Training and Pruning Ramblers

Last week, when the weather was warmer, I decided to tackle training and pruning a rambling rose, Ceske Praci Cest. This rose was hybridized by Ludvik Vecera in 1970, in the former country of Czechoslovakia. The name translates as “Honour to Czech Labor,” a common greeting in that country during Communist rule. It is similar to ramblers of the Turner’s Crimson Rambler type that was introduced in 1890. Rambling roses like that have not been introduced to the trade since the early 1920s.

Ceske Praci Cest blooms once a year in June and has clusters of small, very full, deep pink flowers. Some sources say it grows to eight feet. My plant has grown to at least twice that within two years of planting a 6-8” own root plant. It has large prickles which you will see in the photos below. I try to wear gloves when working with my roses, but often find they are too cumbersome. People commented on my hands for a week after pruning this rose. Those who don’t know me asked, “Had you gotten scratched by a cat?” Close friends knew that I was back outside working in my nursery and display gardens.

The first step in pruning and training a rambler is to cut off last years flowering laterals.  They are the side shoots that bore flowers last year. They will not produce more flowers or vegetative growth. (See next three images) You will notice I am using a pair of bonsai concave pruners. They allow me to get a nice close cut and were handy when I was heading outside. See one of the previous postings on tools that I've found helpful if you want more information about this.

Ramblers also produce flowers on the ends of their canes. These need to be removed as well. (See next three images)

There will be pressure treated 4x4 posts set along the edge of the terrace soon. This rose and others will be trained up those posts. I set a piece of 5/8” rebar close to the crown of the rose to support the rose and keep it out of the way until the posts are set. 

Here is a close up of a cane before the flowering laterals are shortened.

And now, after shortening.

Starting at ground level, canes are carefully untangled and wound around the rebar and canes that were previously positioned. It doesn’t matter if they are wound clockwise or counter clockwise or if some are done in one direction and others in the opposite direction. I determine which way to wind them based on which feels easiest and goes with the direction the rose is growing.

Canes are wound rather than just tied vertically to increase future production of flowering laterals. Ramblers, as compared with large flowered climbers, have thinner more flexible canes. That make this part of the job easier.

 As they are wound in place, they are tied loosely. I typically use baling twine. This time, I used baling twine that was left over from bales of straw I spread on our vegetable garden last summer. Nothing goes to waste around here.

This is a slow process, one cane at a time, untangling, pruning, winding and tying in place. 

Now that all the canes are tied in place, you will notice a couple of canes that are much longer than the rebar. They will be trained on 2x6 cross pieces connecting the 4x4 posts. Each year, more canes will join them.

Throughout the process, I was supervised by one of our cats, Romeo. He was a feral cat who took up residence in our hoop house  several winters ago. My wife, Renate, the katzenmutter, fed him and tamed him. He is the most affectionate of our three cats.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. It’s going to be a glorious June. I can’t wait. Can you?

Open House - This weekend!

Another Look At Cold Hardiness In Climbers and Ramblers - Spring 2012

It was almost a year ago that I wrote a piece on cold hardiness of climbers and ramblers. The focus of that piece was to look at dieback at the end of the winter of 2010-2011. This winter, 2011-2012 was one of the mildest winters in the Central NY area. There was very little if any die back. But this spring was bizarre. In March and April, temperatures ranged from the low 20s to almost 90- up and down, within days. Roses leafed out at least a month earlier than they typically do and then were hammered repeatedly with hard frosts. Although the cold wiped out all the buds on my wisterias, it gave me an opportunity to look at how different varieties of roses respond to freezing after leafing out.

I always prune my roses as the forsythia starts to bloom. This year I pruned at least a month earlier than I typically do. There was no difference in how the roses responded to this earlier pruning and later pruning.

Keep in mind, all roses grown here have been selected for cold hardiness and disease resistance. This is what I observed.

·         No roses were killed or had severe dieback from the repeated warming and freezing. It appears that overall cold hardiness is a good indicator of the ability to withstand freezing after leafing out.

·         Roses that had no damage at all to their foliage and canes included all the once blooming ramblers (Rosa multiflora, setigera, beggeriana, spinosissima, arvensis and a some wichurana, rubiginosa and kordesii hybrids).

·         Most of the Canadian Explorers had no damage (Rosa kordesii hybrids). A few had some damage to their tips (Henry Kelsey and Quadra- the only red Explorers).  Unfortunately, the Exploreres do not get as tall as the other climbers and ramblers.

·         The R. kordeseii hybrids varied in their response. Some had no dieback, others had damage just to their new tips, while others had several inches of dieback.  The most resilient ones include: Gelber Engel, Jasmina, Laguna, Morgengruss,  and Manita. They were followed by Aschermittwoch,   Ilse Krohn Superior, Leverkusen, Red Corsair, Rosarium Uetersen, Summer Breeze, Summer Wine.

·         Older, more established roses held up better than roses recently planted.

·         Overall, the most vigorous growers were the most resilient. These roses tend to root the easiest, as well. 

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Happy New Year!

The New Year is a time to take stock, look back, celebrate successes and set new goals. Der Rosenmeister began like many businesses as a dream. We started selling roses from the driveway of our old home in downtown Ithaca in the spring of 2003. Since then we moved to a three acre parcel just outside of the city limits, built a 50’ hoop house, planted extensive display beds and increased our collection to well over 300 varieties of cold hardy roses, both old and new. Last summer, we purchased a misting bench, installed roll up sides on our hoophouse for better ventilation, and installed a hundred foot long tunnel of arches for climbing and rambling roses. We were lucky enough to add many varieties of very rare, old roses from Cliff Orent’s collection, EuroDesert Roses, as he dissolved his nursery. We are in the midst of redesigning the display beds and our website to better serve your needs and to reflect our mission of preserving cold hardy roses for the future.

The past year has been a good one, though challenging. The economy has impacted buying habits. Consumers don’t have as much money for the “extras” like roses. But in these times, many of you have realized how important it is to enjoy simple pleasures, like appreciating the beauty and fragrance of roses you grow yourself and have purchased some for your gardens.

This past year, many rose nurseries across the country have either folded, declared bankruptcy or are in the process of closing. We are running out of sources in the United States to expand our collection. Regulations are tightening for importing roses from Europe. Fortunately, we had focused our efforts in the past few years on the acquiring climbers and ramblers that had not been available in North America. This year, we will be ramping up their production to bring them to you.

We don’t sell the varieties found at the big box stores or at local nurseries. Our roses are selected with cold hardiness, vigor, and beauty in mind. Each one has unique qualities that make it worth growing. We look forward to seeing you here this spring and summer.

Wishing you a year of peace, health, happiness and roses.