Baltimore Opera Company

Study Guide

Roméo et Juliette

The Rose
A compelling beauty...an unending allure...with some thorns

In Juliette's famous Act 1 waltz, "Je veux vivre," she sings the prescient text -

"Loin de l'hiver morose laisse moi sommeiller,
et respirer la rose avant de l'efeuiller"
"Far from the sullen winter let me sleep,
and let me breathe the rose before it fades"


To many flower lovers and gardeners roses are the undisputed aristocrats of the flower world. They have been grown in gardens around the world and their cultivation can be traced back for more than 3,000 years. Throughout history roses have been synonymous not only with beauty, but also with luxury, wealth and power.

Roses are celebrated in literature, art and music. How could romance and love endure without this passionate symbol of the rose as the loveliest of flowers? Yet roses have a mixed reputation: for as much as they are revered for their blooms and fragrance, they are also shunned for their reputation for disease susceptibility and difficult growing techniques.

How difficult to grow are these beauties and how do we cultivate them successfully? The answers are fairly simple. Do a good bit of reading and research first and then go ahead and plunge in. Know the hardiness zone of your area (Baltimore is zone 7). Choose disease-resistant varieties and select plants that are vigorous, adaptable and hardy for the area where they will be grown. Then carefully read and follow labels and planting instructions.

Roses need at least six hours of direct sunshine each day. Do not shortchange them on this requirement. Give roses a deeply prepared soil with a good amount of added organic matter. Use a rose-specific fertilizer or a general slow-release fertilizer that gives the plants a steady stream of nutrients through the growing season (April through October). Allow them plenty of space and learn to prune correctly so that each bush has good air circulation around and throughout the shrub and foliage. A deep watering once a week is beneficial. Water the soil under the bush rather than the shrub itself. Never leave a rose bush with wet leaves as darkness gathers, because this is a sure invitation to disease problems.

Rose bushes should be inspected on a regular basis for insect infestations and disease evidence. If and when some problems do show up, be sure to identify the disease or insect itself first as this is the key to successful management. Try some of the following non-toxic methods to eradicate pests or disease. For spider mites, aphids and thrips, use a steady stream of water to dislodge the unwelcome visitors (do this in the morning hours). Japanese beetles should be crushed or picked off by hand to end up in a pail of soapy water. Treat the soil around your roses with the milky spore bacterium available from garden supply houses. This bacterium does not affect any other organisms, but prevents maturation of the Japanese beetle larvae which overwinter in the soil. For blackspot and powdery mildew, spray twice weekly with a solution containing a tablespoon of baking soda dissolved in a gallon of water and a squirt of dishwashing detergent. Reach for that convenient bottle of insecticide or fungicide only as a last resort. With good knowledge and some perseverance you will not have too many problems.

Growing the right roses under the right conditions is the major factor to success and success will surely inspire that fervor in you that has been so passionately expressed by so many. The joy roses give if grown successfully is unending, so their beauties are definitely worth pursuing. Go ahead and smell the roses!

Jane Baldwin

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