By Stuart Dalton, President
A rose by any other name may be being pruned @#$$%$!! (fill in the words you say as the thorns stick you ;-). If it does stick you, wash and apply antiseptic immediately.
I know many of you are pruning now, I am. I have to manage it with the rain we were having and the limits of my city compost bins meaning I can’t do it all at once. But as I write this, we have a dry spell, so it is a good time to prune, clean up and dormant spray. It is also a good time to move roses while dormant. I will talk about a big rose move at the end of this note.
This year, Peninsula Rose Society started out well with the annual “pruning” meeting in January. After a brief talk on pruning, our Consulting Rosarians had a three ring “circus” where everyone could get close to a rose being pruned. Many people asked questions and I hope you all feel you had some answers and learned something.
We are going to start something at our meetings to help newer members get questions answered at the meetings, including a session I mentioned where you can “ask the experts”. Our Consulting Rosarians will answer questions and if you stump us, we will research and get back to you at a later meeting. No question is silly unless it is the one you DON’T ask.
As I mentioned before if anyone wants to become a consulting rosarian and meets the qualifications they can be reimbursed for travel and fees to go to the class and take the tests due to a new scholarship fund. The same goes for judges. This is to increase our club’s capability to encourage public education about, and enjoyment of, roses.
Moving a big rose
This year I’m also rearranging my rose garden which has more shade now than when I moved in 30 years ago (due to large redwoods that are at the southernmost part of my yard that keep growing). I thought I would pass on some tips in case you do move roses. In addition to moving over a dozen rose out of pots and into the ground, I moved the largest rose I ever tried to move, a huge Sally Holmes with a 2” diameter root that had to be cut. I had to move it early, in November due to construction next door and it was just over the property line. First, I prepared a big, well amended hole where it was to be moved and I added water-absorbing gel in the root zone. This keeps the roots moist. I always keep a pre-hydrated supply for all my planting in pots and in the ground. I use it for other plants as well. Hydrate it (a few tablespoons plus water makes over a quart) for 24 hours before putting it in the hole. Over time this gel breaks down and it is not harmful.
To move the rose I stripped all leaves, cut back quite a bit of the canes, and dug it out, unavoidably cutting a very large root in the process. Unfortunately, this big one came out with very little root structure, and no soil. So, I soaked it in water with B1 like I do with bare roots, and added mycorrhizal root beneficial fungus when planting to give it a boost (I wrote up a bit about this in earlier CR articles). I’ve been inspecting it often to see if it would survive. It is starting to bud out now, but we will see if it makes it. Sally Holmes is one of the best rooting roses on its own roots.
I hope to see you this month at the next meeting on February 19th. Happy gardening and protect yourself (gauntlet gloves, hats, glasses etc.) so that you don’t call your roses bad names ;-).
Happy gardening,
Stu