Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
paulinemaryvic

Fixing a sunken rose?

PaulineMary
10 years ago

Hello lovely garden web members, I really appreciate the help I got with my last question. Hoping you experienced gardeners out there can tell me what to do this time :)

One of my beautiful white Meidiland roses has sunk down about 4 inches, into a wide, saucer shaped hole. I realise this happened because I didn't let the soil settle before planting last year. So, can I add 4 inches of soil, which will cover some of the stems, or should I dig and replant the rose, or am I stuck with my sunken-garden feature? The rose is floriforous and healthy, and I sure don't want to harm it.

Thank you very much in advance to anyone who has time to help me with this one.

Pauline

Comments (8)

  • michaelg
    10 years ago

    Roses adapt easily to a change of grade. It will make new roots from the covered stems. Four inches seems like a lot, but a member has reported doing that much in order to convert to a raised bed. Do it in two stages a couple of months apart if it makes you nervous.

  • PaulineMary
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you very much, michaelg. Much appreciated. I'll start with a couple of inches, then add two more in November, by which time the garden should be close to level.

    Have a great day!

    Pauline

  • jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
    10 years ago

    That's what I would of did also if it happened to me...
    Nice looking blooms PaulineMary!

  • PaulineMary
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you jim1961, I appreciate that! And thank you for your kind words.

    Pauline

  • roseblush1
    10 years ago

    Pauline...

    This may sound kind of counter-intuitive, but if the rose is happy, leave it alone.

    I have a few sunken roses from the days when I was first learning how to garden in glacier slurry and hadn't refined the planting soil mix for the rose hole. The glacier slurry drains perfectly ... I did a perk test for each rose hole . Even though the rose hole looks like a low spot in the garden, it really doesn't bother me.

    Those roses were planted nine years ago and they are healthy vigorous roses.

    I have just mulched them twice a year and followed my regular watering a feeding program that I use for all of the other roses.

    Your photos of your rose look like it's a happy rose, so if you want to raise it just to make the bed look better to your eye, Michael's method is spot on. However, if it doesn't bother you and it's a happy rose, you don't need to raise it.

    Smiles,
    Lyn

  • seil zone 6b MI
    10 years ago

    My raised bed gets low from time to time and I just go ahead and add new soil as needed. I've never had a problem with the roses adjusting to the new level.

  • PaulineMary
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi Lyn, thank you for your lovely post. OK, now I have a confession to make - that's not the rose that sunk. This (below) is the rose that sunk, poor devil. It looks somewhat less photogenic, though to be fair, this is not its finest hour.

    Reassuring to hear that your roses thrived, though I would have expected no less. We too have well-draining soil, composed of equal parts of sand, big rocks, and small rocks. The mini-crater really does bother me, so I think I will add 2 inches of good dirt with some Sea Soil mixed in, then add a couple of inches of bark mulch to protect from the coming winter rains.

    Thank you very much for taking the time to help me, very good of you.

    Pauline

  • PaulineMary
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi seil, thank you for your response. I'm getting the message that these lovely plants are pretty tough, and determined to live. Except for the odd one I've killed.

    Just took this picture of blooms on a Jacob's Robe climber, planted this spring. I'm hoping the rose will cover the arch with fragrant blooms.

    Thanks again.

    Pauline

    Pauline