22,795 Garden Web Discussions | Roses
If your looking for information on doing rooted cuttings or on growing roses from seed there is a ton of information over on the propagation forum. Do some searches and you'll find many different ways to do both. There may even be instructions on doing bud grafting if that's what you're looking for.
Here is a link that might be useful: Propagation and Exchange forum
Unless you want to win HT Queen, hybrid teas aren't the best roses for your area. It takes skill, luck, and a mindset that enjoys replacing roses early and often. There are reasons the northeast considers HTs to be zone 7 plants. A big one being that their performance much into zone 6 isn't very good.
These are not hybrid teas in a public garden near the Hudson River in zone 6a. They were planted last spring, and the picture was taken by somebody else a couple of weeks ago. These not hybrid teas were not winter protected. They also have not been watered, and the only fertilizer is some granular stuff sprinkled around. Next year, I am probably going to have to teach people to prune because we will be into that local unknown, pruning for size.
And Diane, if you are reading this, yes, those are the Fairy Tales. The red roses in the middle are polyanthas that have been around for about 15 years, but the others are that Fairy Tale order.
Like Adrianne said, BS shouldn't stop you from enjoying these roses. I've learned to tolerate BS. It's just reality unless you want to spray. I don't spray.
In late June, I strip the leaves from the bottom of the bush to about 5" or so (as suggested by Stephen Scanniello). I also plant cranesbill or nepeta around their feet. You really can't see the BS.
Susan
Thanks seil, I only have a normal rose pruner. I tried cutting these dead canes off before I got all the new growth around it. I didn't have the proper equipment. Any suggestions for what to buy to get the fatter dead canes out? Would it hurt to wait til end of Fall when they stop producing cuz the dead ones are rightin the middle of the live--really hard to get at.
I use bigger loppers for the really heavy canes where I can. I also have a folding saw for tight spots. You need a saw that's very sturdy but narrow to get right down to the bud union. Just do the best you can. I'd cut off what you can now and then wait for late winter or early spring to really get down in there.
Thank you everyone. I'm fairly certain the bush is not diseased, it doesn't appear to be. I might try making some cuts around the base just to see what happens, if it doesn't work no harm. It is kind of difficult to see a rose decline after it has done so well, but not the end of the world and there is definitely no shortage of roses that I want to try.
I don't spray. There was a time I would use diluted sulphur, but I haven't bothered with that in 5 years or more.
There are simply too many good rose choices now that are exceptionally resistant to diseases. If any rose in my garden shows a recurring susceptibility to a specific disease, it now ends up being shovel pruned and replaced with a variety that doesn't.
Life is simply too short to grow bad roses.
johnny, I wish I knew. This bush was either one of the originals or one I planted years and years ago. I was rose-dumb then & if I did plant it, didn't keep track of the name. Maybe a Lincoln?
If it has good fragrance it well could be Mr. Lincoln. It has the right color and form for it.