22,153 Garden Web Discussions | Roses
I think I see some green at the bottom. Throw some clean bark mulch down and protect her until it is your time to prune. I bet you will find new growth when you uncover. I had the same situation in Chicago....never got around to protecting them. I think she will be ok. Remember the bunnies like the tender new shoots.
And then there are some people who don't ever consider covering their roses for winter...and the roses survive, even in zone 4 (Me.) Your baby looks good and green at the base to me - so don't despair. Follow the pruning instructions already mentioned but not for a while yet - not until the weather settles into spring a bit further and watch for the yellow forsythia bloom as Seil says for your cue.
I have pruned own root (and grafted, too) roses right down to soil level and have had plenty of bloom that season. All will be well.
My Golden Cel has languished the last few years, but since I dumped a load of my composted horse manure on it, it is looking much better. I looked at it yesterday - and was pleased. Going to put some Carl Pool BR 61 on it too, as well as alfalfa, Epsom salts and Mills Magic Rose Mix. Our soil is just now starting to warm up so things should start picking up.
A climber you REALLY should get is Crepuscule. Gorgeous peach ice cream blooms, it is fabulous - I do believe it is my very favorite climber. Blooms are small but cover the plant. You wont be sorry you got this one. I also love the color of Pink Don Juan. You probably wont see much bloom at Chamblees, but I bought this one in the fall and have seen them bloom there.
Aloha is another good one. I have an old one that is upright and just blooms all the time. Like it so much I bought another when I was there last week.
Another, that I saw blooming its head off a year ago in Chamblees "back 40" test garden is Pinata - its an old one, but was huge and blooming like mad in the middle of the heat. They don't spray or water anything back there - test the roses to see what does well and boy, did Pinata deliver! I got one last year and its doing well.
Oh and how could I forget Dublin Bay?? It is red - I have 2 of them and they are just wonderful! Reliable bloom, a wonderful climber.
I don't have it but have seen Fourth of July in bloom and it is gorgeous and have heard good things about it.
Jacobs Robe is a pretty thing in bloom but I haven't tried it. If you need a white, Climbing Iceberg is good.
I have Lady Ashe [actually Dixieland Linda] and got this a long time ago. I was just pruning off old dead blooms from last year this morning - strong healthy climber, blooms lots, shiny disease free leaves. I used to grow Seminole Wind, very pretty color, but lost it due to my chickens scratching around the base of it. Plan to replace it one of these days. Am also going to get a Westerland the next time I go [forgot to get that this time around].
Don't limit yourself just to Austins - there are other really good climbers in addition to Austins - I adore Austin roses, just ordered 6 and am getting them in the ground this afternoon! Be forewarned - you are going to be overwhelmed with the choices. Want always overrides need when I go to Chamblees - I just figure, life is short, eat dessert first so I load the truck up........you will have a great time! And do post what you get!!
Judith
I have HTs that are at least 10 to 15 years old and they are not one cane wonders and never have been. It depends on the rose. It can also depend on the micro climate in your yard and the care you give it. There are no hard and fast rules for roses. That's why I always say to give things a try in your garden and make your own decisions on what works for you and what doesn't.
I live near Allentown, PA which should be near you. I have ten HT's here that grow well without winter protection. Most winters there is little die back. I'm guessing this winter has killed more cane but I expect everyone to survive.
That said, I have reduced my HT collection. As Mad Gallica posted, "its a combination of the winters and the summers". Fungal diseases weaken them in the summer. Winter cold and moisture a little more...
There are many "other" roses which are easier to grow and are just as satisfying. There is a long list of Antiques, Austins, Bucks and shrub roses which thrive in zone 6.
I recommend the Buck rose "Earth Song" if you want an HT look:
All evergreens drop their leaves continually throughout the season. As long as you don't dive in, grubbing about underneath the holly, you won't find it too onerous....but if this is part of a scheme which requires regular weeding, just be aware that prickly holly leaves get very lignified (woody and dry) and hang around for a long time - wear gloves and don't kneel on any. I agree, holly is a wonderful resource for birds throughout the year. I looked this holly up - it looks like a great background tree which would show your roses off very well indeed - in England, yew is frequently used as hedges to give this same look - a very classic combination, I think, which will be worth enduring the odd pricks for.
Yes, it could be a great background tree. In my climate it wants to be a tree, not a shrub. I don't know how it would respond to the heat in TX..it might get even bigger than it does here or it might not thrive in heat. I guess you can see what they do in your area. I would not want to have to keep pruning it to keep it smaller but that's me. Your rose bed might be big enough for a couple of trees.
I always prune when the roses just start to wake up and I've never seen this happen before. Could be due to the unusual winter everyone's had. I'll have to pay close attention when I prune and see if I notice this. But, sadly, that won't be for a while yet.
I've seen sap flowing from roses after pruning more than once. The plant should be fully awake and the cane thick and green in order for this 'weeping' to be very noticeable. As Camps mentioned this is very noticeable in grapevines if pruned when they have come out of dormancy and it can take days for the sap to stop flowing.
Nik
Look at 'Orfeo' for a red climber. I planted mine only last year, and it hasn't bloomed yet, instead focusing on growing. But I picked it based on the praise given by the few who have grown it. Search for it on the forums here, as well as looking at its page on HelpMeFind, linked below.
:-)
~Christopher
Here is a link that might be useful: 'Orfeo' at HelpMeFind
So we've narrowed it down to a few after a bunch of research and shopping around to see what all is available - here are the final contenders:
Red
Tess of the d'urbervilles from DA
Fields of the Wood/Rhode Island Red
White
MAC (though I am concerned about blackspot)
Prosperity
All this looking at roses has gotten me in trouble though - there are so many I want to grow now that I think I am going to have to put an arbor at the entrance to our walkway just so I can train roses over it - most likely Iceberg Climber since it is supposed to be thornless and people will be walking under it frequently :)
This post was edited by snidergarden on Tue, Mar 18, 14 at 2:53
Camps,
These are actual prices. For example here is Golden Celebration at the nice price of 9euros,
http://www.avramis.gr/1F2B0B9D.el.aspx
while here is Comte de Chambord for Euro 7.50
http://www.avramis.gr/459E2862.el.aspx
and here is Mr. Lincoln at the staggering price of Euro 3.90
http://www.avramis.gr/3DD2D1EA.el.aspx
and Ingrid Bergman at the price of Euro 4.40
http://www.avramis.gr/5812A787.el.aspx
Nik
Here in BC bare root roses from the big box stores are around 8-10 dollars each. At my local nursery the prices for roses just went up by $5 so now its $30 for a regular rose and $35 for an Austin. There is also another nursery nearby that has very few roses but they are high quality own roots for only $20 and they always have at least one Austin.
Thank you Kate and Catsrose - Berolina is lovely, I had noticed it on Palatine's website and given it consideration already. I agree, sometimes I like the more mellow toned yellows too, I'll have to check out the Buck roses and the Brownells too. There have been so many good suggestions. I do appreciate all of you so much, this is so helpful.
If you follow that link to the photo of Polka, Jay-Jay has other photos posted and wrote under member comments that it made a nice shrub. Jay-Jays photos show it tied to a fence in a fan shape. Sounds like the rose might be better how you are planning.
I do not have any experience with this rose though.
Thank you for your help. Mine looks just like the one in the photo. I have two of them. Maybe I will just keep it like it is...as a 'climber' - The only reason I was going to dig it up, is because (I found out later) that you're not suppose to prune the canes for at least 3 years. Well, I pruned mine without knowing the 'rule' - Oh well, hopefully it'll grow some new canes. Thanks again for helping me.
Ahhhhh . . . you may wanna rethink that. Balconies and potted plants are often more trouble for both than one ever would think in advance. The only happy people with balcony plants are those that (1) don't own the balcony, and (2) have no ground floor space at all. That's because balconies and wet pots do not play well together -- think rotted wood wherever that pot drains, unless you can somehow create a "no standing water, ever" drainage way for the watering water. And that's hard to do, in practice, because there's always somewhere that water collects near a pot. And the plants are not usually all that happy either -- balconies tend to be either hot and dry or shaded and damp, and it's hard to find one with decent sun exposure that doesn't get too hot.
Many HOA's have "no pots on balconies" rules for exactly that reason, and having been a construction defect lawyer for awhile, I completely understand the need for that rule.
kstrong,
Our HOA does not have much input regarding what goes on our balconies, but they seem to be more concerned about the placement of trees and plants near property line dividing block walls, decency laws etc. Honestly, they cannot see into our backyards.
I was a little concerned about the water/balcony potential issue, but my DH is very knowledgeable and "particular", generally speaking, so when he suggested putting two or three potted plants on our balcony, I figured that he had already determined that it was okay. I do know that there is a slight slope for water drainage, along with railing between the pillars.
It will be hot up there, but the balcony runs along our master suite, and the pots will be positioned as such to receive a.m. sun. Our home is 9 years old, and whatever is directly underneath the rug out there now is not wood. Wood is likely underneath that surface as part of the constructionâ¦.
Thanks Kate. Frau Dagmar is one of the shorter varieties for sure, but over time can still reach between 4 to 5' tall. It can also sucker like mad once it goes own root. This was originally one plant grafted on multiflora and planted about 10 years ago now. She is now about 12 feet wide, 6 feet deep and between 4-5 feet high and I have to prune away suckers each spring to keep it in control.
Frau Dagmar is on the right and that is Wild Edric standing taller behind her.
Beautiful
It's a wonderful rose in many ways. There is one early bloom on mine right now. The fragrance is fabulous.