April 30, 2007

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MINEOLA - The common perception is that roses are hard to grow, requiring lots of pesticides and work. But that's just not true, particularly with Earth Kind roses, said Pete Smith, Master Gardener and the mayor of Mineola.

Smith, Texas Cooperative Extension, a local nursery owner and his fellow Wood County Master Gardeners have set out to show just how easy growing roses can be. To do so, they have started a 9,000-square-foot Earth Kind rose test garden in the heart of Mineola.

The garden will not just demonstrate how well-adapted some Earth Kind roses are to East Texas conditions, it will test numerous other candidates. All told, Wood County Master Gardeners have planted 30 varieties of Earth Kind or Earth Kind candidates. Each rose variety is replicated three times so research data can be gathered.

At 10 a.m. on May 19, Smith, Wood County Extension will hold a dedication ceremony for the national Earth Kind roses research we have going right here.

"I believe we are the second county in the U.S. to do one (Earth Kind test garden) this size," said Clint Perkins, Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Wood County. The idea of the garden originated with a call to him from Dr. Steve George, Extension horticulturist, Perkins said.

"He contacted me to see if I was interested in doing an Earth Kind rose research trial," Perkins said. "Mark Chamblee and Mayor Pete Smith and I had a big meeting. I brought some of the (Wood County) Master Gardeners with me and basically we sat down and had a big planning session."

Smith already had a site in mind. During much of the 20th century, Mineola was a railroad terminal hub. It sported two railroad hotels, where crews of the Texas and Pacific Railway could lay over between trips. In the early 1980s, the railroad relocated its hub to Longview, and the hotels and the terminal fell into disrepair, Smith said.

"It really was a pretty big economic hit for the city," he said.

In the 1990s, town leaders renovated the main street, re-inventing the town as a tourist site and bed and breakfast stop. The old terminal was rebuilt to accommodate Amtrak travelers. But two dilapidated railroad structures remained . a grain elevator and a large warehouse. The structures fell into disrepair and one partially burned. The unsightly buildings were distracting from the picturesque image the town wanted to project, Smith said.

"They really were an eyesore," he said. "We finally scraped enough money together to put in the budget to have them torn down, and once they were torn down there was the thought of what do we do here?"

So when the idea arose to put in a test rose garden, it seemed like a plan made to order, Smith said. Smith said they were fortunate to have Chamblee, who lives in Mineola, donate the rose bushes, the compost and other materials needed to start the garden. White picket fencing that had once surrounded the depot had been recently replaced with wrought iron. The fencing was going to be disposed of , but Smith rescued it for the garden.

Road equipment was used to work up the soil bed, but otherwise the cost to Wood County or the city was zero, Smith said.

"We had our county commissioner come out; he helped prep the soil with a big mixing machine," Perkins said. "Before you know it, Mark had donated the roses and we had the Master Gardeners involved and, voila, it happened," Smith said.

"Basically, we are going to water them the first year as needed, and then it.s going to be survival of the fittest," Perkins said

The public is invited to the dedication ceremony. Perkins said George, who tests Earth Kind roses in Texas, the local commissioners, Chamblee, Smith and himself will give brief presentations and answer questions.

"The ceremony won't last very long," Perkins said. "Then everyone can look at the roses or visit downtown Mineola."

The garden is south of Mineola's downtown, just off state Highway 69 and west of the Amtrak train depot.

For an online map, visit http://map.google.com and search for "Mineola Amtrak Station."

For more information, contact the Extension office in Wood County at 903-763-2924.

To learn more about roses and other Earth Kind selections for Texas, visit http://earthkind.tamu.edu/ or contact the Extension office in their county. An online, county-by-county directory can be found at http://county-tx.tamu.edu/. -30-