Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
botp2k1

Will rose suckers flower?

botp2k1
15 years ago

We have several roses that look like the main one is dead but have a sucker or suckers on them. Reading up recently, looks like the suckers ended up starving and killing the main plant. Do the suckers end up flowering or will they just have foliage? We are determining whether we need to dig those roses up and plant something else in their place.

Comments (8)

  • jerijen
    15 years ago

    Yes, suckers will bloom.

    THAT SAID, what sort of bloom you get (and how much) will be dependent upon
    what is suckering.

    If your roses are budded on 'Dr. Huey' you will have a very very vigorous
    once-blooming rambler. It produces masses of dark, wine-red semi-
    double blooms in the spring. After that, it grows, and (in my climate) mildews and rusts.

    If your roses came from the Canadian vendors, you will get R. multiflora, which
    is a nice spring-blooming species rose.

    There are other rootstocks, but those are the most likely to be in your garden.

    The other possibility is that your rose is growing on its own roots, and in
    that case, it will just be mature, vigorous growth of what you bought.

    Jeri

  • lydia_s
    15 years ago

    If it's multiflora, get rid of it fast. It's a horrible thug, & difficult to get rid of, if established.

  • sage_co
    15 years ago

    If it's Dr. Huey, get rid of it fast. Its flower is not pretty and fades quickly to ugly brown. Also the flowering Dr. Huey means that the owner is ignorant of roses. If you know it is a rootstock, please replace it with so many other beautiful and repeating roses.

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    15 years ago

    The suckers should flower in spring. My Dr. Huey flowers on old wood, that is, the previous year's growth. If you live in a very cold climate where the plant happens to freeze to the ground every year, it may never bloom.

  • botp2k1
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Hmm, we're in Chicago zone 5 so it does snow and freeze every year. I'm guessing the roses with only the suckers won't bloom then? I'd hate to throw them out since we paid good money for them and there's still life but if they won't bloom, there's no point in watering for the leaves. :(

    If the general consensus is to start fresh, put in your votes and out these go.

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    15 years ago

    Dr. Huey should be perfectly hardy where you are. It may be the only climber sold by your local garden center that is - even if they don't know they are selling it. The usual reason it doesn't bloom around here is that it has been pruned according to HT principles, and the flowering wood was deliberately removed.

    Strictly speaking it's a rambler not a climber. What this means for a hardy roses is that along with being a once bloomer, it's quite flexible and easy to train. And for a hardy rambler, it's fairly small - canes seem to run about 10 ft. Disease resistance is OK here, and probably much better where you are.

  • lofish127_comcast_net
    12 years ago

    Can rose suckers (Simplicity) grow from the truck about 4 or 5
    inches above the ground. This stem is extremely thick with extra large leaves with many roses. I assumed that suckers
    came from underneath the soil and I've been cutting them off
    as soon as I see them, however this stem certainly looks like
    one thats growing above ground. Can someone please answer my
    question? Thanks, D

Sponsored
Grow Landscapes
Average rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars8 Reviews
Planning Your Outdoor Space in Loundon County?