Rose Gardening by David G. Hallauer Jefferson County Extension Agent, Agriculture

1. Rose GardeningbyDavid G. HallauerJefferson County Extension Agent, Agriculture “Welcome to our Garden” 2006 JCEEU Spring Tea

2. What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.-   Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

3. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden • I will promise one plant, however! • I won’t promise you it will be alive next year at this time! • Even after today, your rose garden will need constant attention and improvement to even maintain itself, let alone expand!

4. Rose Historycompliments of the University of Illinois, AARS (All American Rose Selections), and Kansas State University

5. The world is a rose; smell it and pass it to your friends.- Persian Proverb • Originated in Central Asia MILLIONS of years ago. A Sumerian author (current day Iraq) first documented the rose in “Ode to the Rose” calling it the “queen of flowers” in 600 B.C. • It has since migrated to the Northern Hemisphere via colonists, making it the longest cultivated European plant in the country.

6. I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.-   Emma Goldman • Modern hybrids date to 1867, with Hybrid Teas becoming the dominant rose by 1920. • A fossilized rose in Colorado indicates wild roses grew here 35 million years ago, with some species still in abundance!

7. A “gift” from France! • One of the most popular roses of all time, Peace, an AARS 1946 selection, and one of the most popular of all time, was smuggled here from France in 1945

8. All American Rose Selections • AARS formed in 1938 to test new varieties, to see which would be recommended to the public. • www.rose.org • Renisch Rose Garden in Gage Park is a test site.

9. Symbolism • Love • Beauty • War – 15th Century English conflict • Politics

10. Joy, Gladness Rose of Texas?

11. General Classification • Bush • 6” Miniatures to 6’ Grandifloras • Self supporting/grow upright • Climbing • Produce long, vigorous canes that must be supported to keep them off the ground. • May grow to 20’ or more in length.

12. Rose Types • Hybrid Teas • Most common • Large flowers • Floribundas • Smaller flowers, large clusters • More compact growth habit • Hardy with less care required than HT • Single (4-8 petals), semidouble (12-25 petals), or double 25-45 petals) • Grandiflora • Large flowers, more clusters • Abundant bloom • Tallest bush rose at 5-6’

13. Rose Types, cont… • Miniatures • Good for containers/small gardens • Hardy • Heritage • The ‘old’ roses of the 19th century • Historical vs. horticultural significance • Shrub • Large, dense bushes • Vigorous, hardy, disease/insect resistant • Good screen/hedge plantings

14. Rose Types, cont… • Tree • Combines a bush rose on an upright trunk • More difficult to protect because of upper graft

15. Old Garden Roses Alba Ayrshire Bourbon… Boursault Centifolia Damask Hybrid Bracteata Hybrid China… Hybrid Eglanteria Hybrid Foetida Hybrid Gallica Hybrid Multiflora Hybrid Perpetual Hybrid Sempervirens Hybrid Setigera Hybrid Spinosissima Miscellaneous OGR’s Moss… Noisette Portland Tea… Modern Roses Floribunda… Grandiflora… Hybrid Kordesii Hybrid Moyesii Hybrid Musk Hybrid Rugosa Hybrid Wichuraiana Hybrid Tea… Large-Flowered Climber Miniature… Mini-Flora Polyantha Shrub Classification of Roses

16. Information on Rose Classes http://froebuck.home.texas.net/toppage5.htm http://www.vintagegardens.com/cgi-bin/class.pl?id=86b4cc12c7ih http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/roses/kinds.html

17. Rose Selection 101 • All plants should be free of disease and insects with canes/roots that are thick, not cracked/broken/damaged. • Bareroot plants should be planted immediately IF growth has begun. • Container stock has an established root system for support.

18. My BEAUTIFUL Rose Bed • Full sun – a MINIMUM of 6 hours a day • Choose P.M. shade over A.M. • Lots of air movement is preferred • Avoid competitive areas – a minimum 10’ buffer from other plant material is suggested. • Good drainage – depends a LOT on your soil

19. Time to Plant • When: in the spring, as soon as weather and soils are favorable – early to mid-April when the forsythia bloom.

20. How to Plant • Soil Test to see what you’re working with • New beds will likely require organic matter and fertilizer • Your pH needs to be in the 6.5-7.5 range

21. Anatomy of a Rose

22. Planting the Bareroot Rose • Preparation: • Immerse bareroot roses in lukewarm water for 24 hours prior to planting so they are properly hydrated • Don’t let the roots dry out1 • The planting hole • 18” in diameter and 14” deep • Center mound, with roots spreading • Be sure to remove broken/diseased roots and prune remaining roots to 8-10” • Graft union should be slightly below the final soil line (1-3”) • Add soil, water, finish adding soil, water again • Build a soil mound to cover 2/3 of the canes • Water for 10 days until new leaves appear.

23. Planting the Bareroot Rose, cont…

25. Initial Planting & Soil Mound

26. Planting the Container Rose • No need to root prune • Prune canes to remove weak/diseased/broken growth • Dig a hole 8” wider than root ball and deep enough to plant the rose so the graft union is at or slightly below the soil line • Fill hole 2/3 full with soil, water, finish filling and water again • No need to mound soil since root system is already established. • Mulching is a good practice

27. Its Planted, Its growing!! • Remove soil from around bareroot plants when new growth is 1-2” long. Just don’t damage young growth! • Avoid fertilization until you have new blooms (May-June) on new plants • Fertilize established roses prior to bud break (spring pruning or mid-April), during first flowering (mid-June), and after flowering has declined (no later than mid-August) • After the first cycle of blooms fade, deadhead at the first five leaf leaflet.

28. The life of an established rose • Fertilizer – 3x/yr. • Winterization • Spray with a fungicide • Cover with loose soil/compost to a height of 8-10” • Cover soil with straw/loose hay after the first hard freeze • Tall canes should be no taller than 36” • Finish covering and give THANKS(giving)!

29. Life, cont… • Winter’s coming to an end – time to prune! • Prune prior to new growth/after killing frost • 45 degree cuts ¼” above a HEALTHY bud • USE CLEAN SHEARS! • Pruning styles • Heavy – for well established plants & showy flowers; 3-4 canes, 6-12” tall, 3-6 eyes/cane • Moderate – increases production, not large flowers; 5-6 canes, 12-18” tall, 7 buds/cane • Light – rejuvenation! 5-7 canes, 18” in length

30. Life, cont… • Shrub roses are the least fussy – very winter hardy with little or no mulch protection required. • Hybrid tea roses are not as durable • More disease prevalence • Shrubs and canes are not as winter hardy

31. Mulching

32. Pruning

33. Keep Pruning – Bush Roses • Remove all dead wood to the crown OR 1” in to healthy green canes • Prune out canker • Remove weak, spindly, or deformed growth (smaller than a pencil) • Remove canes growing towards the center • Remove suckers TO THE CROWN • Thin remaining crowns to shape/height desired

34. Prune Here

35. Keep Pruning - Climbers • Once or Repeat Bloomers • Once Bloomers – prune post flower retaining 4-5 of the most vigorous new canes back to four or five sets of leaves. • Repeat Bloomers - Prune in late winter during dormancy keeping 3-4 young and vigorous canes. Laterals should be cut back to two leaf buds per shot • Remove old, faded flowers to promote new flushes.

36. Pruning a Climbing Rose

37. Pruning Bush Roses

38. Diseases • Black Spot • Stem Canker • Powdery Mildew

39. Black Spot • Irregular black spots surrounded by a yellow halo. • Spreads quickly • Remove leaf litter • Apply fungicide (chlorothalonil or triforine) weekly to upper and lower leaf surfaces from leaf out until autumn

40. Stem Canker • Small lesions on woody tissue – bark may crack. • Prune out infected canes well below the affected area. • Not common if a disease program is followed

41. Powdery Mildew • Early summer/autumn during warm/humid days and cool nights • Whitish gray powdery coating • Sanitation and fungicidal sprays are the key to control.

42. Disease Control • Remove prunings, leaf litter, faded flowers • Use clean mulch • Weed free • Use clean pruning equipment

43. Spray Schedules • Fungicides every 7-14 days once disease is detected. • Vary fungicide products if possible • Insecticides regularly at detection • Remember, mites are NOT controlled by insecticides!

44. Myths dispelled by Millercompliments of Saline Co. Extension Agent Chip Miller

45. Myths dispelled by Miller • Popular Belief: Roses are difficult to grow. • Fact: Most roses do quite well on their own. People are often deadly to roses. • Action: Find out what they like, and how they like it, and give it to them just that way. Fats Waller

46. Myths dispelled by Miller • Popular Belief: Hybrid Teas are the best roses. • Fact. They are the most familiar. Most are tall, gangly shrubs, deficient in form, but valued for their large flowers. • Action: If you must plant hybrid teas, plant them at back of border, but use better classes of roses as landscape shrubs, “vines”, and groundcovers.

47. Myths dispelled by Miller • Popular Belief: Roses are disease prone. • Fact: It is true that many roses are sickly, but many others are tough. • Action: Plant only disease resistant varieties.

48. Myths dispelled by Miller • Popular Belief: My neighbor has 20 hybrid tea roses so she knows everything about roses. • Fact: She has 20 roses. That doesn’t necessarily make her a good information resource. • Action: Get information from well-informed sources. Be skeptical of the value of information.

49. Myths dispelled by Miller • Popular Belief: Newer is better • Fact: Generally true for computers but not for roses. Over the short term, novelty sells roses better than quality. • Action: Educate yourself.

50. Myths dispelled by Miller • Popular Belief: Roses should be planted together, separate from other plants. • Fact: Monoculture has its own challenges. • Action: Use roses as you would any other quality ornamental plant.