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English Roses?
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English Roses?
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English Roses?
Larry Blanchard wrote in message ...
In article , says... I'm in zone 5b in Canada and have more than 100 Austins (grown on hardy northern Ontario rootstock) that get no winter protection except for a blanket of snow. My oldest ones are six years old and while I've even had Rugosas suffer winterkill, not one of my English roses has ever died or gone wild, even when the temps go below -30C. I've had dead branch tips on both rugosa and English roses, but never total dieback of either. I did lose a moss rose and a Dortmund due to cold weather, both in the same year, and a white rugosa (Sir Thomas Lipton) sucumbed to something or other, probably thrips. Interestingly, I planted two rows of Therese Bugnets my first year in the house and what wasn't killed by winter failed to thrive the next summer. I ditched the supposedly hardy roses and replaced them with Rugosas, which stand up to winter, drought and the herds of deer that view them as a salad bar because with better than 200 bushes, life is too short to deadhead. Like you I have dead tips and quite a few dead branches that have to be trimmed come spring, but the roses are so tough and sucker so prolifically that they have kept their shape and they're six years old. A spring prune, two shovels' worth of manure during the summer and they're reliable little flower factories. A terrific rose. After several years of experimentation with my Austins, I find the best winter strategy is to trim them down to nothing in November – they bloom on new wood and clearing out all foliage and old wood in the fall has greatly reduced the mildew, blackspot and caterpillers that overwinter in the beds. I leave my spent annuals standing to act as snow collectors to insulate the roots and take them out come spring. I started doing this last year after experimenting with spring prunings etc. and this method is the best I've tried. It's -25C outside today and the Austins are as cozy out there as possible, under the circumstances. Too many sources tell you Austins aren't hardy enough for northern winters, but I find they require less attention than so-called hardy roses. |
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English Roses?
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English Roses?
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English Roses?
Larry Blanchard wrote in message ...
In article , says... nterestingly, I planted two rows of Therese Bugnets my first year in the house and what wasn't killed by winter failed to thrive the next summer. I ditched the supposedly hardy roses and replaced them with Rugosas, But I thought Therese Bugnet was a rugosa. Am I wrong? BTW, I have a Marie Bugnet that's one of my favorites. A little bush just covered with white flowers most of the year. First to bloom and last to quit - it's still budding furiously when we get our first freeze. Should have been more precise. Yes, Bugnet is a rugosa but the ones I planted were a huge disappointment and I have no idea why as they came from one of my usual growers whose roses are superb. Their replacements were 20 rugosa rubras and they have been magnificent. Hardy or not, you can't tell for sure until you've got it in the ground in your local conditions. |
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