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Volunteers plant nation's largest EarthKind rose test gardenTexas Dr. Steve George surveyed the field of newly planted roses and wondered aloud if any would have the mettle to earn EarthKind distinction. Only a few may make it, said George, a horticulturist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Dallas. "We're searching for roses to constitute the first national collection of EarthKind roses," he said. Farmers Branch, a Dallas suburb, and AgriLife Extension teamed up to plant the roses in the largest EarthKind rose test garden in the nation, George said. The goal is to identify EarthKind roses that can be grown almost anywhere in the country. About 40 Farmers Branch employees and Texas Master Gardeners volunteered recently to plant 100 rose cultivars over 2 1/2 acres of a public park set aside for the project. The project is being coordinated by AgriLife Extension in Dallas. Most of the roses in the four-year project are winter hardy in regions well north of Texas, George said. "And so we want to see how far south they will come, because from that group we hope that we will find a number, or at least a handful that will make it from Houston to Minneapolis, L.A. to New York City with no sprays and no fertilizer," George said. George is teaming up with two other horticulturists on the project: Dr. Derald Harp of Texas A&M University-Commerce; and Dr. David Zlesak of the University of Minnesota. The test garden was planted in Gussie Field Watterworth Park, in a complex next door to Farmers Branch City Hall. City leaders are proud to show off the rose collection along busy Valley View Lane, said Pam Smith, Farmers Branch's park landscape manager. "Our official motto is 'City in the Park,' so we absolutely value what beautification adds to the quality of life or our residents," Smith said. The city, which contributed $25,000 to the project, will maintain the garden, Smith said. The Houston Rose Society donated an additional $25,000, said Gaye Hammond, the society's past president. Society members eagerly contributed to the project, Hammond said. The organization intends to help propagate EarthKind roses because they are easy to grow and good for the environment. "People aren't going to sacrifice their lives to grow plants," Hammond said. "Our mission was to make roses easier to grow for people. "Plant them and forget them," she said. "If you can grow weeds, you can grow roses. EarthKind takes the guesswork out of it." There are rose association members all over the country who will also participate in growing and testing the roses in their regions, Hammond said. EarthKind roses are robust and thrive in tough conditions, George said. Grown and evaluated over years, the roses aren't fertilized or pruned. They are not treated with pesticides and are watered far less than other roses. AgriLife Extension horticulturists have been assessing and identifying EarthKind roses for almost 20 years, he said. The roses need eight hours or more of full, direct sun and good air movement over the leaves. Before planting, three inches of compost are tilled in. The soil surface is mulched year-round with shredded tree limbs or hardwood bark. The Farmers Branch collection is headed for rigorous testing, George said. "Based on what we have learned nationwide, there's probably more environmental damage done by the misuse of fertilizer than there is by pesticides," he said. "So these will never be fertilized, never be sprayed. We're going to be greatly reducing the amount of water once they're established." Water use can be reduced by up to 70 percent by using a drip irrigation system, George said. "If they're good enough to be EarthKind, once they're established, they'll be very drought and heat tolerant," he said. "So we're looking for roses that have such good tolerance, or resistance to disease and insect problems, that almost never will they have to be sprayed." George said EarthKind roses will eventually be tested using treated wastewater from sewage plants. Florida, for example, promotes the use of such recycled water for lawn irrigation as a conservation measure. "We've tested our roses against almost all of the environmental stresses: alkaline soils, clay soils, heat, drought, disease, insects and the cold," he said. "The one thing we haven't tested them against is how they perform against recycled water. "We think that's the next big coming thing," he said. "Instead of waiting 10 years and having that question thrust upon us, we want to start testing our roses now to see how they do against recycled water. Our prediction is that before too many years go by, many cities will be mandating the use of recycled water." ------CUTLINES------ 1.) More than 2 acres in a Farmers Branch park have been set aside for an EarthKind Rose test garden. (Texas AgriLife Extension photo by Mike Jackson.) 2.) Dr. Steve George, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist, and Gaye Hammond, plant a rose in an EarthKind test garden at Gussie Field Watterworth Park in Farmers Branch, near Dallas. (Texas AgriLife Extension photo by Mike Jackson.)
Date: 8/8/08 Advertisement
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