When I moved here last October, there was a lone rose bush in the front garden, choked with weeds and with stems that were brown and withered, but it still had some green on it. I freed it from the weeds and pruned all the brown stems off, leaving just a sort of clump of short stems with some green leaves on them. I wondered if it would survive. You can see it here on the right in this picture I took in the spring. It had started to put out some new leaves by the time I took this picture, though it hadn't flowered yet. Fast forward to today, and it's definitely alive! It has put forth pretty red blooms, and though they're not familiar to me as typical roses, they are recognizably some kind of rose. It's exploded, but it hasn't taken off like any rose bush I'm familiar with. Instead it's put out these long stems....REALLY long. I actually cut off two or three of these stalks earlier in the season. They had grown across the walk way, and several attempts I'd made to tie them back, so that we could actually USE the front door entrance, failed. So I pruned them way back, but then it just put out several more, thankfully though going in a different direction, parallel to the walkway rather than across it! So what do I do? I love the flowers, but I think these couple of long stalks just look ugly. I want a bush, not a.....whatever it is I've got.
Y'know, I thought it might be some kind of climber. But I can't see anything on the stems that would allow it to hold on to a trellis. I'm thinking about the clematis I planted that has these viney things it puts out to wrap around the lattice it's planted in front of. On the other hand, I don't have much gardening experience, so perhaps climbing roses don't do that? You actually have to tie them to something in order for them to "climb?"
What I see for your choices are to go buy a very small trellis, say 3 feet planted, and use it there or transplant that cute little rose somewhere else again now that you revived it and made it very strong. Then go buy a normal rose bush and put in it's place.
Ronni, "climbing" roses, like any other roses, don't have tendrils or suction growth to allow them to cling to something. They have to be tied. I think Netty is right--that is a climbing rose. You'll need a 6' trellis for it. If you place the trellis not parallel to the walk, nor parallel to the house, but at a 45 degree angle to the walk, the rose won't obstruct anything and will still be visible and enjoyable.
Wow. I have a climbing rose! Who knew? It seems that every time you wonderful people give me answers, I just have more questions! They never seem to end. Sorry. Jane, I really don't like the idea of a trellis right there. I just went outside, trying to figure out where I could position it and at what angle so that it doesn't just look like it's just STUCK there, this big tall thing in the middle of everything else that's much shorter. My aesthetic sense just recoils. I'd much rather dig it up and replant it as Waretrop has suggested. Is this a good time of year to do that? Or should I be waiting till fall? Or next spring? I have been thinking I'd like to plant some kind of trellised climbing thing so that it grows up between these two windows. Here's where the rose is now, and you can see the windows and the wall between them, so it's not moving much (I'm just thinking about keeping the growing conditions similar enough that it won't be too much of a shock for it. There's not a lot of room there, but those stalks just seem to be long and tall, and there's no bushiness to them, so I'm thinking a tall, somewhat narrow space would work fine. What do you think?
Well, having a rose between the two windows will make washing windows rather painful--thorns, you know. No matter how much you tie a rose to a trellis, it will do a "fountain" effect and escape. Here in Texas we plant/transplant roses in the fall (late Oct. to mid-Nov.) because that gives them a chance to settle in before the summer heat hits. Roses planted in April/May need a lot of babying, extra water, shade, and prayers! If your summertime heat rarely gets above 90, go ahead and transplant in the spring. Otherwise, I'd do it in the fall, but not now in mid-summer. Stress on the roots from being moved, stress on the top growth from heat. Also, whatever you put between the windows is backed by brick, which can get pretty hot, and also retains heat. How about putting something tall between the windows, but planted about 2' out from the brick? You still have the upward look, but without endangering your brick with the suction cup growth I mentioned before (which can discolor brick, and even eventually destroy the brick's surface), and with the air circulation around the plant, you don't have to worry about heat stress. Now, aren't you sorry you asked?
One of my classmates from high school has always had climbing roses in front of all his windows. That makes the ROBBERS think twice.
Sorry? Are you kidding me? I LOVE this, it's awesome, exactly the kind of feedback I need. Thank you! The washing windows thing isn't a problem because we have that tip-in kind. (Thank you former owner!!) Setting it away from the brick, yeah. Point taken. Plus the windows indent back several inches, so they're not flush with the brick, meaning that I'll have that little bit of extra space between the window and the trellis. And I won't transplant till fall, thank you for that tip. I did some searching on the HomeDepot site (it's just a mile down the street from me) and discovered I can buy a bundle of bamboo poles for under $5.00. I was thinking I might go buy that bundle, and if I can sink one or two of them into the ground deeply enough, I can tie those rose bowers to the bamboo and keep them away from the walkway, until I get to the point where I can do the transplanting. Is there any downside y'all can think of to that as a temporary solution?
Ronni, the bamboo stakes sound fine. Just sink them as deeply as you can, and perhaps even cross them to make an X rather than I I. You are a sweetheart to not mind my blathering on about roses, one of my very favorite subjects!
Then Jane, we have a match made in heaven right here! I have SUCH fond memories of my Dad's rose garden back in Australia, in the first home I can remember. Him with his big thick gloves, wading through all those rose bushes, pruning and getting scratched, and bringing in armloads of beautiful roses with which to grace the house. Every time I smell roses, I'm transported back to that time. I SO want to create a rose garden! I have no clue, and have the idea that roses are very finicky, but I am DETERMINED sometime in the next several years that I'm going to pick the perfect place somewhere on this property to grow a perfect rose garden. So heads up!!! Guess who I'll be coming to for mentoring and counsel, handholding and cheerleading?
I had a rose bush that acted like that too. It had belonged to my grandmother. I wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons... but it was such and ugly thing with it's branches going all of the place. And it didn't produce many flowers. I gave it to one of my cousins who has lots of room for it. At least it's still in family. Looking forward to see what you come up with to plant between the windows.
