Rosarian's Garden - Dan Bifano

story by: Will Funk - photos by: Gene Sasse
 
 

If there is an A-List of clients for a rosarian then it belongs to Dan Bifano.  Bifano has designed and installed gardens for Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Streisand and at several other estates in the Santa Barbara, California area.  His gardens are likely more spacious than ones you or I tend to, starting at about 500 roses, but his 28 years of professional designing wisdom in garden preparation and plant selection is something all of us can learn from. 

Bifano is fond of the Santa Barbara area because of the long growing season and great climate.

He expects six repeat blooms during the nine-months roses flourish in this area.  His success keeps his clients coming back for more; he has installed four gardens for Oprah and is currently working on a fifth for her Montecito estate.   

The work starts for Bifano long before even the first rose is placed in his custom soil mixture.  He meets with clients and explores what they are seeking for their garden.  Matching colors to the palette of a home's interior is common, taking things into consideration such as carpet and paint colors, wall coverings and even paintings.

Other considerations for Bifano include how the garden will be used.  Some gardens may be primarily for clipping where others need to have a great look for outdoor entertaining.  Gardens may also need to be designed to fit with existing landscape and around other topographical features.  With garden sizes often exceeding 1,000 roses Bifano is confronted with many important tasks.  One of the most important is selecting the best roses for the garden.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Bifano likes several of Weeks varieties and uses them frequently his in gardens.  The 2006 All-America Rose Selections (AARS) winner Julia Child is one of these roses.  He has been using this buttery gold, fragrant floribunda in large plantings of 30 or more in a single bed.  Bifano knew Julia, who enjoyed her later years in the Santa Barbara area.  

Other favorites of his clients include Hot Cocoa and Honey Dijon.  These warm earth tone flowers compliment the Spanish style homes along the Pacific Coast perfectly.  Hot Cocoa, a 2003 AARS winning floribunda, displays large, dark, chocolaty colored blooms atop glossy green foliage.  Honey Dijon, with its unique warm golden brown petals, adds a fruity fragrance to gardens.  Both roses boast flowers with a petal count within the 26-35 range that Bifano prefers.  

One major consideration when growing roses in the moist air along the coast is disease resistance.  Bifano must contend with both downy and powdery mildew.  He likes many of Weeks roses for their natural resistance to these problems.  Using chemicals on such a large scale can create problems so natural disease resistance is a big plus. 

Bifano, and his clients, have the luxury of preparing the perfect bed for the roses.  He spends about one year with the preparation.  For some gardens, like one at Oprah's home, the planning a preparation may last three years.  Once the location is selected Bifano removes the existing soil and replaces it with his own blend.  He insures proper drainage and irrigation for the beds.  Finally the roses are selected and planted, often selecting Weeks varieties.  Bifano says he likes Weeks Roses because, “I can depend on them.”  Something that is vital if you consider the names on the guest list at one of Barbara Streisand's parties
 

What does Bifano have in his garden?  No surprise that it's full of roses.  However, not nearly in the quantity that wanders the acres on this client's properties.  In fact Bifano commented that he has actually decreased the number of roses in his garden over the years (don't worry, there are still plenty).   

Bifano's own stunning garden contains several of Weeks Roses favorites.

  
 
  His yard is not a giant rose garden like you may expect, but a well designed and tasteful landscape with a number of complementary features.  Ornamental grasses and small plants serve as borders along pathways leading to water features, patios and lawns.  His garden reflects the tasteful style his clients desire, theirs just have a few hundred additional roses!
  What about the roses in his garden?  The playfully red and white striped Scentimental greets those strolling along the sidewalk in front of Bifano's house.  Each rose has a neatly inscribed garden marker indicating the name of the rose, the hybridizer and the year of introduction.  Since Bifano's opinion is valued by those in the industry, other tags contain less information about the plants such as, “Rose of the Future” indicating a variety not yet available to the public.  
   

Bifano's garden now includes the Julia Child rose, one he helped test before its recent introduction.  Climbers cover the archways and trellises.  The bouquet of colors work with one another and balance with other flowers in the garden. 

Although we might not be planning a garden built on such a grand scale as one of Dan Bifano's we can still learn from his years of experience as a rosarian.  Selecting a good location, preparing the soil and finally deciding on the best rose are important no matter what the size of the garden.  After all, even though you may not have Barbara Streisand's garden you can have the rose named after her!