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Produced by Barbara Elliott Martin •
Text by Shannon Howard •
Photography by Matthew Millman •
Styling by Sunday Hendrickson
Secrets of a Master Rose Gardener
When Jaime bought his Pasadena home 14 years ago, inheriting four scraggly rose bushes in the process, he never expected to unearth a lifelong passion. But over the course of a decade, Jaime has become a man consumed, a gardener so passionate about his roses (now 85 varieties and counting) that he recently spent a one-week vacation just tending to his pruning. A dreaded task for most of us, but absolute bliss for Jaime. “I never thought I would become a gardener,” he says, “but now, it fills my heart with enormous pride and joy. People walk by my house just to see the roses, and it makes me so happy.”
Tips for Gardeners:
The key to robust roses, according to Jaime, is deep watering at the base of
the bush. “No sprinklers!” Water once a week, twice weekly in the heat of
summer, and don’t allow leaves and blossoms to get wet.
• Spread mulch three to four inches deep beneath each bush to minimize
competition from weeds.
• Fertilize with Jaime’s radiant rose cocktail at the start of each
growing season. To feed five bushes, combine 4 cups gypsum, 1/4 cup iron, 1/2
cup sulfur, and 1/4 cup Epsom salt. “Each plant gets one cup of the
mixture.” • After the first flush of blooms, alternate between rose food
and Epsom salt once a month.
• Don’t be so quick to give up on a rosebush, says Jaime. “You never
know how it will react in your little microclimate until you’ve lived with it
for at least two years.”
• Beneficial insects, like honey bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and
spiders, should always be welcome in a rose garden. They can help you avoid
using toxic chemicals.
 Stumble It!
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Perfecting Your Poolside Paradise
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