Vertical gardening is definitely a trend all over in San Diego, as we discovered on a recent visit. One that really blew our minds, pictured below, was at Ironside Fish & Oyster Bar. This lovely living wall design also helps camouflage the entrance to the dumpsters!  Judy Beust Harrington & Audrey Beust McMurray photos.

 

 

Vertical Garden Solutions (VGS), a California company, installed Ironside's garden wall on India St. Georges Fortier of VGS, who specializes in such plantings, points out they focus, of course, on Southern California growing conditions -- which do differ from ours. But universally, he says, when such gardens fail, it's almost always because of . . .  

• Wrong choice of plant material for the sun exposure,
• Over watering or under watering or
• Poor maintenance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MONARCHS HEADED THIS WAY!  Journey North (JN), which tracts migrations (hummers, monarchs, etc.) wants to knowif your milkweed/butterflyweed (right above) has emerged yet from winter dormancy?  Hopefully yours died back naturally, so you can help monarchs fight their latest threat - the parasite Oe -. If it didn't, hopefully YOU cut it to the ground?

The first monarchs typically cross the Rio Grande into Texas around last Tuesday, March 15. They're looking for milkweed/butterflyweed.  JN urges you to report:

  

 

 

 

Most modern roses are grafted or budded onto a rootstock because they do not produce a vigorous root system on their own.  The most common rootstocks are Multiflora, Dr. Huey, Manetti and Fortuniana.  Most large commercial nurseries don't propagate onto Fortuniana, because they don't perform well in Hardiness Zones lower than 7.  However, they have proven to perform very well across the southern part of the United States, producing larger bushes along with more and larger blooms. 

 

Fortuniana rootstock was discovered in China in 1850 by Robert Fortune a Scottish gardener.  It is a white OGR (Old Garden Rose), a natural hybrid of "Lady Banks Rose" and "Cherokee Rose." 

It is believed to have been introduced to America and Australia about 1903.  Dr. Samuel McFadden of the University of Florida began grafting on Fortuniana in the early 1960's.  Fortuniana has proven to be better suited than other root stocks to sandy soils, particularly those  rife with nematodes and eel worms.  That property was very instrumental in the introduction of Fortuniana to Florida. 

 

Fortuniana root systems have very few woody roots and generally no tap root.  This characteristic, on hybrid teas in particular, necessitates the staking of plants, as it is often common for bushes to grow to6 or 8 or even 10 feet tall.  The numerous feeder roots grow relatively shallow, 6 to 8 inches, and a Fortuniana root system can reach a diameter of 6 feet or more.

 

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Fortuniana roots, left.  Dr. Huey roots, right.

 

There are numerous similarities in horticulture practices between growing roses on Fortuniana and onother rootstocks.  Differences include planting, watering, fertilizing, pruning and winterization.

 

Certainly in my own garden, Fortuniana is "The way to grow."