Christine Allen at WestVan Garden Club May 2024
Topic: “Growing Great Roses”
We had our biggest crowd of the year, and welcomed 14 new members, to Christine Allen’s presentation on rose growing in Vancouver.
Christine opened her talk by showing a photograph of the Stanley Park Rose Garden in 1968 and mentioned that it was taken in the days of extensive spraying. Now Christine avoids spraying wherever possible and then will only use a mild organic one. For this reason she does not like high maintenance roses.
Christine discussed all the various types of roses starting with hybrid teas such as ‘Peace”. These are beautiful but only have flowers right at the top of the plant and have been developed for the size of the bloom which makes them good for cuttings.
- Floribunda types have flowers on the top of the plant in clusters – examples are ‘Iceberg’ and ‘Julia Child”. They are prone to disease and not particularly good for pollinators.
- Shrub roses such as ‘Graham Thomas’ and ‘Hansa’ are better garden plants. Shrub roses are good in a mixed border.
- Rugosa roses such as ‘Rosa Glauca’ are particularly tough, can take more shade and be pruned hard but have less blooms. On these, pruning should be done after flowering as with spring pruning no flowers will form that summer.
- Miniatures such as ‘Sweet chariot’ are good in pots.
- Climbers and Ramblers (good on fences) need enough space – examples are ‘Albertine and ‘Ghistaine de feligonde’.
- Old garden roses such as the 16th Century ‘Rosa Mundi’have good fall colour and nice hips.
Tips on planting and caring for roses
Christine explained that they need a large hole to enable roots to spread out, lots of water and fertilizer and watering well after planting. Fertilize again after the first blooms have faded.
Generally, water roses thoroughly once a week and fertilize when leafing out and when first blooms have faded. Give no Nitrogen after July. Christine recommended Gaia Green Fertilizer for roses.
In winter protect the graft with a deep layer of bark mulch or well rotten compost and clear away when the danger of frost has passed. Own root roses generally need no winter care after the first year. They are sold at the ‘Fraser Valley Rose Farm’ in Deroche.
To prune a rose take off old flowers and hips, blind shoots, weak shoots, old and crossed shoots and shorten laterals. Weak roses should be pruned hard. Climbers and ramblers should have sideways growth encouraged for more blooms.
Pests and diseases
- Black spot: infected leaves should be removed and not composted; for powdery mildew which does not harm the plant trim back to a healthy leaf or try a spray of 1/2 skim milk and 1/2 water.
- Downy mildew is difficult to treat. It is best to live with rust or take off the worst leaves. It is best not to plant a new rose in a spot where one was removed. If this is difficult dig a 2ft x2ft hole and add new soil.
- Crown gall can be cut out.
- Spider mites and aphids can be removed with a strong jet of water.
- The rose slug is uncommon but should be squashed using gloves.
- Thrips infections (white roses only) are helped by removing blooms.
- In the case of a rose midge infection cut below problem.
Bees and ladybugs should be encouraged.
The leaf cutter bee will make a round hole in a leaf and use that for nesting material.
Christine was thanked for her most interesting talk by Diane Beveridge.
Submitted by Lois
Photography: Lois & Dianne
