeps them at bay.

Tinged with meaning Here are the color meanings of roses Red: Love/respect Yellow: Friendship/joy White: Purity Pink: Happiness/gratitude Orange: Desire

Yes, most novice gardeners steer clear of this flower -- a symbol of romance and love -- passing her up for what they believe are low-maintenance types. Rather than make her acquaintance, they simply settle with admiring her delicate petals from afar. After all, why risk abandonment in the form of wilting, dying leaves, to be left only with the lingering memory of her scent and beauty for their effort?

Myrna Cariaga, of Aiea, admits she was intimidated so stayed away from roses, but she learned quickly that the plant is not as persnickety as people might believe. Success with growing a vegetable garden gave her the push needed to finally buy her first rose plant, called Mister Lincoln.

When it thrived, "I thought it was so miraculous, it boosted my confidence 1,000 percent."

Five years later, the incoming secretary of the Honolulu Rose Society, who once thought roses were a "fussy and fragile" lot, now has a dozen of them in her yard and can't say enough about the ease of rose cultivation in Hawaii.

She'll demonstrate the basics of bringing up roses at a free workshop 1 p.m. Sunday at Home Depot, Iwilei. (A 1 p.m. workshop tomorrow on the same topic is being conducted by Gayle Chun, also of the Honolulu Rose Society.)

The society, established here in 1975, is hosting a class of the American Rose Society Horticulture & Consulting Rosarian School taught by local and mainland experts March 22, and is preparing for a rose show May 10.

MARSHA YOKOMICHI / HONOLULU ROSE SOCIETY A Black-Jade miniature rose.

IT'S A MISCONCEPTION that roses are more difficult to grow in Hawaii than on the mainland, Cariaga said, and the society has a handbook of growing guidelines specific to our tropical climate. The book, free to members, can be ordered through the organization's Web site at www.roseshawaii.org for $15, including $5 shipping and handling.

"Our weather is very forgiving for roses," Cariaga said. "They don't like cold weather."

In rose culture, spring here lasts from January to May, perfect for establishing plants, so Hawaii has an advantage over the mainland because of an extended planting season.

Certain roses, such as the St. Patricks, are very heat-tolerant and bloom profusely in summer months. We then "skip fall" and run right into winter, a short two months, bringing us back around to January and spring, she said.

Cariaga, who is a marketing specialist in the employee benefits department at Pacific Guardian Life, got a jump on spring when the roses she ordered by mail in September arrived Christmas Eve. "On Christmas Day, I was out in the garden."

New garden hybrids developed in the last few decades also resulted in easy-care plants more resilient to diseases, and more of these have been showing up garden shops in recent years.

More recently developed colors are a chocolate variety -- "actually brown," Cariaga said -- called the Teddy Bear, and "we're very close to creating a black rose."

One plant Cariaga recommends for beginners is Brigadoon, in a category called AARS (All American Rose Selection), a sort of rose Hall of Fame of which few make the cut. Any plant labeled "AARS" has been scrutinized by the society as highly disease-resistant and able to tolerate multiple climatic conditions throughout the United States, she said, so beginners should target those.

These aren't the type with fist-size buds such as the Ecuador rose we're accustomed to seeing at shops, grown in controlled greenhouses for florists. "Sometimes that compromises their scent," Cariaga said.

Greenhouse flowers don't compare to the garden-grown variety, which look more like frilly peonies when in bloom and are superior, as far as she's concerned.

"The florists' roses, they're beautiful, but they'll wilt after a day. The home-grown type can last almost a week and their scent is more intense."

MARSHA YOKOMICHI / HONOLULU ROSE SOCIETY Veteran rosarians Betsy Walters, left, national exhibition rose show judge for the American Rose Society and Tom Mui, an attorney, conduct a rose cultivation workshop held last month at Home Depot.

THE PERCEPTION that roses require excessive effort might contribute to another ill-conceived notion that only the older and elite maintain rose gardens.

"People think (roses are) high-maintenance, and only those who don't have to work or are retired have time for them."

Cariaga, in her mid-30s, said, sans rose-colored glasses, that those who attended workshops held last month were average, working-class couples in their mid-30s to early 40s who just bought a house and wanted to landscape with rose plants.

"So it's not just older, rich people. Members in our (rose) society of about 105 members range from mid-20s up to age 80, people in all walks of life."

And then, of course, there is the sharp issue of thorns. For rosarians, Cariaga said, that's not a sticking point.

"Thorns have their own character, and we can usually tell roses apart by them. They're prickly and you can get hurt when you touch them, but there's good and bad to everything."

What started out as a hobby is now what Cariaga jokingly refers to as an obsession in a positive sense. "The rose society is like a support group. We pass on tips" and enjoy camaraderie.

"I'm not the only fanatic; I'm really glad."

So are her colleagues in the employee benefits department, probably, who can consider the cuttings she gives from her garden as one of their perks.

BACK TO TOP
|

Weekend workshop Learn the basics of rose cultivation When: 1 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday Where: Home Depot, Iwilei Call: 545-5653 or visit www.roseshawaii.org Consulting Rosarian School This one-day class will provide the most complete and concise presentation available on rose cultivation. Speakers from the American Rose Society and the University of Hawaii Agriculture Department will present information on a variety of topics. When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 22 Where: Kapiolani Community College, 4303 Diamond Head Road, 'Ohia 118 Auditorium Call: 545-5653 or visit www.roseshawaii.org Cost: $25 Topics: >> Consulting rosarian mission and duties >> Hawaiian soils >> Chinese rose beetles and other local pests >> Pesticide safety and homeowner use of pesticides >> Commercial rose production >> Old garden roses and shrubs for small gardens >> Integrated management of rose pests >> New roses on the horizon

Click for online
calendars and events.