Roses

In the Garden

Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     The roses have been beautiful this year.  It certainly has been a banner year so far for flowers and rose season has been no exception.  I am not a big fan of tea roses, but I do love old-fashioned shrub roses, especially those roses my grandmother planted nearly a century ago.  Several people have asked me recently about getting starts from some of the old antique roses.  In some cases, there are runners that have produced some new plants, but some roses rarely produce such growth.  To get a start, one must asexually reproduce that rose.

     Rooting a rose cutting is not a difficult task.  When attempting to do so, take multiple cuttings.  Not every one will produce roots and grow, but you should be able to get a start.  One of my favorite ways to do this is using a potato.  The major cause of failure to get a cutting to root is not keeping the soil moist enough to allow the roots to form.  Potatoes contain a lot of moisture and will keep the moisture level constant during the rooting process.  My grandmother used this technique often and produced a lot of rose bushes.

     Select a firm potato and drill a hole about half way through the potato.  The hole should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the cutting stem.   When taking cuttings, put them in water immediately.  Natural rooting hormones tend to be concentrated at the leaf nodes, so make the cut near a node.  When preparing to put the cutting into the potato, make a fresh cut at an angle.  Dip the cutting in a rooting hormone powder or gel.  If you do not have rooting hormone, you may have luck using honey.  Insert the cutting into the potato and plant it in the ground or in a pot.  Covering the cutting with a glass or clear plastic jar will help keep the humidity up around the cutting.  Do not get in a hurry.  It may take several weeks for the new roots to form.  Also, do not fret about leaves that fall off.  As long as the stem remains firm and green, there is a good possibility that the stem will form roots.  Once you see some new growth, you may transplant the rose to its permanent home.

     It is now time for the Chelsea Chop.  Named for the famed Chelsea Flower Show in England, this garden ritual will ensure a better garden in the fall.  Many fall-blooming perennials tend to flop just about the time they bloom.  To prevent that, cut them back now and allow them to grow thicker stems.  This may delay the bloom time, but that is a small sacrifice to keep the plants standing.  In many cases, those cuttings may be planted and will form roots.  Plants that benefit from the Chelsea Chop include mums, tall sedums, garden phlox, iron weed, evening primrose, asters, black-eyed Susans and coneflowers.   In the case of mums, you may wish to continue pinching back the growing tips until the end of July, keeping the mound compact. 

      Another technique to extend the blooming period is to cut back part of the stems in a clump by half, while leaving the remaining stems.  The uncut stems will be supported by the thicker growth of the cut stems and will set flowers more quickly.  Making successive cuttings until the middle of July will further extend the bloom period. 

     Do not fret is the rainy weather has kept you from planting your vegetable garden.  There is still plenty of growing season left for most crops.  Your harvest may be a little later, but you should get plenty of produce for your efforts.  Actually, it is the perfect time for planting pumpkins and winter squash and sweet potatoes may be planted even later.  Planting later may have an additional benefit, as you may disrupt the life cycle of harmful insects. 

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