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Roses, a Garden Favourite

By Jos Van Hage

Roses have captivated the hearts of people the world over and gardeners in Prince George are no exception. Over the past few years, the list of hardy roses that can be grown successfully in our area (zone 3) has been growing. Growers and researchers of Agriculture Canada and Morden Research Station have developed many new varieties that are beautiful and hardy.

The ‘Explorer Series’ were brought out by Agriculture Canada and have 20 different varieties. Named after some of the famous explorers who discovered our great land such as ‘John Cabot’, ‘William Baffin’, ‘Simon Fraser’, and ‘Alexander McKenzie’ these roses are able to withstand –40 Celsius temperatures. Another group of roses introduced by Agriculture Canada’s Manitoba station is the ‘Parkland’ series, which were developed to withstand prairie winters so will certainly do well here. A favorite of mine is the ‘Morden’ series, which includes the red ‘Morden Ruby’, ‘Morden Centennial’, and a double soft ivory/blush ‘Morden Blush’. All these have beautiful flowers that bloom for a long time. Plants are drought and heat tolerant and have a good resistance to blackspot and powdery mildew.

A hardy rose that has been around for a few years is ‘Hansa’. The fragrant red/pink blooms can be smelled and seen throughout the summer and in fall the foliage turns a beautiful orange and the rose hips are red giving the plant a whole new look. Some other older varieties are the sub-zero shrub roses such as ‘Persian Yellow’, and ‘Grootendorst’ which have proven their ability to survive our Prince George winters.


Some gardeners like to grow the large ‘Floribundas’, ‘Grandiflora’, and English roses, which are not considered hardy for our area. To keep these over winter they need to be carefully mulched in or brought into a garage where temperatures are just above freezing.

To grow a healthy rose you need to start with a strong healthy rose. When purchasing a rose chose one that is growing in a pot rather than a cardboard box. Roses need to be planted in a warm, sunny location where it will receive 8-10 hours of sunlight per day. Choose a breezy area so that the foliage will remain dry and there is less chance of fungal diseases which often plague roses. Roses enjoy compost or old manure so mix this in the soil that will surround the plants roots. Also, place a handful of bonemeal in the bottom of the hole before placing the plant in, as this will help new roots form. When planting the rose keep it at the same soil level as it was in the pot. Water it in well at ground level for at least the first year or until it becomes established.

Most roses require some pruning yearly in order for them to thrive. Some such as the Rosa Rugosa ‘Persian Yellow is not pruned unless it has dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Floribunda, Grandiflora, and Hybrid tea roses are trimmed back to 10-12 inches in the fall so that they are easy to winterize. Rough pruning is done in the fall but the precision pruning is done in the spring when the buds begin to swell. 

When pruning roses in spring you want to make a clean cut 5mm above an outfacing healthy bud so that new growth will grow outwards. Angle the cut slightly so that the lower end is directly across from the bud. The first branches that would be removed would be any dead, damaged, or diseased branches. These would be cut back to where there is healthy live wood. Next would be removing any weak or thin branches that are no longer productive, or branches that cross through the center of the plant or rub against other branches. Older stems are cut back to 3-4 buds from the ground which should leave a healthy evenly shaped plant with space between branches for new growth and flowers.

With the recent wet weather we have experienced it is a good idea to check rose plants for mildew and treat them accordingly with a fungicide that can be picked up at the garden center. 

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns three Art Knapps Garden Centres in Prince George
Hart Highway
Highway 97 South  at the Old Cariboo Highway
Highway 16 West (College Heights)

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