Belinda’s Dream Rose
This full sun, 5’x 5′ shrub rose is one I have coveted for many years and never had the room for, so when I moved in late 2015 it was one of the first plants I used and I found just the right spot for it.
Belinda’s Dream is an “Earth Kind Rose” which are roses that are tested in Texas for being drought tolerant, low maintenance and disease resistant. This one is a true superstar in the Austin Texas landscape and while I’m not necessarily a big fan of pink, this rose just makes me happy. I have it right out my back door so I can take in the view; which by the way, lasts from late February to the first hard freeze.
It is obvious to see there is a lot to love about this rose and for the rose lovers who have given up on roses because of all the maintenance, this is an excellent choice. Once a year you shape it and remove dead wood if any, compost, done. You can remove spent flower heads to encourage more flower production through the season, but this shrub will continue to produce regardless.
The blooms on this rose are enormous and vary in size and shape even on the same bush. This rose requires full sun, compost each spring, and proper planting. Over all is if very little maintenance, works great in a low water garden and blooms profusely from spring to fall.
Unfortunately, this variety has no real distinctive scent but it does have a light fragrance and makes for beautiful cut flower arrangements with its long stemmed clusters of large blooms.
If you have a full sun space with enough room for this beauty, I highly recommend this rose. It is an excellent specimen plant as well as an excellent hedge row as long as you do not over trim or plant too close together. Roses don’t like to be crowded and they don’t like to be over buried. Be sure to allow enough room for each rose to grow to mature height and width, then compost the beds each spring for additional blooms. I don’t recommend any chemicals fertilizers but I do love liquid seaweed and find it to be an excellent “one stop shop” of fertilizer and stabilizer. Here is the proper planting technique for roses.
Roses are best planted over the winter months and will be widely available then. Be sure when making rose selections to check for your hardiness zone which in Austin is zone 8b and be sure whenever possible to look for Earth Kind roses.
For more great plant suggestions, planting instructions and design, contact me at lisalapaso@gmail.com or 512-733-7777 for a Landscape Consultation or Design service.
Lisa LaPaso
Lisa’s Landscape and Design
“Saving the Planet One Yard at a Time”
- Posted in: Austin Xeriscape ♦ Central Texas Gardens ♦ Earth Kind Roses ♦ Education ♦ Landscape and Design ♦ Tree Trimming ♦ Water Wise
- Tagged: Ea, flowers, Gardening, inspiration, Low, Pink, Ro