I AM FULL of anticipation and eager to learn if my recent attempt to root one of my favorite flowers in Crescent Beach will take hold. I usually prefer the pink wild rose with its untouchable prickly stem. However, one bush that has minimal thorns and clusters of vividly red tightly wound petals looked like a perfect fit for my garden.
I admired it for years by the side of the road. The hardy blooms appear early in spring and stay late into winter. I have not been able to find anything quite like it (they really are as bright as pictured) at the local nursery. The city landscaper did not know the name of this specific variety and suggested I take a cutting. Expecting some failures I took more than one and incorporated the rooting methods of others to come up with my own plan.
I cut the bottom of the stems at an angle about an inch below the knob. I then dipped each one into root growth powder and wrapped the stem in a wet paper towel so that most of it was covered like a mummy.
I snipped off the lower leaves and most blooms the way I normally would when pruning ... leaving a few for momentary color.
I placed the stems in a vase on a windowsill with low light so I can keep my eye on it and keep the paper towels moist. Some people cover the entire stem in plastic and put it in a dark place for several weeks.
I also inserted a treated stem into a pencil-sized hole in my garden that I covered with an upside down vase.
Have you rooted anything intentionally or accidentally? (Potatoes in a sack root in the dark whether you want them to or not.) It takes patience to see what, if anything, develops from an effort to root many of the finer things in life. Meanwhile, thanks to the landscaper for letting me try it with these lovely flowers.
"Earth laughs in flowers," said poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. Maybe that is why we love bringing them into our homes.
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Postscript June 30, 2014
I peeked at the cuttings wrapped in paper towels and found not a single hair or tendril starting. My stems in the vase will likely not root but I do not regret the anticipation and hope the one I planted in my garden is more successful.
I believe I feel almost as excited as you to see if your carefully thought out project works, Maria! Beautiful photos to describe the process. I have never done anything so complex but do root plants by placing a cutting in a glass of water and letting it sit for a few days in a dark spot. Once the roots grow, I put it in earth and that often works quite well. My sister gets a few seeds from the bloom after it has dried up. When she visited here last summer, she took a mix of seeds home that we had collected during our walks. She planted them in her garden about a month ago (Ottawa) and we are both excited at the prospect of seeing her "mystery" garden.
ReplyDeleteThe roses are beautiful. I hope your cuttings develop and grow well.
ReplyDeleteHope your cuttings prove to be successful for you. I love roses!
ReplyDeleteOh these roses are absolutely delightful. I hope it works our for you. I am not a gardener at all although I admire others who are My husband loves it.I love the picture with the two roses in the vase
ReplyDeleteI hope this works for you as the rose is a very pretty colour. I have rooted plants in water before. I think since you're using rooting power you will have a good chance for success.
ReplyDeleteOH good luck ... that is a beautiful rose and it sounds like you did everything just right. Now it's just a matter of holding your breath and waiting.
ReplyDeleteHope the rooting takes well...it's a GORGEOUS rose!
ReplyDeleteWow - those roses really are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI think that commercial growers use rooting hormone and root plants in potting mix containing sand, perlite, vermiculite, etc. and they put them under plastic tents to keep the leaves from drying out, and mist often. Since I can't really mist often, not having a timed machine, I have tried misting just a few times a day, and have had a small success in rooting roses. Sometimes they just lose all the leaves and grow from some buds. I've also heard of sticking cuttings in the garden soil in fall and having them take but haven't done that. That is a gorgeous red, I have some red roses I like, Dublin Bay climbing, Red Ribbons Floribunda, Fourth of July striped, etc.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a good idea. I do hope that you have great success. There was something on Pinterest about using potatoes to root rose cuttings...might look that one up.
ReplyDeleteJen