Rose Culture Notes
These roses are provided as bare-root bush or climbing roses.
They grow from ground level and the following notes are intended as a guide to people unfamiliar with rose culture.
Planting – Bush or Climber
The two major requirements are –
Ensure the hybrid budding is retained above ground.
Ensure that roots are directed down and outwards from the base of the understock.
Dig a hole 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter and 22 cm (9 inches) deep. Make a mound of earth at the bottom of the hole such that when the plant is seated on the mound and roots spread over it, so that the budded hybrid will be above ground level. Fill the hole three-quarters with removed earth and press firmly over the roots. Apply a bucket of water and allow to soak in. Fill hole with earth to surrounding ground level.
The best location for rose planting has these features –
Faces East or North.
Well drained heavier but friable soil.
Is well clear of shade or roots of large trees, especially eucalypts.
Plant Culture
There is only one essential ingredient necessary for healthy rose plant culture – water. Good drainage is necessary as roots of roses will not flourish in a bog, but if the ground is kept moist, roses will flourish.
Beware of watering overhead in late evening as this will encourage mildew.
Conversely, early morning watering to remove frost or dew will also wash mildew spores from leaves.
During early growth period in Spring and Autumn aphids present some problem by sucking sap from the slow-growing shoots. During summer their control can be left to the birds and insect predators, but during Spring especially, some insecticide may be necessary.
When cutting roses always attempt to leave some stem behind for new growth to branch from. Cutting too low retards regrowth because of immaturity of buds lower down the stem.
Thrips are a problem from November through to January, but little can be done to eradicate them. Their presence is indicated by flowers failing to open and rotting on the plant. They enter the bud at an early stage and destroy the ability of the flower to open its petals by chewing the petal edges. Light-coloured, slow-opening varieties are usually most affected by thrips.
Rose Pruning Notes
Winter Pruning Notes
The object of pruning roses is to provide invigoration of the hybrid, to keep it producing new basal shoots to replace those which have had their day. A worthwhile maxim is “light on top, heavy below”.
Maintain five or six of the youngest basal shoots (up to three years old) and completely remove all others. Never cut out or far down a luscious, new Water Shoot!
Cut out dead, diseased, or blind shoots from those remaining branches.
Remove any growth which is growing into the centre of the plant (keep centre open).
From the top of each basal stem locate the uppermost branches of pencil thickness. Remove growth immediately above.
Turning to these laterals, there should be a definite bud at the apex of leaf-stem and branch. Nip off branch above the top most of these buds, or down to a bud that is pointing upwards and outwards from the plant.
Summer Trimming
In mid-February, a lighter trim is recommended. This has the effect of eliminating a flush of roses, which, because of the heat, would be small and quickly spent. The result is a resurgence of vigour with better quality blooms at the beginning of April.
Treatment is as for Winter pruning ensuring that no new basal shoots are removed, though the centre of the plant is opened up. New growth preparing to flower is completely removed by cutting back to the bud beneath that growth, which will then be forced to grow.
As the weather cools and new growth emerges, control infestations of aphids.
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