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Judith's Corner - July, 2003
A woman in Palisade called recently, asking if we were interested in three rose bushes that she was going to be forced to move. Her rose bushes are only three years old, but they were propagated from roses that were planted in Palisade in 1910, and, from her description, sound both gorgeous and unusual. She wasn’t sure what kind of roses they are, but she did give me some information about the original owner, and I’ve written to see if we can find out what her family knows about the roses. Since we have some space available in the Botanical Garden beds, these roses might be a great addition--research continues. I haven’t had a chance to see the roses, which brings me to a complication that GVRS needs to spend some time thinking about. I’m very good at appreciating roses, but I’m a neophyte when it comes to identification. And, even if I could identify the roses, I have no idea of just how we’d get them moved. We need a couple of teams--an identification team, and a transplant team. The Palisade rose grower was looking for someone to remove the roses immediately. After we talked about the reality of survival if we moved them now, she agreed to push her project back so that the roses could be removed in the Fall. That will be better for the roses, give us time to get the roses identified, and make some plans for transplanting. Please make suggestions! Let’s talk for a moment about transplanting roses, and why the Fall is the optimal time. Sometimes, it isn’t possible to wait for Fall. If you have to move a rose in a hurry, just do it and keep your fingers crossed. If you’re worried about losing an important rose, you can provide backup by propagating some cuttings--if you aren’t able to save the original bush, you can start another from the cuttings. Why is Fall the best time to move a rose? Think about the seasons of a plant’s life. Spring and Summer are about growth above ground--Fall and Winter are about development below ground. If you transplant a rose while it’s growing its foliage and blooms, it will continue to try to do that after transplanting, and both new and old growth could be put at risk by the stress of trying to continue its above ground work just as it needs to be focusing on re-establishing roots below ground. The conflict can be fatal, especially if the transplanted bush has to deal with extreme heat. Fall is the ideal time for transplanting perennials, including roses. As Fall begins, plants begin to de-emphasize above ground activities, and begin to tend to roots while preparing for dormancy. Transplanting in the Fall works with the plant’s natural cycle, and gives the plant time to regenerate in its new location, without the stress of having to maintain top growth. By Spring, the plant will have had time for reestablishment and rest, both critical to rose health. In some warmer climates at lower elevations, or higher elevations with colder climates, roses can be pruned back hard before Fall transplanting. Here in the Grand Valley, we’re in a “neither” zone--neither warm enough, or cold enough, to encourage Fall pruning. We have a winter that includes several freeze-thaw cycles, which means that plants can break out of dormancy several times during the winter. Pruning encourages new growth, which will then be vulnerable to the next freeze, weakening the whole plant. An unpruned rose will also suffer from those freezes, but the old freeze damaged growth can be safely pruned off in the Spring. Those scraggly unpruned canes are actually protecting your roses during the winter--they’re absorbing the blows of winter caprice, and giving their lives to ensure a healthy Spring bloom. Let them do their job, however untidy their appearance. Let the ducklings become swans--leave them alone!
Back to Judith's Corner This page last modified: November 22, 2003 |
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It is so nice to have an
interest that results in phone calls from people who are asking for help with
identification of, or the rescue of, roses. GVRS gets two or three calls a month
asking for information and/or assistance, and each call is fascinating.
