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Stumped by Rose Questions?
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And before you move on, you may want to consider looking at one of the most complete Gardening Guides available: one that's immediately downloadable from your computer and one that comes with several other great gardening guides as FREE attachments. It also includes an audio version of the guide!I have wild roses near my house, and have planted several different kinds of roses in my yard. I have planted some of them with the graft above ground and some with it below, and no matter what, they always revert to the wild roses that grow around my house. How can I keep them from doing this?
I have never come across this type of problem before. It's a little difficult to answer, not knowing the names of your roses and how old they are. The roses you plant in your yard are not affected by the wild roses nearby. They should have no affect, unless roots from these wild roses are growing up through the soil on your property. Where you plant the graft should make no difference. The only thing I can think is that you're getting growth (or sports) growing from the graft and therefore looking like wild rose growth. In other words you may be getting growth from the grafted rootstock not the top grafted rose bush. Check down and see where the roots are coming from on these new “wild roses” of yours, and return the rose bush to the garden center where you first purchased them and have them sort out the problem.
Barry of Dublin, U.S.A. asks:
Can you transplant roses in May in a “have-to” situation?
Yes you can but there are a few guidelines that are worth following:
* Wear good thorn resistant gloves. Try not to damage any new growth especially new buds.
* Dig the new hole before you dig up the old bush, then the roots will not dry out while you wait.
* Make sure the new hole isn't in a spot where another rose grew. If it is, then replace the soil.
* Make sure you dig deep to get all the roots of the bush and take as much root ball soil along with it.
* Soak it in well, with added compost to the soil in the new hole, to avoid transplant shock.
* Do a little pruning to “lighten the load” of the bush as it goes through the transplant.
* If it is going from shady area to sunny area, protect it from the bright light for a few days. * ...and water, water, water!
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Hector of Perth, Australia asks:
In western australia is it ok to transfer a growing rose to a new position?
At this point in time, Western Australia (Perth) is going into winter, although in Perth, winters are very mild.
Yes this would be a good time to transfer a rose to a new position. The nearer dormancy the better and before any possible frosty nights.
Remember that if you are moving a rose to a new spot that had a rose bush growing before, remove some of the soil to avoid rose replant disease. Try not to move roses during the time of new growth in the spring through full blooming time. Wait until the cooler, dormant months.
Some suggest pruning the roots a little to encourage new growth and others suggest pruning the top down by one third, again to encourage new growth. Either way, make sure you get all the roots when you dig out the bush, and soak it in well, to avoid transplant shock.
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Jill of Troy, Michigan asks:
I recently purchased two Pat Austin rose bushes and planted both within 4 or 5 days of purchase. I did as the directions suggested. One bush is showing signs of growth with new stems coming out the other has done nothing. Looks exactly the same. Is it dead? I planted them about two weeks ago.
It is a little difficult to answer this question without seeing the actual bushes but generally Roses are quite hardy, and unless they dried out completely, they should never have died in such a short space of time.
You could test the bush by considering a few things:
Are there any new buds breaking or bulges where budding is taking place?
If there are leaves, are they dehydrated and drooping?
Take a less important side stem and cut it completely across and see if there is a white center to the cane. If not, cut a little lower, say another inch down, and slice again. If the cane has no white center anywhere, and no leaves or shoots, gently pull it out of the ground and soak the roots in a wheelbarrow full of water for 24 hours. Replant and wait a couple of weeks for any sign of new growth.
If the bush really is dead, put it in a garbage bag and take it back: most good plant nurseries have plant insurance and will replace it!
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Steve from Fargo U.S.A. asks:
Can I grow two different hybrid tea roses in the same pot? They are Mirandy and Heirloom.
Yes, you can put two Tea roses into a pot but the pot better be pretty large.
Mirandy is an older (60 year old!) dark red hybrid Tea that can grow very large and is a little susceptible to powdery mildew.....and Heirloom is a large bloomed, semi-double Mauve/Lavender hybrid tea that grows to four or five feet......This means that the pot needs to be about four feet in diameter...roses don't like to share the soil!
You are also going to need lots of fibre and compost in the soil: these two would need a continuous food source and lots of watering in their small space, and they both have a strong scent so the things to consider would be:
Is the pot large enough for these two fairly big bushes?
Can you control the powdery mildew?
Will there be a clash of scents?
And
Can you keep both bushes well fed and watered?
Sounds like an interesting experiment with two gorgeous rose bushes.
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Valerie from Adams, U.S.A. asks:
I live in upstate New York and was wondering when to take away the protective straw mulch I put on my rose bed?
The protective straw mulch stays until any danger of frost is over.
Check your local weather temperatures, especially for nigh-time, and when you're safe above freezing the protective straw can be removed: very carefully!
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Lenae from Wheaton, U.S.A. asks two questions:
Question 1: I have several container grown tree roses that I winter in my garage. They have considerable new growth of 6 to 12 inches. The growth is quite pale and very thin. When may I safely move the containers outside? (They are the shrub rose, "Electric Blanket")
They can be moved outside when all danger of frost has passed: remember to consider night time temperatures.
Move them gradually if you can. Maybe bring them in at night for a few nights if that possible, but offer some protection at first.
The pale thin canes are new growth that has not been shown the outside light. You may need to trim these back a little so they "thicken" out.
Incidentally, I have never come across the shrub rose "Electric Blanket" and the name doesn't show up in the A.R.S. listings.
Perhaps you could tell us more about this shrub rose.
Question #2: The same "Electric Blanket" shrub rose showed signs of Rosette Disease.
I have removed the diseased plant but fear the virus will spread. Is there anything I can do to stop the virus from attacking my currently healthy bushes?
Rose rosette disease is thought to be a virus that has spread through the wild roses of the southern and eastern U.S. for some time(at least since the 1940's) but has recently been diagnosed in cultivated roses.
It's potentially lethal for the bush, and unfortunately, difficult to diagnose.
Symptoms include:
Rapid elongation of new shootsWhen all symptoms are present then diagnosis is assured but most cases have a few of the symptoms which makes it all the more difficult. Bushes usually die within two years.
Clustering of small branches (called witches broom!)
Leaves are small, distorted and red
Soft red or green thorns
Sometime spiral patterned canes
Sometimes blooms with a smaller petal count
Mottled bloom color
Deformed buds
Rosa Multiflora is the worst culprit.
The disease is not soil borne but transmitted by "mites" or by grafting problems.
Remove diseased plants.
Unfortunately there is no effective control of rose rosette disease in plants that have it but prevention is possible.
a.Make sure rose bushes do not touch...the mite can't fly but crawl from bush to bush.
b.Sevin sparay for mites is partially workable but no mite spray gets all the mites...But use it around the spot where the diseased plant was found.
c.Get away from Rosa Multiflora! These are the main culprits so dont plant down wind of them and if you bring them into your garden, keep them well away from others. (100 metres is suggested!)
Finally, check out this website from Virginia Tech./Virginia State Uni.(May 2002) for a complete overview of this rather awkward disease:
(copy and paste, it's a long one!)
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/plantdiseasefs/450-620/450-620.html
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Anne from Creston, British Columbia, Canada asks:
My hybrid tea roses have come through the winter. I went with Doug Greens advice and planted them with the bud union 6 inches under the ground. I thought that I had pruned them almost to ground level as he suggests but there is a few feet above and a couple of the stems are going very black at the top. I live in Creston BC and the temperatures are plus in the day but still go below by a few degrees at night. Should I wait until they show signs of growing before repruning or should I do it now down to a growing bud?
Yes, Creston British Columbia does get cold so burying the bud union by 6 inches is probably a good idea. I don’t agree with pruning to ground level as it puts the bush under great stress. Much better, I think, to take the tops down to about four feet and mound up the soil around the base, which allows for the inevitable die-back that will occur during the freezing winters. The black you see is winter die back and you need to cut back to good, white centred canes, just above an outward growing bud. The question is WHEN. I would say, wait until all signs of frost are passed, that growth has started and the “sap is beginning to rise” as they say, and…..is your Forsythia in bloom? Forsythia is my herald…..as it starts to bloom, the micro-climate of your garden must be right…..and so I prune, when Forsythia says so! You might look into that.
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Susan from Topsfield in the U.S. asks:
I now have two climbing roses which are supposedly good repeat bloomers, but they only bloom once. How should I be pruning them for best flower production; bloom is more important to me than height. One of them is 'Westerland' and the other is 'Climbing Garden Sun'. The tag that came with the latter says to prune to 6"-8" in the spring. Do they mean 6'-8'?
“Westerland” is actually an Apricot “Shrub” rose, not a climber, although it does tend to be straggly and send out long canes which could look a little like a climber. “Garden Sun” is what they call a large bloom climber: a more modern, apricot blend. They are both repeat bloomers so I suspect you maybe pruning away the new growth in the spring rather than trimming and tie-ing back in the fall. Your main pruning is done in the Fall, as the plant goes dormant. Cut out the weak, the dead and anything going the wrong way. Then tie the canes the way you will want them to grow in the spring. Spring time is either no pruning, or a little re-shaping or cutting away any pieces that may have frozen during the winter. Yes, the tag is probably correct: 6 to 8 inches in the spring, before the new shoots. By the way, you get more blooms on horizontal than vertical canes especially if the canes have a slight bend to them. Pull the ends down a little and stretch the top skin of the canes for more growth on top of each cane!
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Tana from Hagerstown in the U.S. asks: I need a shade of purple climber and a bush. I discovered “Night Owl”. I believe it is an heirloom rose. I was considering “Angel Face” which is lighter but I found several sites that said it was a climber. I want it is as bush. What do you recommend?
Very interesting question because “Night Owl” is a Trade Marked name of a Wine Purple climber, that is a version of the famous white Shrub rose “Sally Holmes” (A.R.S. rating of 8.9/10...very high!) This large flowered climber has 8 to 10 vibrantly colored petals around a yellow eye and sends canes out some fourteen feet or more. It is a repeat bloomer and has a very nice clove like scent.“Angel Face” on the other hand is a Mauve, double bloom, Floribunda rose and rates quite highly with the A.R.S. (7.7/10) This would be your “bush”. So you have a nice combination: Climbing Night Owl and the Floribunda Angel Face. Let me know how they settle in!
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Deborah from Essex, U.K. asks:
Where can I buy the “Smooth-Touch” line of thorn-less roses?
Interesting question because “Smooth-Touch”” is an Australian brand name and I don’t know if they are available in the U.K. What I suggest is a two pronged research attack! Swanes Nurseries, Wallara Roses and Greeneroses are three places in Australia where they are available. Go online and ask them if they know about shipping to the UK. Secondly, ask one of the larger distributors in the U.K. such as Harkness Roses, by going online and sending them an e-mail. A third option occurs to me at this time and that would be to check out “The Rose” magazine online version which is the voice of the U.K. Rose Society. I would love to hear how you get on and, sorry we just don’t know the exact answer!
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Ashley from Mesa, U.S.A. asks:
I started a rose cutting, but after some rooting the leaves turned yellow and started dropping away. There are new shoots but they have a “scorched” look. Will it come back or is it too late?
Roses are very tough little creatures so I rarely give up. It sounds like over-watering or heavy salts in the soil which you can test by pouring water through and testing what comes out of the bottom. Often liquid fertilizer produces way too much soil salt! However, I suggest you try the following, very QUICKLY. Carefully remove the cutting and check there are roots…..if there are, re-pot in fresh, very light potting soil without watering. Put the pot in diffused light, in a saucer or tray with a little water in it. Watch carefully for any new growth. Water in the saucer not in the top of the pot! Incidentally, I only get about 10% growth from hardwood cuttings…..i.e. 1 in 10 make it, so lets hope, and please let us know how it works out.
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Lindy from Hoogezand, Netherlands asks about moving a rose:
I have had a beautifully flowering Zepharine Drouhan for about six years, against the back wall of my house. This year we have to do extensive work on this back wall. I want to take the rose out and plant her somewhere safer. Should I prune her right down so that the rose is little for digging out or should I try to keep as much intact as I can.
Firstly, lets mention that a Zephirine Drouhan (spelling of Zepharine or Zephirine is debateable!)is a Bourbon rose that can grow to 12 or 15 feet and is often considered a climber. It's almost thornless, semi-double and deep pink. It is later February in Northern Holland but still there is time, if you act quickly, to dig and move before the sap begins to rise. I would suggest carefully cutting back to about four feet, wrapping carefully in burlap sacking, for you and the plants protection, and digging it out. Prepare the other hole first, and make sure it gets a lot of water when re-planted. This Bourbon is usually pruned back fairly heavily in early March for your area, so if there are no buds showing yet: do it.....quickly! And it will come back if you give it something to climb on. You probably know that this fabulous rose doesn't mind some shade, so you will probably have a good choice of replanting spots.
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Michael from Craigavon, U.K. asks this rose question:
My roses have blackspot, plus the petals go brown at the edges. Should I dig them out and try something different?
Basically you have two choices. Pick all the leaves from the bushes and then in the spring prune them severely to about 12 inches high (1/2 a metre). Then spray for blackspot every two weeks from march until summer and see how strong the new growth is. This takes time and work and is a little dependent on the amount of rain you get. The other way is to "shovel prune" the bad ones and start again with roses that have some resistance. Look at the catalogues and ask at the garden centres about the disease resistance of the roses you like. Check online as well. Buy those with a strong resistance to blackspot....not just because of colour or scent. The browning of the petals is a little concerning.....either wet blooms or the roots are in too much water....either raise them up in raised beds or amend the soil to drain better....roses like well drained soil....lots of water, but water that drains away well! Your roses probably suffered from the massive rainfall that the UK had this year....hopefully next year will be better, so don't give up! (have you signed up for the FREE newsletter yet....could be useful)
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Alexa from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada asks:
Should I prune my Climbing 'Jacobs Coat' at this time? (September)
Climbers should only be lightly pruned at any time but if you are dead-heading, cutting out the smaller dying side shoots and generally keeping the climber "clean", all you need do is trim side shoots so they do not get blown around in the winter wind and broken. Tie up the main stems for direction and again, protection from wind. This is the time of year to train the climber to climb where you want it to go.
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Herb from Delray Beach asks this rose question:
Can I plant my indoor Tea Rose, outdoors?
Yes of course. I presume your Tea rose is in a container so that can gradually be moved outdoors over a period of time. If you are thinking of re-planting in the outdoor garden it would be best during a period of dormancy, perhaps as you go into winter. Otherwise, protect the rose from intense sun by constructing a lattice over it or placing it in the shadow of a wall or column. Herb also asked about pruning which is covered in the "Cultivation" section. (Check the Navigation bars up on the left.)
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Norman from Lexington asks:
I went to my first Rose Show last week and a friend was talking about finger-pruning. My rose question is, what is finger-pruning and what does it accomplish?
Several people have asked about finger pruning. (Thumb pruning?)
It's the act of rubbing away unwanted soft side shoots and buds before they develop. I can think of three instances. You may want to remove the beginnings of side shoots that will ultimately grow across the centre of your otherwise, vase shaped rose structure. Ideally, it would be preferable to encourage outward growing shoots.
Secondly, many stems provide three or four buds in a cluster. Eliminating the smaller ones, very early on, stimulates those remaining to be bigger and healthier.
The third situation is more 'pinching' than pruning. If a spray of buds is developing early, it's advisable to pinch out the centre one as it will mature the earliest and need to be deadheaded before all the others. Taking out the centre one means they will all mature together and you will not be left with a dead central bloom.
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May-Pen from Astoria asks:
The local garden nursery sell what they call English or David Austin roses. Is there such a person as David Austin?
Yes there is: a very famous rose breeder.
He is an English rose breeder from the central U.K. who cross bred old fashioned roses with the more modern types to produce a new breed of what he called "English Roses". He started the "English Roses" theme in the 1980's but it didn't catch on. Today we call them David Austin Roses. They have the shape and scent of the Old Fashioned roses, and the repeat blooming of the more modern roses, but lack some hardiness and resistance to disease. They are very vigorous growers however. If you are ever in the English midlands, visit the FREE David Austin gardens. Incidentally, about 4 million 'David Austin' roses are sold each year!
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