MY TROPICANA REHAB STORY: My elderly neighbor Jose had a neglected rose in the front corner of the property, sad and half dead looking; it had barely bloomed the past several years beyond a smattering in the spring, even though it had in ground irrigation. A close inspection revealed a stunted, almost lifeless bush with a ton of dead wood, and some dull listless leaves, suffocating under hot gravel. NO buds or blooms. A tag caught my eye and I dug it out of the gravel: Tropicana. I told Jose we would try to bring the bush back to life, and he was game.

PROCEDURE: We scraped back the gravel to find that the root zone was covered by weed barrier plastic up to the bud union, with a small opening under the irrigation emitter; that thing was suffocating, and only getting water in a tiny area of the root zone. We started by cutting the plastic away to form a large circle around the bush. Then a pruning to remove dead wood and reduce the worst parts of the existing canes. Next was rose fertilizer granules, and lots of compost and topsoil, topped off by mulch. A deep watering soaked the entire zone, then the next day I came back with a 2 gallon watering can with fish emulsion and root stimulator solution, drenching the now moist root zone. We were still in the mid- high 90's, so I soaked the rose every 2-3 days, concentrating on the area where the irrigation did not reach. Almost immediately, the bush responded. Over the following weeks, it took on a healthier color, and new leafy growth gradually populated the formerly withered canes. The newest cane on the bush elongated and started to bud, gradually followed by the rest of the plant. About 6 weeks later, a first bloom appeared, quite small, but brightly colored, followed by a couple more. Now it is in the beginning of a fall flush, with 6 large flowers, and several more fat buds. SUCCESS!

PS: In addition to the initial fertilization, I gave it a couple of watering cans of more fish emulsion and some Miracle Gro rose food, spaced at 3 week intervals, and kept soaking the root zone every 2-3 days, as the NM fall weather was warm. The whole procedure took about 10 weeks, door to door. Neighbor Jose is ecstatic, and is looking forward to renewed enjoyment of his rose bush. Albuquerque NM, Zone 7A, Hot and Dry, No Spray. ***SEE 3 PICS POSTED ON Oct. 24 2023 FOR THE TRANSFORMATION***

Was introduced in the UK by the Wheatcroft Brothers in 1961.