22,153 Garden Web Discussions | Roses
How interesting. Ann your posts seem to be sending me on google treks lately!
Here is a link that might be useful: A previous discussion of facination on GW
The same mulching I used in Fl., I now use it up here in N.E. GA. It's a little work in the spring but the results are fantastic. I get my pine needles from Lowes for about $3.50 a bale (then 10% discount for military vet). Oak leaves I get from me and both neighbors. I also use the oak leaves for winter protection in the garden.
I get shredded tree mulch from a local tree-service, they bring me truck-loads for FREE...and free is good! It's cheaper for them than paying at the land-fill....and they bring oak or pine, not junk stuff... I have a huge pile in my drive-way right now, waiting to be hauled off to my beds....sally
If a cane is exceedingly tall, like over 5 or 6 feet and sticks out above the majority of the rest of the plant, you could trim it down to the height of the rest of that bush. That way it won't blow around and possibly break over winter. But wait to do this until after the plant has gone dormant. Otherwise for any hard pruning it's best to do it in the spring.
Rootstocks of grafted hybrid teas from 2011 are almost all either 'Dr. Huey' or multiflora. The OP can tell which by looking at the foliage. Dr. H is dark and glossy, while multiflora is lighter green and matte. Multiflora is useless as a garden plant. Dr. H is pretty in spring, but, in eastern North America, it will be bloomless and naked from blackspot all summer and fall unless it is sprayed every two weeks.
This post was edited by michaelg on Thu, Oct 2, 14 at 9:31
I'm not rereading the whole thread to see if it was posted here, nor do I remember where the information came from, but fairly recently a science-based source indicated that exposure to the sun actually does encourage new growth from old wood. Previously I had suspected this was one of the many false beliefs that gardeners share with each other, but not so. Thus, prune to open the center, pull back the mulch a little bit, and if necessary remove crowded lower leaves. Of course these actions would have no effect on a buried graft, but shoots from low on a thick cane are nearly as good.
Otherwise it's mostly a matter of keeping the plant happy with good basic nutrition and watering. Basal canes are more likely to be produced during mild weather in spring and fall. Rejuvenation pruning where you remove 1/4 or 1/3 of the canes at the base will encourage basal growth. But some plants just won't cooperate. Currently I have an old hybrid tea with only two basal canes. It's still very productive, but eventually I may have to take it down to nothing in order to rejuvenate it (or maybe ruin it).
Michael, I may have posted that. I have noticed that a graft or root ball exposed to sun will throw off more basals. Sometimes taht happens when a rose is cut down to the graft, or in the late winter/early summer when there is no leaves on trees and no shade. I get full southern exposure in my front yard and I get some basals breaking in December and January, I try to protect them so they last. I'm not always successful.
Go by the look and growing habit. Simple. :-)
Bloom size, growth habit. If it's a duck, call it a duck. Not a chicken or cow. Kinda late for a LOT of modern roses now.