Liverpool Remembers

Discussion in 'Rosa (roses)' started by buckland, Oct 29, 2006.

  1. buckland

    buckland Member

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    I have a rose planted in a container next to the car port that is not doing well. I have the following questions:
    It has a large woody chunk of root? trunk? above the soil with spindly canes sticking out of it. Do I need to cut some of this chunk off or bury it under the soil?
    I only had one flower this year. Since September I have seen a lot of new growth on the canes but no flowers. Did the plant get to dry this summer?
    Can I transplant this rose now to a better location or should I wait till first frost?
    Rose name is 'Liverpool Remembers'. I love the name, shape of the rose and color of this plant. I understand I can not bring this plant into the US from Canada. Do you know why?
    Can this plant be saved?
    Thanks for any help you can give me.
    N. Buckland
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Funny that you should post this on John Lennon's birthday. Anyway, the chunk is probably the bud head, a crown from which new canes are produced. It should be re-buried or at least at soil level. Getting the whole plant out of the pot and into the ground should produce an improved response. Modern bush roses such as this need pretty good conditions, in the ground it should get higher fertility, more room for rooting out etc.
     
  3. Weekend Gardener

    Weekend Gardener Active Member 10 Years

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    Ron, I think the rose was grown next to the car port - not in a pot. Buckland, is the rose grown in the ground or in a container? The large woody chunk above the soil is the bud union, just as Ron pointed out. The rose has been grafted to the trunk and root system of another rose. Where the grafting was done is indicated by the gnarly swollen bit of wood, from whic new canes arise. Do not cut this off or damage it.

    Did it get too dry? Only you can answer that question. Is it sited in a position where it receives rain? How has the rain been in your area? If there was a dry period, did you water it, and how much how often? How is the drainage of the soil? Fast draining? Roses perform best with a good supply of water and gets stressed out if alowed to go thirsty for too long. There are other factors too:
    1. How much sun does it get? Most roses perform best with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.
    2. How oftern do you fertilise the rose, and with what?
    3. Is there any disease on the plant - for example are there any black spots or white powdery deposits on the leaves?

    If it has gone into dormancy, it can be transplanted. But it will probaly do fine being transplanted now. Make sure that you include as much of the root ball as you can. After transplanting, prune the canes back by 1/2. Choose a good location with lots of sun. Prepare the soil well by adding lots of organic material and some bone meal to the soil. Make sure that there is good drainage.

    The risk of cross border importation of plant diseases and pathogens has resulted in strict control of plant materials across the US/Canada border. Why Canada? Try and find a source of the rose in the US. Witherspoon Roses carries it. Or, better still, learn to root cuttings and try propagate new plants that way.

    It depends on what is wrong with the plant. If it is just a matter of transplanting the rose to a more hospitable position, or it it's a matter of more consistent watering or fertlisation, correcting these deficiencies will likely give it a new lease of life. If it is not performing because of disease, especially if it affects the roots, then it may not survive. Your best bet would still be to try and get new plants from it by rooting cuttings.
     

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