21,401 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

I've had two coral drifts in the ground for several years and have never pruned unless I needed to control their width or shape them up a bit. They flower non-stop spring, summer and fall for me without any deadheading. I got two apricot drifts last year and they don't require any pruning or deadheading to continue blooming either.

Most roses will rebloom a little faster if you deadhead (pinching off just behind the blooms) since the plant kicks into gear earlier trying to replace those blooms. For many roses, there's still a down time between blooms, but your drift roses tend to be pretty thick bloomers and quick repeaters. You don't have to deadhead them if you don't want to, but I like the look better. Once they're a mature plant, they may bloom so fast you don't have time or energy to deadhead them all, and you've had several posters say it doesn't make a difference for their drift roses.
If they're immature or weak plants, for the first year or so you actually want to pinch off buds BEFORE they bloom so the plant grows better roots. For the drift roses, you don't really have to do this, but the quicker it grows roots the quicker you'll have a really healthy plant that blooms faster than you can keep up with it.
Pruning almost always slows down the blooming process, since the plant has to work to replace all those canes, and it takes a certain number of leaves (maybe 30) on average to support each bloom. It may be necessary or desired, but it's not something you do to speed up the rebloom.
Cynthia

There is one rose I use continually for cutting - lasts a good 2 weeks without shattering and looks lovely at all stages. Not an obvious choice but the little ground cover Sommerwind, aka Surrey, bred by Kordes, makes a perfect bouquet if you cut a generous stem with several clusters (this rose is in continuous bloom with a fast regrowth - the only downside is no scent).
It is a fairly generic pink and the bloom is quite ordinary....but what is extraordinary is the graceful shape of each spray, and its ability to last for weeks, still looking pristine.

I'm so excited, I found a local nursery that carries a large selection of David Austin roses in 5gal containers for only a few dollars more than the 3 gallons and they have Abe Darby in!
I've never seen Paul Neyron before, but it looks lovely, almost like a peony! I've found a whole bunch of floribundas that look lovely, so maybe cutting them earlier will help - Mother of Pearl, Floral Fairy Tale and Rita Levi Montalcini all look amazing! Not sure if I'd be able to pick one

I've received several mislabeled roses over the years.What I've learned from the suppliers has helped me to identify them. The suppliers explained that the rose roots are stored in bins by alphabetical order and once in a while the wrong rose is pulled or sometimes a rose root will fall out of it's bin and then picked up and placed back into the wrong bin. Thus the wrong rose is sent.
I would suggest that you look at the rose name list and find the roses closest to Blue Bajou name alphabetically. My guess would be Burgund 81.It is everything you've described. I grew this rose for 3 years then removed it because it was trouble with a capital T as far as disease goes! Fragrance was lovely though.

Rose Slugs are causing some of those spotty brown/whiteish areas.
Keep the bush well watered in your heat and do not over fertilize as that also causes leaves to brown and curl.
So in the Spring when you first start seeing holes and
those spotty areas start picking those Rose Slugs off or spray safers insecticide soap/ Or spinosad before it gets worse.
You will have to repeat later on...
I grow only own root roses so I'll let someone else answer the suckering cane question...
This post was edited by jim1961 on Wed, May 29, 13 at 19:26

I am not sure what the OP means by "sucker canes." A pernicious sucker on a rose is a shoot that comes from rootstock, below the graft. Unlike good shoots from the base, these will grow for months without setting a flower bud. If you have rootstock suckers, you must dig down to the point of attachment and rip the shoot out of its socket. Otherwise it will grow back.
However, it's unlikely that you would have three rootstock suckers on one plant. So maybe these are good basal shoots that will bloom soon.

Oh I fervently believe in the shovel threat myself! Many a rose has decided to perform better after seeing it, lol. Of course it could just be that they had finally matured too?! Sometimes we judge a roses performance way before that rose has grown up to it's full potential. We think after a year or two it should be mature but really some of them take 3 to 5 years to get there. And, yes, they all have their own personalities!

My roses laugh at me when I threaten them with the shovel. I can hear them muttering under their foliage - "chicken"! When I start digging they wonder - "hmmm, wonder where she's going to put me next. Hope I get more sun!"
Omg - did I just do that - quote my roses?


To copy a link, click on the address at the top of the page and do the copy and paste thing (right click on the mouse). Copy it into the "Optional Link URL" box immediately below the Message box here at GW. Then go to the box immediately below it and type in a short descriptive phrase or name--that is what the viewers will see and click on.
When you click on PREVIEW, you will see the link.
Oh, I just remembered--The Follow-Up section often does not show a place to copy the link. You have to FIRST click on the PREVIEW. The Optional LInk URL box will then appear and you can do the copy and paste routine.
There is also a way to insert a link directly into the Message box, but it is kinda hard to explain--without the explanation automatically turning into a link--so bear with this awkward way of stating it.
1. Copy that address at the top of the page and paste it INSIDE the Message box.
2. Add the following (without the spaces) BEFORE the address: 3. Add the following (without the spaces) AFTER the address: >
If you do it that way, you can insert as many links as you desire.
Again, click on PREVIEW to see the results.
Good luck.
Kate


You might also want to consider Memoire (also called Ice Cream) which I've linked to below. Mine is a couple years old and doing fine--big full blooms and disease-resistant.
I dont' pick roses to put in vases, so I can't tell you about that, but it is quite long-lasting blooming in the garden and has some fragrance.
Kate
Here is a link that might be useful: Memoire at HMF

I'm in SE Michigan. I've had great success with a few climbing roses:
Constance Spry: Large, lush bloom on a 12'x10' shrub - but no repeat
Dr. Samuel Holland: Smaller bloom on a 12'x12' shrub - many, many blooms with a bit of a repeat throughout the summer.
City of York: Strong grower, smallish blooms, no repeat
John Davis: Similar in habit to Dr. Samuel Holland. First flush lasts forever! Some repeat after that.
All of the above are disease-resistant & cold hardy. I don't spray for anything and I don't do any winter protection stuff either. I feed 2x year with rosetone or hollytone.
I've had RRD in my garden and have to keep a sharp eye out for new contaminations. Will probably replace RRD-infected roses with non-roses 'cuz I can't stand the heartache when I lose one.
hope this helps, Karol

My bright red Dublin Bay cl. is happy here in Zone 6. It gets maybe 10 fts tall.
You might also check the David Austin climbers--like Teasing Georgia or Wildeve or Wedgewood--unless you are looking for a really tall climber, in which case something like Dawn might be more to your liking.
Do you know helpmefind.com? great info. on roses.
Kate



Jasmina has lavender tones and is really, really nice. I haven't had her very long, but I adore her so far :)
Here is a link that might be useful: HMF Jasmina pics tab


Any potting mix will usually work, but it is important to remember peat and compost does not last more than one, perhaps two seasons. By then it will be too disintegrated and doesn't hold on to water and nutrients very well. It looses its' structure and can become very dense. Something odd happens when I use peat based stuff more than one or two seasons, it gets too compact and I've had weird issues with nutrient absorption in the plant.
The ideal soil for roses in containers is debatable, but will usually contain varying parts of garden compost (leaves, bark, canes, wood chips etc.) sand, a bit of clay, perhaps some peat, composted cow/horse manure (I swear by it), seaweed meal... The idea is to get a good texture which drains, breaths, yet still holds water and nutrients well.
With very large containers in which you cannot replace the soil every year it's a good idea to use more sand than you otherwise would do, and a bit of clay. Well composted garden waste (bark, wood chips, cut offs...) work fine as a base, and you can use some peat if you need too (holds water). If there is enough sand, and watering is not a problem, you can get by with replacing the top layer with new compost once a year, and adding some type of longterm fertilizer.
It might sound very fuzzy, but if you start with a bag of potting mix you can easily blend in more sand, dry clay powder, and some kind of fertilizer. If the potting mix has a reasonable ph (around 6) you don't have think much about it, but if you make your own from scratch and use pure peat, add enough lime (source of calsium) to get the right ph. A lot of clay can result in higher ph, it depens on the type.
If you easily can replace the soil every year you are lucky and usually any good potting mix will do. If you have trouble with containers drying up too quickly, you can add water crystals (the filling in diapers). Roses grown with organic fertilizer tend to live longer in areas with frosty winters, especially compared to roses who get water-soluble stuff like miracle grow.
This post was edited by taoseeker on Wed, May 29, 13 at 19:00

I have used regular bagged potting soil for all my potted roses for the past 7 years and have had no problems with it. I've used all kinds over the years because I usually buy what ever is on sale when I need it. As long as you water them and feed them regularly they should do fine. I like the Stay Green from Lowes and the Miracle Grow moisture control mix we get at Costco. I'm not fond of ones with fertilizer in them because I want control of when and what they get. Eventually they all get root bound and need to be root pruned and repotted and they get fresh soil then.



yeah this neighbor is a real pain. Thankfully they are talking about selling and staying in Florida. Can't wait!! This particular rose bush lived through hurricane Sandy. The fence fell into our yard and flattened that rose bush. I was surprised it was fine after we lifted the fence off of it, raised the rose bush back up and tied it back up. This rose bush has grown over 10' tall. It has very thick stalks that are about an inch or more in diameter and 2 inches lower on the bush. I remember when I bought it that the info on the tag said it would grow up to 20'. Our neighbor never lets it get any higher than the 8' fence that separates our yards. At least not when he's home he doesn't. THing is it doesn't grow over into his yard. I have it tied so that it wouldn't. Just because I know how the guy is. He purposely plants vines along the fence so they will grow through and strangle my plants. I have to constantly cut back all of his ivy and climatis or else my bushes and such get strangled. Well hopefully in less than 2 years we'll have new neighbors and won't have to deal with this OCD guy. And yes we have thought of putting weeds over into his yard. As it is when he finds weeds he has actually asked me, while holding them in the air, is this yours? I reply by saying... you found it in your yard so no its not mine! Some people!! Oh and he ripped out my flowers from my front yard because he thought they were weeds. Mothers day I went outside and all of my flowers were gone He said oh I thought they were weeds!. I burst into tears and said would you please keep your hands off my property and mind your own yard and your own business for ONCE!!!
prune, b1, and a lot of water.