Rose blossoms are not only a feast for the eyes in the garden and on the balcony, they can also be used in many different ways: creatively for handicrafts, as decorative material, in potpourris, in the kitchen… the possibilities are almost endless. In addition, rose petals can be easily preserved, for example by immersing them in wax or paraffin or by drying them. Rose leaves, on the other hand, are an important indicator of the health of the plant: various pests and fungal pathogens like to settle here.

Rose petals look beautiful, smell and taste good

Rose petals delight the eyes, nose and palate

Fragrant rose petals, alone or mixed together with the petals of other types of flowers in a potpourri, conjure up a pleasant olfactory note in any living space. But what pleases the nose also pleases the palate. The petals of many types of roses - especially those of the so-called old roses - can be used for sauces, creams or desserts in the kitchen, refine jams, cakes, salads or drinks. If you want to use rose petals in the kitchen, choose your own or organically grown ones. However, it is better not to eat the container roses available in supermarkets or garden centers, as they have often been treated with toxic pesticides.

Delicious recipes with rose petals

Rose petals go well with jams or jams made from raspberries, apples or peaches, but can also be used in sauces for fish and white meat (e.g. turkey or chicken). Sugared or candied rose petals are recommended for cakes, tarts and desserts. The delicate petals can be candied as follows:

  • Beat one egg white almost firmly.
  • Brush the petals with the beaten egg white
  • and sprinkle fine sugar on top.
  • Shake off excess sugar
  • and dry the rose petals in the oven at 50 °C for several hours.

The candied petals are ideal for decorating chocolate cakes or creams.

Preserve rose petals

However, rose petals are not only used to decorate edibles. You can use preserved rose petals for a flowery living room or romantic wedding decoration. You can buy these, but you can also easily make them yourself.

Dry rose petals

The rose petals spread out over a large area on a cloth dry best in a warm, dry and dark place. This type of drying takes several days. However, it is faster in the oven, where the petals dry for several hours at 50 °C.

Dip rose petals in wax

Alternatively, you can dip the petals in warm, liquid wax to preserve them. This method also has the advantage that the colors remain more authentic and the flowers look fresher. When preserving, you should only make sure that the flowers are absolutely dry, otherwise mold can develop. The wax must not be hotter than 60 °C, as the delicate leaves do not tolerate higher temperatures.

Rose leaves indicate the health of the roses

You should also always pay close attention to the rose leaves, after all, this is a sure indicator of the health of the rose. This is why leaf health information is so important when buying a new variety. In addition to the various fungal diseases such as blackspot, powdery mildew, rose rust or ring spot disease, many pests also prefer to settle on the rose petals.

Rose petal curls up - what to do?

Measures must be taken as quickly as possible, especially if the leaves are curled up, as these are a sign of an infestation with the rose leaf roller wasp. This sawfly lays its eggs on the edges of leaves, which then curl protectively around the larva. After some time, the rose petal will turn yellow and fall off. Infested leaves should be discarded and collected from the ground. Dispose of the foliage with the household waste as the larvae will continue to develop on the compost.

Rosenblatt has many small holes - what's the reason?

Many small holes in the rose petal, the so-called "window damage", is caused by the larvae of the rose sawfly. These eat primarily on the upper side of the leaf and cause unsightly damage that dries out after a while and leaves holes. Remove the affected leaves and dispose of them with household waste.

tips

To prevent the diseases mentioned, you should collect and dispose of the fallen leaves in autumn. Fungal spores in particular like to hibernate in the warm heaps of leaves and reinfect the rose freshly awakened from hibernation in spring. For the same reason, it is advisable to also collect the leaves remaining on the shoots.

Category:

Vegetable garden