You’ll have to wait until next Valentine’s Day to give the Canadian Shield Rose to your partner
By Mark Cullen on Feb 13, 2017
If you have a minimum of six hours of sunlight in your garden and do not have any roses, you are missing a real treat. For generations, garden roses had a reputation for being demanding in terms of insect and disease control. This is simply not the case with many of the new introductions. Rose breeders have been very successful in recent years at minimizing black spot, powdery mildew, and many of the insects that, in the past, were such a nuisance.
The Canadian Shield Rose is a brand new introduction from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. It is winter hardy to survive the extremes of Canadian weather from coast to coast. This stunning new rose will be available at garden centres across Canada in time to celebrate Canada’s 150th.
The Canadian Shield Rose is a landscape rose. It will spread more than one metre across the garden. The blooms are full and red, which provides a beautiful contrast to the glossy leaves. As a repeat bloomer, the roses will continue throughout the growing season. The Canadian Shield Rose is resistant to black spot; one of the many reasons I am looking forward to growing this rose in my 10-acre garden.
If you can’t wait to see this new rose at the garden centre, you can check it out at Canada Blooms, March 10-19. The Canadian Shield Rose has been named Canada Blooms’ Plant of the Year for 2017. I’m looking forward to seeing these roses in full bloom throughout the Festival.
Co-located with the National Home Show, Canada Blooms takes place March 10-19 at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto. For more information, please visit www.canadablooms.com. I will be there Friday the 10th, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday with my buddy Denis Flanagan. We open the festival on these days at 11 am from the Unilock Celebrity Stage.
See you there!
Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, Member of the Order of Canada, author and broadcaster. Get his free monthly newsletter at markcullen.com. Look for his new best seller, The New Canadian Garden' published by Dundurn Press. Follow him on Twitter @MarkCullen4 and Facebook.
