dave weil wrote in message . ..
On 13 Jun 2003 06:34:33 -0700, (Rose) wrote:

Cass wrote in message . ..
In article , Rose
wrote:

I hope someone here can help me. We have, in the family, an
80-year-old climbing rosebush that my grandfather had started. I've
tried several times, using various methods in books, to get new plants
started from it but I can't seem to get them to root. Does anyone
have a method that would work for a "non-gardener"?

Many thanks in advance.

Rose (yes, that really is my name :-)

What part of the country are you in, Rose? And what does this rose look
like?

I live in Zone 5, near South Bend, IN. The rosebush has no name - I'm
not sure if my grandfather made a hybrid (he was trained in
agriculture) or this is simply a kind of old-fashioned bush. I'll see
if I can find a picture close to it out here on the internet. I'm
betting it's some kind of an old-fashioned though. The roses are
hot/deep pink in color with yellow centers and the blooms can get as
large as a luncheon-sized plate. They open completely. They do smell
wonderful and that scent carries on the wind for quite a distance.
Her neighbors have told her how much they enjoy smelling it. Right
now the bush is huge. My sister thinks there are more than 500
blossoms on this bush. It is literally starting to cover a good part
of the back of her house.

You should take a picture of this and post it (on Yahoo or on a web
site, not here).

Maybe someone here could identify it.

There are a number of ways to convince a rose to propagate, from taking
cuttings in all different seasons (spring, late summer, mid-winter),
rooting in different media (sand, garden soil, oasis), or even digging
up a sucker with roots, effectively dividing up the rose.

I'm willing to try anything. Grandpa had made a bush for each of his
three daughters but the other two died. This is the only one left.

I'm also wondering about planting soil. I live not too far from a
creek (about 500 yards) and the soil around me is a clay composition.
How should I amend the soil for planting the shoots?

Dig a big hole and backfill with a quality topsoil/potting
soil/compost/sand/peat mixture. It seems to be the consensus around
here that you should avoid fertilizer-treated soil like MiracleGro.

Give us an idea of what we're working with, and we can give you some
suggestions.

I hope the above helps. And many thanks for your help.

Rose

A picture would be most helpful.

I hope to get pictures taken this weekend and put on a website on Monday.

Rose