R: A Rose Question
- Subject: R: A Rose Question
- From: h*
- Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 20:16:44 +0200
In answer to Anne...
Anne Williams wrote: Subject: A Rose Question
> Dear Fellow Gardeners,
>
> Though not strictly a Mediterranean plant question, I know a great many
> of you are expert rosarians, loads of talent and experience in our
> group, and I have a small rose problem, seek your help.
> Earlier this summer a volunteer from Descanso Gardens' International
> Rosarium came to my garden to take cuttings of Climbing Dainty Bess and
> Climbing Old Blush, neither of which grows in the Rosarium at present
> and both would be suitable additions plus it was hoped to get enough
> viable cuttings to propagate plants for sale next year at our Spring
> Plant Sale. Most of the Dainty Bess cuttings took and are doing well,
> the Old Blush were less successful, only a few survived, but we're going
> to try to take more during September and see if the fall cuttings are
> stronger.
>
> The question is this: Knowing that both these plants are sports of
> shrub roses, can we be guaranteed that the plants we grow from these
> cuttings will be the climbing form, and not revert to shrub?
>
> You help will be greatly appreciated.
>
> Anne Williams, Glendale, CA, USA
> US Zone 10, Sunset Zone 20
---------------------------------------------
The new roses grown from cuttings will be clones of the plants they came
from. This means that if the mamma-roses are sports they may occasionally
revert back and your new cloned roses will have this possibility too. Your
chances, however, of them being stable and identical to the mamma-plants are
very good however, so don't worry.
The year 2002 will be the International Year of the Rose...a good excuse to
plant more!
Best wishes,
Helene Pizzi
Rome, Italy>
