When should I prune?

  Do not prune for the sake of pruning. The leaves are factories that use sunlight to produce food for plant growth. Removing too much foliage in the growing season will slow plant growth and flowers. Remove dead material and old flowers [called deadheading]. Prune out spindly growth from near the ground, and keep the center of the rose bush open for air to circulate, preventing moisture from evaporating. [morning and evening dew that cannot evaporate may cause mold and mildew problems] Cut dead canes in early spring after heavy freeze is over for the year. Consult a rosarian or reference book on proper pruning techniques. (We have more detailed information here.)

Will I kill my roses by pruning them wrong?

  Roses are very forgiving. Unless you cut out all the basal breaks and cut the canes completely to the bud graft (and even this may not be enough), the rose will begin to grow again. Pruning is done for two reasons: To shape the bush, and (surprise!) to strengthen the bush. By removing twiggy, dead, or crossing growth that will encourage disease and decay, you are actually making a stronger, healthier bush. So grab those pruners and tackle the job with confidence. Technically, you are pruning every time you cut a bloom, so you should cut down to a leaf on the stem where a strong branch can break from the bud, cutting at an approximate 45-degree angle away from the leaf and about a quarter inch above the leaf. (We have illustrations here.)

How much water do roses require?

  Generally, roses need deep watering down into the roots one to two feet deep. In warmer weather more water is required. Avoid watering the foliage to prevent mold and mildews. Good mulching of the soil at planting time will help keep water in the soil around the roots.
  If you are in doubt, dig down three inches and see if the soil is moist. If the soil is dry the plant needs water. Deep watering by filling a reservoir around the root zone is better than surface watering.
  Sandy soils require more water than soil with a lot of organic matter. Clay soils may make it difficult for water to move deep into the lower root zone so soil amending is required. (See the University of Illinois Extenson here.)

When should I fertilize my roses?

What is a sucker?

  Don't mistake this problem child with a basal break. A basal break is new growth coming from the bud graft. It is sometimes reddish, depending on the variety of the rose, it is soft and succulent with no thorns. It is to be prized, as this is the next generation of blooms for your rose bush. A sucker, on the other hand, is growth coming from beneath the bud graft or bud union, that knob above the root structure of a grafted rose. The reason for it is that one or more of the buds on the rootstock was not cut completely out, so this bud keeps wanting to send out its own growth, often with 5- or 7-leaflet leaf clusters. You need to dig down in the soil and cut this growth off as close to the roots as possible, as it will just take strength from the grafted rose. It also may grow each season if not cut completely out.

Why should I hill up my roses in the winter?

  It depends on the type of rose you have. Those that are grafted need the bud graft, that knob above the roots, protected from freezing. If not your rose may come to life the next year, but it will get long lax canes and the dark red bloom of the most common rootstock, Dr. Huey. This rose only blooms one time, so when you see a rose bush in someone's yard with lots of dark red blooms, you may be looking at a former modern rose that froze out. (The Spokane County Extension has a handy two page brochure here. 68kb)

When should I prepare my roses for winter?

  Near Thanksgiving time is a good time to winterize your roses in Spokane. Do not prune. If you have a grafted rose you may prepare it by making newspaper collars out of four sheets of newsprint folded in half from top to bottom. Repeat this and then staple the two together, wrapping this around the rose bush and stapling the other ends together to form a circle. Fill this "collar" with compost and you will find that next spring the canes will be green under this protective covering.
  You may mound the grafted roses with compost, soil, straw, pine needles, whatever will keep the bud graft from freezing. I find in my harsher climate I need more than just pine needles, so compost is my choice. It is easy to move away in the spring without damaging any new shoots that are starting and can be just spread around the rose beds to further improve the soil. You should mound six to eight inches or more. Pack the material tight so there are no air pockets.

What are the best roses for the Spokane area?

  Spokane is in the USDA zone 5, which means our winters can go to negative twenty [-20°F] or below. Many commercial roses are grafted onto vigorous root stock. Our cold winters often kill canes down to and below this graft. Next spring, only the root stock suckers will grow. To prevent this, roses should be on their own roots [no grafts], or grafted roses should be planted with the graph several inches below the soil surface. A few rose varieties are "tropical" and do not survive cold winters; check the rose's cold tolerance with your nursery before you buy. There are many varieties that will survive our winters as illustrated at Spokane's Manito Park. (The Spokane County Extension has a handy four page brochure here published in 2005. 116kb)

What is a 'miniature' rose?

  Roses, like dogs, cats, horses and other domestic animals, have been hybridized and crossed so that there are a number of different types and sizes you can purchase. The major classifications, which are made up of other sub-classes in some cases, are Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras, Floribundas, Polyanthas, Shrubs, Old Garden Roses, Climbing Roses and Miniature Roses.

  Miniature roses actually started with the original China (Old Garden Rose) rose, Rouletti, found in a windowbox. Since that time, crosses have been made with all types of roses to come up with a rose bush that produces blooms of a small size. Because some of the larger roses are used in the crosses, size was forgiven in certain cases of exceptional roses, and miniature roses began appearing with blooms rivaling some Floribunda blooms. Because of this a new category was established, Mini-Flora Roses, to cover the larger blooms, larger leaves and/or larger bushes. But generally speaking a miniature rose will have a diminutive bush and smaller bloom. You can even purchase Micro Mini Roses with an even smaller bush and smaller bloom, roses such as Hat Pin, Dot Com, Jelly Bean, Si, Cinderella and Elizabeth Abler to name a few. Miniature roses are normally quite hardy as they are on their own roots, not grafted onto a rootstock of another type of rose. (The Spokane County Extension has a two page brochure here. 67kb)

Ty, a miniature

  As for the rest of the rose types, Hybrid Teas are what most people think of in larger modern roses. They tend to have the classic form as a general rule, more often one-to-a-stem bloom habit, and are grafted onto another type of rootstock. Grandifloras generally combine the taller growth habit of the Hybrid Tea with the spray bloom habit of the Floribunda rather than one to a stem. Floribundas, as the name suggests are "abounding in blossoms." They tend to form clusters of blooms on each stem and make a wonderful garden display. These three types of roses are normally grafted onto a rootstock.

  Shrub roses sort of bridge the gap between the modern and the old garden roses. They are more often on their own roots, tend to be hardier, and have types that are one-time bloomers and others that bloom throughout the growing season. They include the David Austin English Roses that combine the look and fragrance of the Old Garden Rose with the repeat bloom habit of the modern roses. Another newer section would be the Romanticas, as well as Generosas and Palace Roses. Old Garden Roses that are one-time bloomers tend to give a very heavy display of blooms in the spring, frequently with great fragrance. But there are others that will provide blooms through the growing season, such as the Damasks and Bourbons. Except for Chinas and Tea (not Hybrid Tea) roses, Old Garden Roses are hardy and generally on their own roots.

What is a hybrid rose?

  Many thousands of rose hybrids and cultivars have been bred and selected for garden use, mostly double-flowered with many or all of the stamens mutated into additional petals. As long ago as 1840 a collection numbering over one thousand different cultivars, varieties and species was possible when a rosarium was planted by Loddiges nursery for Abney Park Cemetery, an early Victorian garden cemetery and arboretum in England. Twentieth-century rose breeders generally emphasized size and color, producing large, attractive blooms with little or no scent. Many wild and "old-fashioned" roses, by contrast, have a strong sweet scent. [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Wild Roses The wild roses includes: Briar Bush, Cherokee Rose, China Rose, Dog Rose, French Rose, Gooseberry Rose, Multiflora Rose, Redleaf Rose, Rugosa Rose, Scotch Rose, Sweet Brier, and Virginia Rose and some of their hybrids. These should properly be called "Species Roses." [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Old Garden Roses - Most Old Garden Roses are of European or Mediterranean origin are once-blooming shrubs, with notably fragrant, double-flowered blooms primarily in shades of white, pink and red. The shrubs' foliage tends to be highly disease-resistant, and they generally bloom only on two-year-old canes. [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Modern Garden Roses - Classification of modern roses can be quite confusing because many modern roses have old garden roses in their ancestry and their form varies so much. The classifications tend to be by growth and flowering characteristics, such as "large-flowered shrub", "recurrent, large-flowered shrub", "cluster-flowered", "rambler recurrent", or "ground-cover non-recurrent". The following includes the most notable and popular classifications of Modern Garden Roses: [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Hybrid Tea - The favourite rose for much of the history of modern roses, hybrid teas were initially created by hybridizing Hybrid Perpetuals with Tea roses in the late 1800s. 'The flowers are well-formed with large, high-centered buds, and each flowering stem typically terminates in a single shapely bloom. The shrubs tend to be stiffly upright and sparsely foliaged, which today is often seen as a liability in the landscape. The hybrid tea remains the standard rose of the floral industry, however, and is still favored in small gardens in formal situations. Examples: 'Peace', 'Mr. Lincoln,' 'Double Delight.' [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Polyantha - Literally "many-flowered" roses, from the Greek "poly" (many) and "anthos" (flower). Originally derived from crosses between two East Asian species polyanthas first appeared in France in the late 1800s alongside the hybrid teas. They featured short plants - some compact, others spreading in habit - with tiny blooms (1" in diameter on average) carried in large sprays, in the typical rose colors of white, pink and red. From spring to fall, a healthy polyantha shrub might be literally covered in flowers, creating a strong color impact in the landscape. Polyantha roses are still regarded as low-maintenance, disease-resistant garden roses today, and remain popular for that reason. Examples: 'Cecile Brunner', 'The Fairy', 'Red Fairy'. [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Floribunda - Rose breeders quickly saw the value in crossing polyanthas with hybrid teas, to create roses with that bloomed with the polyantha profusion, but with hybrid tea floral beauty and color range and in 1909, the first polyantha/hybrid tea cross were available. Typical floribundas feature stiff shrubs, smaller and bushier than the average hybrid tea but less dense and sprawling than the average polyantha. The flowers are often smaller than hybrid teas but are carried in large sprays, giving a better floral effect in the garden. Floribundas are found in all hybrid tea colors and with the classic hybrid tea-shaped blossom. Today they are still used in large bedding schemes in public parks and similar spaces. Examples: 'Dainty Maid', 'Iceberg', 'Tuscan Sun'. [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Grandiflora - Grandifloras (Latin for "large-flowered") were the class of roses created in the mid 1900s to designate back-crosses between hybrid teas and floribundas that fit neither category - specifically, the 'Queen Elizabeth' rose, which was introduced in 1954. Grandiflora shrubs are typically larger than either hybrid teas or floribundas, and feature hybrid tea-style flowers borne in small clusters of three to five, similar to a floribunda. Grandifloras maintained some popularity from about the 1950s to the 1980s but today they are much less popular than either the hybrid teas or the floribundas. Examples: 'Queen Elizabeth', 'Comanche,' 'Montezuma'. [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Miniature - All of the classes of Old Garden Roses - gallicas, centifolias, etc. - had corresponding miniature forms, although these were once-flowering just as their larger forms were. As with the standard-sized varieties, miniature Old Garden roses were crossed with repeat-blooming Asian species to produce everblooming miniature roses. Today, miniature roses are represented by twiggy, repeat-flowering shrubs ranging from 6" to 36" in height, with most falling in the 12"–24" height range. Blooms come in all the hybrid tea colors; many varieties also emulate the classic high-centered hybrid tea flower shape. Miniature roses are often marketed and sold by the floral industry as houseplants, but it is important to remember that these plants are largely descended from outdoor shrubs native to temperate regions; thus, most miniature rose varieties require an annual period of cold dormancy to survive. Examples: 'Petite de Hollande' (Miniature Centifolia, once-blooming), 'Cupcake' (Modern Miniature, repeat-blooming). [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]

  Climbing/Rambling - As is the case with Miniature roses, all aforementioned classes of roses, both Old and Modern, have "climbing" forms, whereby the canes of the shrubs grow much longer and more flexible than the normal ("bush") forms. In the Old Garden Roses, this is often simply the natural growth habit of many cultivars and varieties; in many Modern roses, however, climbing roses are the results of spontaneous mutations. For example, 'Climbing Peace' is designated as a "Climbing Hybrid Tea," for it is genetically identical to the normal "shrub" form of the 'Peace' hybrid tea rose, except that its canes are long and flexible, i.e. "climbing." Most Climbing roses grow anywhere from 8'–20' in height and exhibit repeat-bloom. Rambler roses, although technically a separate class, are often lumped together with climbing roses. They also exhibit long, flexible canes, but are distinguished from true climbers in two ways: A larger overall size (20'–30' tall is common), and a once-blooming habit. It should be noted that both climbing roses and rambling roses are not true vines such as ivy, clematis or wisteria; they lack the ability to cling to supports on their own, and must be manually trained and tied over structures such as arbors and pergolas. Examples: 'Blaze' (repeat-blooming climber), 'American Pillar' (once-blooming rambler). [excerpted from Wikipedia.org]