Renegade Roses
-----Original Message-----From: kathleen Sent: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 7:29 am
Subject: Renegade Roses
Good Morning Bill,
I could not believe my eyes this morning when I saw in my backyard, small, deep red roses growing at the bottom of my big leaf/petaled large pink roses. These little ones look like they are of the same wild variety that grew out of the base of my juniper in the front yard. It looks so odd that I am tempted to have you come see them to tell me what you think. My camera can't really capture the weirdness. (But, I think I will attach some pics from the front yard that I scanned in late Fall.) I'll take some pics of the backyard roses this year. How does something like this happen?
Cross Pollination or Roots Gone Wild?
Good evening Kathleen,
Your rose problem is one of the "roots gone wild" kind. The red flowers are of the Dr. Huey cultivar of Rosa multiflora, which blooms once a year. It is the most widely used rootstock upon which our favorite roses are grafted. The transfer of nutrients to the rootstock vegetation will kill your pink rose. My suggestion is to dig up the plant, cut off the offending roots and their vegetative "offspring", cut the pink rose back to very little, dip the roots, and subsequently water them with a 1% solution of vitamin B-1 to foster root growth, and replant. Rosa multiflora is a weed that is so invasive that several midwest states have officially named it so, and have begun extermination efforts.Trusting that you are well, Bill
LOL Bill,
I don't think you realize how huge these bushes are. My pink bush is about 12 + feet high and the roots of all these bushes are bound by my Juniper bushes roots. I would kill my junipers if I tried to extract this so called weed. I am the kind of person who likes wild things. (I have even let the Malivacea weed reseed itself in my yard; it's been a favorite weed of mine since I was a teen.) So though this red rose is truly a weed taking over my other roses, it's wild and pretty; so I'll just let nature take its course. I don't think this is exactly the same variety, because these little red roses bloom almost year round for me (minus winter) and are climbing through the branches of my 20 foot Junipers in the back yard. They actually are keeping the tumble weeds from blowing in the yard and connecting the canopy of my ornamental plum trees and Ash tree. When people step inside my back yard, they can’t' believe I grow so many plants. It's like stepping into a secret garden.
My daffodils are down now and the Irises are on the rise. The poppies are going to seed now, and will come up again early next spring. I have other flowering plants that are blooming now like Spanish Broom, and carnations, and mums. My dichondra, mosses, baby tears and shamrocks are taking off with me hand watering them only twice a week now. My herbs (chives, parsley, mint, Rosemary, thyme and oregano, sage dill and soon basil) are fresh for the Kitchen, potpourri or BBQ. I munch on strawberries as I do my watering. I have a raspberry vine that is doing fine now and I just started a black berry vine. I am worried about my squash and green beans when I go on vacation this summer, (My zucchini should have men entered into the fair last year; it was large, organic and blemish free.) but the garden and I will recover.
I started some bell pepper and three different types of tomatoes. I have a couple artichokes that look like they will be good this year. (My broccoli is going /gone to seed. I expect to do something with those some day.) I let my carrots go to seed last year; those Caraway seeds that form could be used in rye bread. (I used my cilantro seeds for Coriander spice the year before.) When my dog patch is no longer being used by my dog, I plan to grow pumpkins and water melon or cantaloupe. Mind you I have a small back yard, but I try to get the most out of every square inch. I hope you don't mind me going on and on about my garden, but I am just trying to paint you a picture of it.
I hope I have given you a glimpse of my oasis in the middle of the desert.
Keep In Touch
-----Original Message-----From: kathleen Sent: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 7:29 am
Subject: Renegade Roses
Good Morning Bill,
I could not believe my eyes this morning when I saw in my backyard, small, deep red roses growing at the bottom of my big leaf/petaled large pink roses. These little ones look like they are of the same wild variety that grew out of the base of my juniper in the front yard. It looks so odd that I am tempted to have you come see them to tell me what you think. My camera can't really capture the weirdness. (But, I think I will attach some pics from the front yard that I scanned in late Fall.) I'll take some pics of the backyard roses this year. How does something like this happen?
Cross Pollination or Roots Gone Wild?
Good evening Kathleen,
Your rose problem is one of the "roots gone wild" kind. The red flowers are of the Dr. Huey cultivar of Rosa multiflora, which blooms once a year. It is the most widely used rootstock upon which our favorite roses are grafted. The transfer of nutrients to the rootstock vegetation will kill your pink rose. My suggestion is to dig up the plant, cut off the offending roots and their vegetative "offspring", cut the pink rose back to very little, dip the roots, and subsequently water them with a 1% solution of vitamin B-1 to foster root growth, and replant. Rosa multiflora is a weed that is so invasive that several midwest states have officially named it so, and have begun extermination efforts.Trusting that you are well, Bill
LOL Bill,
I don't think you realize how huge these bushes are. My pink bush is about 12 + feet high and the roots of all these bushes are bound by my Juniper bushes roots. I would kill my junipers if I tried to extract this so called weed. I am the kind of person who likes wild things. (I have even let the Malivacea weed reseed itself in my yard; it's been a favorite weed of mine since I was a teen.) So though this red rose is truly a weed taking over my other roses, it's wild and pretty; so I'll just let nature take its course. I don't think this is exactly the same variety, because these little red roses bloom almost year round for me (minus winter) and are climbing through the branches of my 20 foot Junipers in the back yard. They actually are keeping the tumble weeds from blowing in the yard and connecting the canopy of my ornamental plum trees and Ash tree. When people step inside my back yard, they can’t' believe I grow so many plants. It's like stepping into a secret garden.
My daffodils are down now and the Irises are on the rise. The poppies are going to seed now, and will come up again early next spring. I have other flowering plants that are blooming now like Spanish Broom, and carnations, and mums. My dichondra, mosses, baby tears and shamrocks are taking off with me hand watering them only twice a week now. My herbs (chives, parsley, mint, Rosemary, thyme and oregano, sage dill and soon basil) are fresh for the Kitchen, potpourri or BBQ. I munch on strawberries as I do my watering. I have a raspberry vine that is doing fine now and I just started a black berry vine. I am worried about my squash and green beans when I go on vacation this summer, (My zucchini should have men entered into the fair last year; it was large, organic and blemish free.) but the garden and I will recover.
I started some bell pepper and three different types of tomatoes. I have a couple artichokes that look like they will be good this year. (My broccoli is going /gone to seed. I expect to do something with those some day.) I let my carrots go to seed last year; those Caraway seeds that form could be used in rye bread. (I used my cilantro seeds for Coriander spice the year before.) When my dog patch is no longer being used by my dog, I plan to grow pumpkins and water melon or cantaloupe. Mind you I have a small back yard, but I try to get the most out of every square inch. I hope you don't mind me going on and on about my garden, but I am just trying to paint you a picture of it.
I hope I have given you a glimpse of my oasis in the middle of the desert.
Keep In Touch
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