roses

Who knew? The International Herb Association has chosen the rose as its 2012 Herb of the Year. Meanwhile, nurseries and garden centers expect edible plants to remain popular.

Roses - the hips and petals - have a multitude of uses, from candied and crystallized petals, vinegars and teas to essential oils for cosmetics and medicines.

But take heed before you start serving up petals, warns Kitty Morse, author of Edible Flowers: A Kitchen Companion: "Make sure flowers you choose have been grown naturally, without the use of pesticides." For this reason, most fresh-cut flowers from florist shops and nurseries are unacceptable. Instead, Morse suggests harvesting chemical-free roses from your own back yard. And since many fragrant heirloom roses are susceptible to pests and disease, this means growing easy-care landscaping roses like the Flower Carpet line (Amber shown above), which is naturally pest- and disease-resistant (read: no chemical treatments needed).

"My mother used to make rose jam and tea and sugared rose petals back in the '50s," says Colorado garden blogger Becky Dziarnowski. Now, she makes tea from the hips of her Amber, Yellow and Scarlet Flower Carpet roses, crushing two or three hips and then steeping them in a tea ball for five minutes. "The Amber petals are sweet," says Dzarnowski, "like a super-ripe cantaloupe."

Rose petal ice cream is a favorite of Denise Schreiber, author of Eat Your Roses … Pansies, Lavender and 49 Other Delicious Edible Flowers. After removing the white bitter part from the bottom of each petal, Schreiber dries them on a shelf or in an oven warmed to 200 degrees, then shut off. She mixes a quarter cup of the dried, crumbled petals into a half-gallon of French vanilla ice cream and boosts the rose flavor with a teaspoon of rose water and 2 tablespoons of rose syrup (available at most Middle Eastern groceries or in the international foods section of some supermarkets). The garnish: a sprinkling of fresh rose petals.

"Generally, the darker the color, the deeper the flavor," advises Morse. Born and raised in Morocco, where roses are regularly used in cuisine, Morse recommends harvesting roses early in the morning, washing them and then laying them on paper towels to dry. She likes making rose syrup lemonade with rose petal ice cubes and also adds a splash of rose syrup to champagne before serving it in flutes: "It's very refreshing; it cleanses the palette in between courses."

So dare to be different this year, and eat your roses! You might just find yourself a new a culinary favorite!

In the summer of 2009’s weather extremes, in fact, roughly three out of every four gardeners surveyed nationwide said Flower Carpet® Next Generation easy-care roses performed better than other rose varieties. And of those who grew only Flower Carpet roses, two out of three noted the brand out-performed their other shrubs and perennials.

“I’ve spent thousands on the plants in my yard, but everyone asks me about my Carpet roses,” says Vincent Johns of West Virginia, one of 45 members of the National Home Gardening Club taking part in the survey (the group is known for its objective home testing of gardening products).

 Johns experienced a very wet summer this year – and he wasn’t the only one noticing the wacky weather. All respondents in the Northeast reported excess rain and coolness, while between 50 and 100 percent of respondents in the six other zones reporting extremes at both ends of the spectrum (excess rain/coolness and dryness/heat.

Testers put all three colors in the Next Generation line – Pink Supreme, Scarlet and Amber – through their rigorous paces in 37 states located in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 11.

In addition to the overwhelming majority of respondents reporting Flower Carpet’s better performance compared with other roses, shrubs and perennials, 82 percent also reported no pest problems. A significant number (80 percent) also said they would recommend all three colors in Flower Carpet’s Next Generation series to their friends

“I definitely would recommend Flower Carpet roses to my friends, “ said Jackie Wilcox, a home garden tester from South Dakota. “They’re easy to take care of, they look great and they establish themselves very fast for the most part. As for a favorite color, I’m partial to the Scarlet. I love the color against the dark, shiny, green leaves!”