Express News GARDENING, Etc.
Sunday, September 28, 2003

By Lynn Rawe

If you enjoy growing roses, an easy-to-care-for polyantha rose, “Marie Daly” is the latest rose to be named a Texas Superstar™ by Texas Cooperative Extension’s CEMAP™ Program. Selected by Greg Grant, Marie Daly is a new variety of Marie Pavie, an old garden rose which dates back to 1888. Marie Pavie is a superb polyantha rose with white blossoms. The only difference between the two is Marie Daly’s distinctly pink color. Marie Pavie is much paler–almost white.

What is aTexas Superstar?
Simply put, a plant designated as a Texas Superstar is a “graduate” of the CEMAP™ Program, having passed extensive testing in order to bring to the public, plants that are vigorous, beautiful, and bountiful –providing gardeners with the most bang for their buck.

Only the best adapted, highest performing, and most pest-resistant plant materials are designated Texas Superstars.
Marie Daly is a dwarf landscape rose, and when fully grown it is 3 feet high, 3 feet wide, and has few thorns. It has beautiful, semi-double pink blossoms with rich green foliage and is reported to be very fragrant. This rose is an excellent choice for growing in a large container on a sunny patio. Marie Daly is classified as a polyantha rose and produces small flowers in large clusters. Polyanthas are primarily used in containers and for mass plantings or borders.

Marie Daly has successive flushes of bloom from spring to frost. It is winter hardy throughout Texas and if planted in the landscape, plant in day-long full sun where your rose can get good air movement over the leaves. Fall is an excellent time to plant roses.

Every gardener can be very successful with this rose. Marie Daly is much less prone to pest problems than are most miniature rose plants. Marie Daly will almost never have to be sprayed with harsh pesticides. It is an outstanding performer in almost any soil type, both acid and even highly alkaline clays and possesses good disease tolerance and resistance to insects.

Marie Daly can be found at several nurseries in San Antonio including Milberger’s Landscape Nursery (210-497-3760) and Rainbow Gardens #3 (210-680-2394). For more information on the Texas Superstar program visit http://TexasSuperstar.com.

Recommendation of a plant through CEMAP means that the variety has been subjected to statewide testing and been found to be meritorious. Advisory input is received from the statewide CEMAP Advisory Board which is composed of Texas A&M University horticulturists, nursery professionals, growers, seed company representatives, county horticulturists, arboretum and botanical garden representatives, horticultural writers, and landscape designers. These plants are hardy, tolerating the hot dry summers characteristic of most parts of the state. They are disease and insect tolerant, providing beauty with minimal care and minimal reliance on chemical pest control. These plants are designated as “Texas Superstars.” and they must display the symbol on a tag or label at the point of sale. There are currently 33 “graduates” of CEMAP, appropriately classified as Texas Superstars. Learn more about CEMAP at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/cemap/tamuhort.html

This article was written by Lynn Rawe, County Extension Agent-Horticulture with Texas Cooperative Extension in Bexar County. For more information please call 210 / 467-6575.