Sandy’s Garden ... The Trump Rose

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the theatre in her name on October 1, 2013. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is located on the International School of Aberdeen campus on North Deeside Road.’ I have taken this quotation from the website of ISA … the International School, Aberdeen … and I wonder how many Scottish schools have a theatre opened by the reigning monarch now or at any time in the past. It has been my pleasure and privilege to have attended several events there since it opened, by virtue of having acted as a grand-fatherly figure to two of its pupils, one now an FP and doing very well at university.

And it was while I was speculating on the number of schools whose theatres/assembly halls/concert venues have been opened by the top member of the royal family that my wandering mind turned to wondering when … if ever … we shall learn of the opening of the Emperor Donald I Theatre, perhaps at Fordham University, where Donald John Trump received the first two years of his tertiary education or the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a degree in economics in 1968. Much of his subsequent adult life is rather confused, with Donald making sometimes extravagant claims about his role in significant events and what he terms ‘fake news’ giving a rather less glowing account of his achievements. You are querying ‘Emperor Donald I’, gentle reader? Would you bet against it?

And that was when I discovered that there is a Trump rose! No, I cannot confirm that it is named in his honour: but I can tell you that it is large, showy and bears flowers whose colour is officially described as ‘light peach’, although photographs seem to suggest that it’s a pretty strong ‘light’ peach. Whatever, my mind wandered on to the subject of roses, which used to be much more popular in urban gardens than they seem to be nowadays but which are still very popular … bought from a florist or a supermarket … for displaying in vases.

‘Trump’ is a standard rose … a rose bush grafted on to a tall stem so that the variety grows on top of the stem to make a flowering ‘head’ … and is, apparently, excellent for indoor displays, having a long vase life. To maximise the lifespan of any cut roses, start by cleaning a vase thoroughly before filling it half-full with lukewarm water. If you are going to add any flower food, do this now. Next, remove any rose foliage that is below the water line and trim off any leaves that will fall into the vase or touch the water. Cut 25mm … an inch … off the bottom of each stem at a 45º angle, ideally with a sharp knife used under water. Your roses are now ready to be arranged in the vase, letting them fall against its sides. Time spent arranging the flowers with the tallest roses in the centre or at the back of the arrangement … depending on whether it is to be seen from different angles or straight on … will be rewarded by an improvement in the overall appearance of your display. Finally, place the vase in a cool place, away from draughts, fresh fruit, radiators and direct sunlight.

Best practice dictates that, every third day, you take the flowers out of the vase; clean the vase with hot water; refill it with clean, warm water and flower food; cut the rose stems as you did earlier; and return the roses to the vase. (Much of this advice is by courtesy of Baraka Roses in Kenya). Of course the Trump rose, with its long stem, is ideal for trimming more than once. And the only remaining point of contention is: if, perchance, Trump roses can ever be bought in Scotland, would you want to display them, let alone extend their lifespan?