Martha Fowler

What Texan, native or adopted, doesn’t want a “yellow rose of Texas”? Let me recommend Grandma’s Yellow rose (Rosa nacogdoches), formerly called Nacogdoches Rose. It was named a Texas Superstar by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Research in 2010 because it was the most disease-resistant yellow rose available that could thrive in growing conditions all across the state.

A horticultural team of Dr. Larry Stein, Dr. Jerry Parson and Greg Grant, our own Smith County horticultural agent for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, set out to develop a disease-resistant yellow rose bush that could tolerate Texas growing conditions while still producing florist-quality blooms. They started with a ”found” rose, meaning an unknown one found blooming in an abandoned garden in spite of total neglect. After years of development and testing, Grandma’s Yellow was the result. It was named after Stein’s grandmother, who loved yellow roses and whose garden was used as a test bed.

The sturdy, upright bush is tough and disease-resistant. It will occasionally be attacked by black spot, especially in a wet spring or fall. In that case, a few fungicide applications are beneficial but not essential. Even when not sprayed, the plant will produce new foliage after defoliation by disease. It will survive to bloom again.

Grandma’s Yellow grows on its own rootstock. It prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soil, but will tolerate alkaline clay if given adequate drainage. It requires at least six hours of sunlight, but full sun is best. Pruning is optional but provides better results. Prune as a hybrid tea. Similarly, fertilize as a hybrid tea, once after spring pruning, again when first buds set and regularly throughout the growing season. Water well until established, then moderately. Bushes are 4 to 5 feet high and about 3 feet wide, so the roses should be planted at least 4 feet apart for good air circulation.

The large, long-stemmed, deep-yellow blooms cover the bush from spring to first frost. They have the desired, classic, hybrid-tea form. Their fragrance is light and spicy. Leaves emerge in a shade of bronze, then mature to dark green.

Because the blooms are so beautiful, Grandma’s Yellow has many uses in the home landscape. It is an excellent accent plant, alone or with others. It makes a stunning, low hedge. It forms a shrub border with perennials. It is a wonderful addition to the cut-flower garden. The blooms are long-lasting in a vase.

Consider a low-maintenance Grandma’s Yellow for your garden. As one writer put it, “It is not perfect but it is mighty close!”

For more information, check out TexasSuperstar.com or attend the program “Super Charge Your Garden with Texas Superstar Plants,” presented by the Smith County Master Gardeners with Texas Superstar advanced training, at 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Tyler Public Library, 201 S. College Ave.