Be Kind to the Earth
Posted in Gardens and Collections on June 12th, 2012 by Sonia Uyterhoeven – Be the first to commentSonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG’s Gardener for Public Education.
Last week we discussed disease resistant roses. This week we will continue along the same vein with a discussion of Earth-Kind® roses.
The concept of Earth-Kind® roses began in Texas in the late 1990s, when a professor at Texas A&M was asked for recommendations on roses that were attractive and low-maintenance. The professor realized that no systematic study had been done in this area and set about creating the Earth-Kind® trials.
The creators of the program set up strict protocols that could be followed all around the country. The goal of the program was to eliminate the use of fertilizer, reduce the use of insecticides and fungicides by 98%, eliminate annual pruning and deadheading and reduce supplemental irrigation by at least 70%.
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