Yay! Success!

Some of you may remember that last year I asked for advice on propagating roses (thank you, everyone who contributed). A lovely neighbour had died and I wished to take some cuttings from a rose which had been growing in her garden for many years. Anyway, with my first batch of cuttings, I followed all the rules, used the correct compost and generally tried to do all the right things. Predictably, that batch sickened and died over the winter.

With a subsequent batch, I went back to my old and tried method: ie, stick 'em in a pot of leftover compost, place in an unpromising corner of the garden and forget. These cuttings, of course, were the ones which grew into healthy plants. And here they are, just nine months on!



They're going to new homes in the gardens of my late neighbour's children. We never discovered the real name of the rose, so I've renamed it 'Peggy' after the lady who first grew it.

 

very good :-)

where on the rose do you take cuttings from. i might try this my self.

 

Morning Clare,

That's a very special and thoughtful thing you've done for Peggy's family. x

Persistence pays. And you've persuaded me to have another go at propagating roses. My last attempt in a nursery bed was a miserable failure.

 

Jason, I think I broke all the rules. I was lucky in that the parent rose was a sturdy climber which was already growing on its own roots - my neighbour originally grew it simply by stuffing a twig in the ground - so I imagine it's one of the easiest to propagate.

I used semi-ripe ( green wood which is just beginning to harden), new season's growth. I just picked some nice study canes, dipped them in hormone rooting powder and placed them in a pot. I found (purely by accident, I should add) that cuttings rooted best in a light compost mixed with perlite. Soil-based potting compost quickly became cloggy and compacted too much around the new roots. Getting newly-rooted cuttings through the winter is a bit of a challenge, particularly an arctic winter such as we've just had. So if you can find a sheltered place in the garden, that helps.

 

Hi Melinda

Good to see you back. Hope you're fully recovered from your exertions.

Go for it! Take loads of cuttings and I'm sure some will come good for you.

 

Thanx Clara. Il give it ago and see how i get on..