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| I was wondering which one of these roses would be better for my particular growing spot. I have extreme heat and alkaline clay soil. The spot is 8 feet wide at its widest, but 15 feet long. I really want a pink, "cabbagey" repeat flowering rose, but I was hoping the plant would have more of a free form shape, instead of a vase form, if possible. Would BR Cant or Grandmother's Hat fit the bill? Would either one be better than the other? Am I asking too much of a little rose plant? How tall and wide do these girls get? Thanks. :) |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by mendocino_rose z8 N CA. (My Page) on Thu, Mar 7, 13 at 9:22
| Mrs. BR is probably 4 times as large as Grandmother's Hat. They're both well growing tough roses that I imagine would do wonderfully in Sacramento. Anyway my Mrs. BR is 6 X 10 and my Grandmother's Hat is 5 x 3. So Grandmother's Hat would be vase shaped and Mrs. B R is deffinately free form. |
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| You could probably do 3 GHs and underplant in front with some other stuff. That might look a lot better than 1 monster MBRC that has to be trimmed to keep from grabbing passers-by. |
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| The most dependable rose we have is "Grandmother's Hat," and we use it everywhere. Our dozen or so are all in bud now, and I'm picking a few for the house. In addition to always looking good in the garden, it is fragrant, and blooms have a great vase life. It CAN be tall. We have some that are over 8 ft. We keep some at a bit under 5 ft. IOW, this is a rose that does not mind some pruning, if that's your style. And it is great in the Sacramento City Cemetery -- so how could you go wrong??? Did I mention the fragrance . . . ? Jeri |
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| My GH gets pruned down to 5-6 feet each winter and grows back up to about 8 feet over the summer. It is vase shaped. For me Mrs BRC had a mildew problem, definite but not as severe as some other teas. Big, airy, lacy-looking shrub. It wanted to be about 6 feet tall and about 10 feet wide here. I never loved it but it was the mildew that led me to take it out. Rosefolly |
This post was edited by rosefolly on Fri, Mar 8, 13 at 19:42
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| That's funny, Folly. I've never loved it, either -- tho I couldn't say why. She's never gotten really big here -- blooms reasonably well, but ... Jeri |
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| I have wanted Grandmother's Hat forever! I grew a Mrs. B.R. Cant which was 8 x 8 until a pine tree fell on her. I am replacing BR Cant soon but still hunting a Grandmother's Hat. Deb |
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| Is Grandmother's Hat really only 3 feet wide? For some reason, I had it in my head that it was a very large bush. |
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| Might be a little wider than that, but it isn't a huge plant. It is far smaller than 'Mrs. B.R. Cant,' and can be kept pruned to the size of, say, a modern Grandiflora. The two outside our garage door are probably close to 5-ft., up where they brush the eaves, but under two feet, lower-down. We have some that have been pruned, and are shorter -- and more like 4-ft. at the top. Depends upon how you want to use it. In the photo with the man (below) the base of the plant is 3 ft. above where he is standing. The plant is perhaps 5-ft. tall. I should note that it grows under the canopy of a very big, very old seedling avocado tree. Jeri |
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| Mine is about 5 feet wide where it flares out but is much narrower at the base. I grow it in full sun. |
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| Thank you for the real life perspective. This really helps me so much! It seems I can only find Grandmother's hat in band size. Can I plant it directly in the ground? Is the step of potting it up in a gallon size container necessary? If so, how long should I keep it in the gallon container before I plant it in the ground? |
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| I can't say, because I don't know your conditions, but in MY environment, an intermediate step is essential. We pot a band (or a plastic cup) up to a 1-G, and then keep the plant in a 1-G until it starts pushing little roots out the bottom. Note: In some locations here, (not all) GH has declined to bloom for its first year. Don't panic. :-) She's just busy getting "her feet in the ground." Jeri |
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| There is nothing planted in the spot where I would put her. The soil is clay, but would be amended. It gets morning shade, but it is full, blazing sun by 11 am. I think I would wait a little while before I gave her companions. Is there information that tells you when you should give the bands an intermediate step and when it is ok not to? Maybe I shouldn't be so impatient. I am just so tired of looking at the ugly that is my backyard. |
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| There's no guide I know of for when you can get away with directly planting a band without growing it on for a bit in a pot, but the safer bet for success is to allow the plant to get a nice (but not overcrowded!) gallon-size rootball before putting it in the ground. I've sometimes tried to push it and have ended up digging up a rose and putting it back in a pot to develop more roots and then replanting it (own-root HTs, in particular, come to mind). Conditions in the ground are rarely as warm and cushy and conducive to root development on a young plant as in a pot. Grandmother's Hat is a sturdy, fast grower (and an HP, to boot) and she probably wouldn't be in the pot for very long. ~ Debbie
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| I must be one of the very few people here who successfully plant bands (after 7-10 days of becoming acclimated and being moved further and further into the sun). However, my soil is amended decomposed granite, not clay, and that may make a significant difference. Also, I have to put a circle of thorny branches around each band to keep the rabbits and squirrels from gobbling them up. I'm careful to water them and give them a great deal of mulch. I suppose you could try one as an experiment to see how it works for you, but the vast majority of people here recommend potting them up before planting in the ground. Ingrid |
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| In the late 1980's, Antique Rose Emporium sold band-size roses -- BARE ROOT. We ordered many, planted them in the ground, and lost far too many of them. When we began growing things up to 1-G size before planting, our success rate tripled. So, we grow things up to 1-G size before planting. Jeri |
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| I prefer Mrs. B.R. Cant. I think that the bloom structure is prettier. But she gets big. Either is nice, so if space is a problem then I would go with Grandmother's hat. |
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