22,795 Garden Web Discussions | Roses



I just finished re-planting about 10 roses to new (uncrowded) locations in my garden. Because it gets below freezing here only a couple of days each winter, I planted them with the union above the soil. (2 of those roses had Dr Huey canes so I ripped them off and planted the grafted parts)
3 other roses had been taken over by Dr. Huey (no grafted parts remain) so I trashed those roses.

In zone 9, I would expose the graft so that suckers are immediately identified as such. Also the fleshy roots are at the depth they grew at in the field. When roots of Huey are panted too deep, it may slow development of the plant for a while. On digging such plants, I've seen a beard of fine roots growing out of the shank with little development of the original fleshy roots.
In my zone it's best to bury the graft slightly.

It is gorgeous! If you want it to look more orderly now, pull the parts where you want them and use a little plant wire to secure them. Then you won't have to prune! I do that all the time with my roses and other tall plants/climbers that respond well to it :)


It has no fragrance to me whereas the normal orange blooms have a slight fragrance. It is very pretty though and I'd love to have a full bush of it. If I take a cutting of the stem and by a miracle I can get it to root will it root as this rose or just as the original color?

I would mark the cane with a ribbon and see what it does in the next flush. Some sports are stable, while others revert back quickly. If it is a stable sport, that whole stem back to the mother cane and out to future growth will produce the new flower..
Most roses are hard to root unless you have experience and the right equipment, so there is danger of wasting it. I would entrust the cuttings to an expert, or better yet, someone who us skilled at bud grafting. If it is a stable sport, you need to act before winter. Contact your local ARS chapter to learn who is the best propagator around.


Yup, what Seil said, since watering will be your main issue. Here in NJ, I lose anything I don't plant into the ground before winter, so I'd choose to plant it. If your bed is going to be too dry, then potting it may be a better choice.
I planted a Disneyland this spring too, can't wait til it flowers!


Oh, Gary, the $64,000.00 question! I've seen Paul Zimmerman's video and he uses two shovels to pick up the ball and move it but he takes a rather small root ball in my opinion. I just try to pick it up as best I can and put it either on a tarp or in a wheel barrow to make the move.

I'll use the two-shovel method.
When I'm replanting the roses in their new locations, should the bud unions be above, below or at the soil level? (The bud unions of some of the roses were below the soil level when I dug them out of the ground and some of the roses have growth from the Dr. Huey rootstocks).







That looks to be a very good possibility, Cynthia. Congratulations! Kim
Thanks, folks! It's nice to know I can occasionally get one right. Cadiarose - I'd be curious what you're getting as your freebies from RV. I still have three more mysteries that haven't bloomed, as well as three more on the way, and I'm always interested in a little advance warning of what they might be. Thanks
Cynthia