Comments on: Roses for Cold Climates

By: Favorite Plant Combinations: June | Cold Climate Gardening

Favorite Plant Combinations: June | Cold Climate Gardening — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:53:35 +0000

[...] June while it is still June, I’d better get started. This is the same rose I mentioned in my review of hardy rose books. It’s a Griffith Buck rose called ‘Wanderin’ Wind.’ Last year it [...]

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:26:24 +0000

This is an interesting example of how climate is affected by the features of the land. My sister Ro, who just commented above, lives over a hundred miles north of me, yet every fall she is still harvesting basil when mine is a blackened mess. The reason is she lives on the shore of Lake Ontario, which moderates the climate similar to how an ocean would moderate it. She had to move them all because they were growing where the garage needed to be built. I guess that’s why she talks about them in the past tense. Did you relocate any, Ro, or give them all away?

By: Rosemarie

Rosemarie — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 02:22:36 +0000

I do nothing to protect my roses, and they die back every year, and grow back six feet every year. I do nothing but prune away dead wood in the spring. I really need to do something about those rose slugs. I bought mine at Pickering Nurseries, and some at Hortico. I am probably a full zone more temperate than you, and in retrospect, I would have bought own root roses, because I do suspect that one of my roses is rootstock now. But they gave me joy with no fuss. Mine were all once blooming old garden roses, though.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:47:31 +0000

Yes, Cleveland. Zone 5 officially but I do ok with zone 6 and even have a crepe myrtle that dies back to the roots every year or so. Which I imagine might be pushing it for even colder climates but might be a nice exotic to try if you could get one inexpensively.

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:38:11 +0000

Melinda, you’re in Cleveland, right? We’re talking colder yet in these rose books, but anyone in your approximate zone should keep Golden Showers in mind.

Bill, I think tough roses can be found for all climates, you just need to do some research first.

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:32:40 +0000

Doug, thanks for stopping by and providing that clarification.

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:27:01 +0000

Kathy – Your Buck roses will be fine with the deep planting. I have several new ones myself this year and am looking forward to next year’s main flush. They’re a particularly hardy series in any case.

And thanks for the comments about the rose book.

For the record, I do not plant own-root roses deeply – I’m only growing hardy roses on their own roots. All deep-planted roses are tender ones that bloom on new wood. Roses that bloom on old wood need to have those top canes protected.

And although both of these books are older – I still don’t garden the way that “almost all experienced gardeners” do. I garden the way that works for me. To heck with all that work of digging and trenching – I prefer my lazy way that keeps my tender roses alive over the winter with no protection.

All the best

Doug

By: Melinda

Melinda — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:29:10 +0000

I am a low maintainence type of gardener and have had great luck with the Golden Showers climber. It’s an old one but it blooms all season and doesn’t seem to mind the cold a bit. Right now it has beautiful orange hips for added fall color.

By: bill

bill — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:46:12 +0000

I have never used any kind of sprays or chemicals on my roses. I don’t know how they would do in a colder climate. They all came from the Antique Rose Emporium.