"So you want to grow roses?" That's what my husband said last spring. He also wanted roses that smell like roses and roses that bloom for a long time and don't get diseases every time you turn around or die over the winter. Not a lot to ask from any old flower, but a rose? That's a whole different story.
Through the wonder of modern horticulture, there is such a rose. It is a shrub rose but not your grandmother's shrub rose. You know, those pink, clunky, hedgy things they used to advertise in the back of the Sunday supplement . These are new shrub roses. "They are as easy to grow as spirea, and they bloom all summer long.", a quote from an article in Mid West Living – June 2007.
The first of these miracle plants was the Knockout introduced in 2000. It is now the best selling rose in the world for many reasons. All of them were on my husband's list. Superior disease resistance, less care and chemicals, longer bloom season and they have a great fragrance. There is now Double Knockout and numerous relatives in many color combinations.
There are shrub rose varieties that harbor some of the disease resistance, cold hardiness and even pest resistance of the Knockout series and come in various sizes, colors and habits. Some of the best were listed in the same MidWest Living article. So do your homework and talk to your local greenhouse.
Once you've made your choice, find the largest plant you can get for the money, as it takes three years to reach maturity. Roses on their own roots are usually hardier than grafted ones. When chosing a planting site, remember, roses like full sun (at least six hours per day). More morning sun is better than more evening sun if you must compromise. Morning sun dries leaves more quickly reducing disease potential. Afternoon shade prolongs flower quality.
When planting, err on the side of deeper with node or branching point 1 to 2 inches below the soil. This affords more winter protection. To promote maximum bud break when first planting bare root plants, employ a technique called "sweating". This involves covering 6 to 8 inches of the stem with a mound of moist dirt or moistened brown paper. As the buds develop gradually remove the soil or paper until the full stem is exposed againto the original soil level.
Fertilize with a time release formula scratched into the soil at the start of the active growing season or use water soluable fertilizer once a week. Taper off and stop by late summer to prevent tender growth from forming too late and being winter killed.
In the spring before growing is in full swing, trim back any dead wood and prune branches back to ten inches or so. This will promote lush bloom and helps with disease prevention. Supply water to supplement rain to equal one inch per week. Try to water at the base of the plant and avoid wetting leaves or splashing up soil as this promotes disease. Mulch to conserve moisture. (Yes, it is like a mantra)
Even with all this care, one threat shrub roses haven't proved impervious to is the Japanese beetle. Knockout and its offspring are more resistant but to provide back up, knock any beetles off with soapy water, than rinse the leaves. Trash all beetles, as leaving them squashed nearby provides a pheromone trail to attract others, not a warning as I would have liked to believe.
For winter protection use about a two inch layer of mulch around the base but not touching the stem. As I found out, more is not better with mulch. More simply provides a lovely home for mice and voles who will eat anything they can reach under the snow. In a particularly cold winter your roses may die back to the ground level but will regrow in spring. Another reason for not buying grafted roses. They may come back as climbers
instead of shrubs. Don't even think about rose cones, or "rose caskets" as one of my instructors referred to them. Unless you punch large circulation holes in them, the lack of air circulation tends to encourage disease. You want your plants to stay cold to avoid early bud break and winter kill.
Now you have your shrubs blooming beautifully and you are dreaming of the lovely bouquets you'll have. Yes, but at the expense of all the future buds you will clip. Eight inches of a shrub's stem is the next two or three weeks of blooms. If it's long stemmed beauties you want, you are better to call the florist. Clip just a few single flowers in a rose bowl and they will perfume a room for days. And that's really what we wanted in the first place.
For additional gardening information, contact your local University of Illinois Extension office or check the U. of I. Extension website, www.extension.uiuc.edu/ogle. The Ogle County office is at 421 W. Pines Rd., Suite 10, Oregon, 815-732-2191.
Starting in May, the Ogle County gardening hotline, 815-732-2191, is available from 9 a.m. until noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, through September. Master Gardeners will be available to help answer your gardening questions.
Questions? Contact Bill Lindenmier, Unit Educator, Crop Systems at
lindenb@uiuc.edu
Featured Websites
Additional Websites
Bug Review Pests bugging you? Check out The Bug Review.
Container Gardening Learn the basics of creating a great looking container garden.
Gardening with Perennials Gardening with Perennials will tell you how to plant and care for a garden that will bloom year after year.
Ornamental Grasses Learn how to select the right ornamental grasses for your landscape.
For more information about these programs, please contact:
Bill Lindenmier
Unit Educator, Crop Systems
Ogle County Unit
421 W Pines Rd, Ste 10
Oregon, IL 61061
Phone: 815-732-2191
FAX: 815-732-4007 lindenb@uiuc.edu
