Subject: rec.gardens.roses FAQ (2/5) Rose Glossary
From: [email-masked] (Bill Chandler)
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 1994 11:22:31 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.roses,rec.answers,news.answers

Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2
Archive-name: gardens/roses-faq/part2

Version: 0.41
Last-modified: 11 November 1994
Posting-Frequency: monthly

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Rose Glossary
rec.gardens.roses FAQ, part 2/5

See part 1 of the FAQ for more information about this document.

About this document - This is a glossary or dictionary of rose-related terms.
Hopefully, it can be useful as a quick reference for many rose questions. Most
of this is just a rough draft and still under construction. Many of the entries
are word-for-word the same as part 1 of the FAQ, but may be easier to find in
this part because it is in alphabetical order. Please post to rec.gardens.roses
suggestions for improvement and corrections of any incorrect, misleading, or
unclear information. Or send email to
[email-masked] .

TOPICS

     aphids
     black roses
     blackspot
     blue roses
     borers
     bud-pinching
     cutting roses
     David Austin Roses, see English Roses
     deadheading
     English Roses
     fertilizer
     Floribundas
     fragrance
     fungus
     hips
     Hybrid Teas
     Japanese Beetles
     leaf cutters
     mail-order
     mildew, see powdery mildew
     miniature roses
     Modern Roses
     mulch
     Old Roses
     once blooming
     Peace
     planting
     powdery mildew
     propagation
     pruning
     repeat blooming
     rust
     soil
     Spider Mites
     suckers
     sunlight
     water
     winter protection

aphids:

Aphids are tiny insects about a 1/16 to 1/8 inches long, usually light green,
red or black. They come in the spring and damage tender new growth.

Aphids are usually not difficult to control. A hard spray of water from the
hose will help remove small aphid infestations. Ladybugs are a natural predator
of aphids and are sometimes used to remove aphids. Aphids have a mutually
beneficial relationship with ants, so ants need to be controlled if aphids are
to be controlled.

black roses:

No true black roses exist. Some roses sold as black roses are actually dark red
or maroon. The petals of many of these dark red roses tend to sunburn easily.
To see that a rose is not truly black, hold it up next to a piece of black
construction paper. To make a dark red rose appear blacker, put its stem in
water that has black ink in it.

Below is an incomplete list of some roses that have been mentioned when black
roses are discussed. Next to some of the roses a very subjective description of
the color is given.

     After Midnight: dark red miniature
     Black Beauty: new, very deep purple, almost black
     Black Jade: dark red miniature
     Eugene de Beauharnais: China rose
     Francis Dubreuil: Tea rose
     Guinee: very, very dark red
     Harry Hastings:
     Mirandy: deep dark red
     Mr. Lincoln(HT):
     Oklahoma:
     Prince: English rose. very, very dark red
     Sympathie: deep red climber
     Taboo: Popular dark rose that has deep red flowers with darker edges. It
     reportedly has nearly black buds.
     Tuscany Superb: Gallica. deep maroon velvet

blackspot:

This fungus causes black spots about 1/16 to 1/2 inches in diameter to form on
the leaves and sometimes stems. The infected leaves turn yellow around the
spots and fall from the plant. In bad cases, blackspot can severely defoliate a
rose bush. The conditions that promote blackspot are wet leaves, splashing
water and warm temperatures.

Ways to combat blackspot. These methods also apply to preventing and treating
powdery mildew.

  1. Pick a variety of rose resistant to blackspot. Many Old Garden Roses and
     David Austin Roses are quite resistant to blackspot. Some yellow Hybrid
     Teas are especially prone to blackspot. However, yellow floribundas seem
     to be especially resistant to blackspot.
  2. Use watering methods that don't get the leaves wet: drip watering, using a
     soaker hose, or just soaking the ground with a light stream from a garden
     hose. If overhead watering is used, do so in the morning so the leaves can
     dry off before evening. If modern fungicides are used, keeping the leaves
     dry is unecessary. Wet conditions actually inhibit the development of
     powdery mildew. Warm dry days, cool dry nights are ideal for powdery
     mildew.
  3. Remove diseased leaves immediately to prevent further spreading of the
     disease. Infected leaves never get better, they just spread the disease.
     Prune infected canes severely in late winter.
  4. Prune plant so there is good air flow and the sun can reach more of the
     plant.
  5. Blackspot is transmitted by water splash. Remove leaves close to the
     ground that are more susceptible to getting water splashed on them. Mulch
     well to minimize water splashing onto leaves.
  6. Keep the plant well watered. A weak or stressed plant is more susceptible
     to disease.

Treatments for blackspot

  1. The least toxic spray for blackspot is baking soda. Mix 1 tablespoon
     baking soda and a few drops of Ivory liquid with 1 gallon of water. Spray
     both sides of the leaves once a week. The Ivory liquid helps the baking
     soda stick to the leaves. Reapply after a rain.
  2. Another treatments is sulfur dust. Dust roses with sulfur dust every 7-10
     days.
  3. Finally, there are the more toxic chemical sprays such as funginex. They
     are often used once every week or two and are very effective. Follow the
     directions carefully.
  4. Since a single fungicide may not completely wipe out all the fungi, using
     that fungicide over and over may actually produce a build-up of disease.
     Alternating between two fungicides, such as Triforine (Funginex) and
     Daconil is recommended to keep resistant fungi from building up.

blue roses:

Though highly sought after, no blue roses exist yet. Some roses are advertised
as blue but are actually lavender or something. Most lavender roses are
difficult to grow and are quite susceptible to disease. Some of the bluer roses
are "Blue Girl", HT Blue Jay, ??. A couple of true purple roses are Cardinal de
Richelieu and Veilchenblau.

The genetics are just not there for producing a true blue color in roses. It
will probably be necessary to use gene splicing to produce the first blue rose.

borers:

Can enter the cane through the pruned tops. Prevented by sealing the canes with
wax, white glue, or nail polish.

bud-pinching:

When a floribunda forms a bloom "spike" or "candelabra" - it is setting many
little blooms on one stem. To prune floribundas for quality of bloom, rather
than the maximum number of blooms, pinch out the center, fat bud so the side
buds have a better chance at developing at the same time. This encourages a big
rounded mass of blossoms - a "spray." Floribundas like to do this so it is
relatively easy to persuade them to flower in this manner. Once some of the
blooms begin to fade, you can just cut out the few that are dying and let the
spray continue to develop blooms. Once the entire spray is spent, or most of
the individually blooms are finished, cut off the entire spray.

cutting roses:

Cut flowers in early morning or after it rains, not when they are under water
stress. Cut the stem about an inch longer than you need. After cutting,
immediately place cut flower in warm water. If possible, with the stem under
water, cut off the bottom inch or so of the stem at an angle. This keeps air
from getting into the stem. Remove all foliage that remains under water and
would just rot. Recut the stem underwater every day if possible. Some people
add a small amount of bleach to the water to keep down fungus and bacteria.
Sugar or soda can be used for food. Others use a commercial floral
preservative.

David Austin Roses: see English Roses:

deadheading: (see also hips: )

Deadheading is cutting off flowers as they wither or don't look as good. Old
blooms left on the plant may have been pollinated and may begin to form seed
pods(hips). The formation of hips requires a lot of energy from the plant and
slows flower production. By preventing the formation of hips, deadheading
encourages the rose bush to grow new flowers.

The choice of which spot to deadhead at is influenced by what shape you want
the bush to take, and which direction you want a particular cane to grow. In
general, however, you will want to cut the stem at an angle just above an
outward-facing leaf.

To deadhead, remove the flower by making a diagonal cut just above the next
5-leaf branch down on the stem. If this would cause too much of the cane to be
removed, a 3-leaf branch can be chosen instead. The first year cut back to the
first 3 or 5-leaf branch. In following years cut far enough down to get to a
5-leaf branch with a leaf bud that is facing outward. This will open up the
plant.

Once blooming roses do not need to be deadheaded. They bloom once and then they
are finished blooming for the year. However, once-blooming roses may be (in
fact, should be) pruned after they are finished blooming. They should NOT be
pruned in the fall or before they bloom because they bloom on the previous
year's growth.

Stop deadheading as of September 1 in zones 4 and 5. It is a good practice to
let the last roses on HT's produce hips because it makes them more frost hardy.
It causes the plant to undergo chemical changes that slow down growth, inhibit
blooming and generally prepare for dormancy by focusing its energy on
'hardening' the canes. The formation of hips tells the plant that it's "done
its job" and can now rest from its labors.

English Roses: ( abbrev. ER, see also Modern Roses: Old Roses: )

This new group of roses, often called David Austin Roses, was introduced in
1969 by David Austin of England. These roses are an attempt to combine the best
traits of both Old Roses and Modern Roses. David Austin has attempted to
produce roses with the classic flower forms, fragrance, and disease resistance
of the Old Garden Roses on plants that repeat bloom like the Modern Roses. Some
of the popular English Roses are Abraham Darby, Graham Thomas, Heritage, and
Mary Rose.

fertilizer:

Use a high Phosphorous fertilizer such as 5-10-5, 8-12-4 or 4-12-4,
(Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium), (leaves,flowers,roots). Fertilize only
lightly during the first year while the plant is getting established.

Floribundas:

Floribundas were created about 1909 by crossing the polyanthas with Hybrid
Teas. They produce flowers in clusters, not singly like the Hybrid Teas.

bud-pinching floribundas: When a floribunda forms a bloom "spike" or
"candelabra" - it is setting many little blooms on one stem. To prune
floribundas for quality of bloom, rather than the maximum number of blooms,
pinch out the center, fat bud so the side buds have a better chance at
developing at the same time. This encourages a big rounded mass of blossoms - a
"spray." Floribundas like to do this so it is relatively easy to persuade them
to flower in this manner. Once some of the blooms begin to fade, you can just
cut out the few that are dying and let the spray continue to develop blooms.
Once the entire spray is spent, or most of the individually blooms are
finished, cut off the entire spray.

fragrance:

The following are some of the most fragrant roses as recommended by posts to
rec.gardens.roses. HT Double Delight (mentioned most often), HT Fragrant Cloud,
HT Mr. Lincoln, HT Perfume Delight, HT Dolly Parton, HT Tiffany ER Evelyn, ER
Gertrude Jekyll, OGR R.damascena Kazanlik

As a group, David Austin roses are quite fragrant. So are some of the Old
Roses, especially the Damasks.

fungus:

Blackspot, powdery mildew and rust are the three most common fungus problems
that roses have. See "blackspot" for some ways of preventing and treating
fungus problems. Planting disease-resistant roses in a sunny location with good
air circulation will help prevent fungi.

hips: (see also deadheading: )

These are the rose seed pods that form after a flower's petals fall if the
bloom was pollinated. Hips are the fruit produced by rose plants. Apple trees
are members of the rosacae family and the apple is a hip. Some varieties such
as R.rugosa produce large hips that turn brilliant colors in the fall.

Allowing the hips to develop will cause a rose to slow down or stop producing
flowers. It also helps induce dormancy, helping prepare the rose plant for
winter in colder climates. In contrast, deadheading will keep the plant from
producing hips and encourage it to produce more flowers.

Hybrid Teas: (abbrev. HT)

Hybrid Teas are easily the most popular class of roses today. Hybrid Teas as a
group have large flowers with a high-pointed bud. They are excellent repeat
bloomers, often blooming almost continually. They bloom one flower per stem on
long sturdy stems making them excellent for cutting. Hybrid Teas come in a
large variety of colors. Hybrid Teas are upright shrubs.

The rose "La France", bred in 1867, is classified as the first Hybrid Tea rose.

Japanese Beetles:

A shiny copper green beetle that can eat entire flowers as well as foliage. Can
be controlled by milky spore.

leaf cutters:

Leaf cutter bees cut semi-circle shaped holes in the leaves of roses. They pose
no real threat to rose health, but they drive exhibitors crazy.

mail-order suppliers:

This has been expanded and is now part 5/5 of the faq.

mildew: see powdery mildew:

miniature roses:

Miniature roses grow to only about 6"-18". The plants, leaves are all
miniatures of the larger roses. Miniature roses tend to be quite hardy and can
be grown in containers.

Modern Roses:

Refers to roses introduced since 1867 when the first Hybrid Tea was created.
Usually refers to Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, or Grandiflora roses.

mulch:

Roses benefit from a 2-3 inch deep mulch such as pine bark, pine needles, leaf
mulch, etc. Keep the mulch a few inches away from the stem of the plant.

Benefits of proper mulching:

  1. reduced watering requirements and less water stress due to
          milder soil temperatures
          reduced evaporation
  2. less disease from water splashing on the lower leaves
  3. fewer weeds because the mulch blocks some of the sunlight to weed
     seedlings.

Old Roses: ( abbrev. OR, OGR, see also English Roses: , Modern Roses: )

Sometimes called Old Roses, Old-fashioned Roses or Antique Roses, these are the
varieties of roses that existed before 1867 when the first Hybrid Tea was
introduced. Some of the classes of Old Roses are the Albas, Bourbons,
Boursaults, Centifolias, Chinas, Damasks, Gallicas, Hybrid Perpetuals, Mosses,
Noisettes, Portlands, and Tea roses. Some of the Ramblers and Rugosas are
considered Old Roses.

As a group, Old Roses tend to be once blooming, though some are repeat
bloomers. They tend to be more disease-resistant and require less maintenance
than the Hybrid Teas which accounts for some of their popularity. There are
exceptions to this, especially the China and Tea roses. The China and Tea roses
are tender and disease prone, but are very important because they provide the
repeat blooming genes to many classes of roses (notably Hybrid Teas).

once blooming: (see also repeat blooming: )

Roses that bloom once a year, usually in the spring. They flower on old wood,
so most pruning is done just after they have finished blooming, not in the
winter.

Peace:

Peace is the most popular rose in the world. It is a Hybrid Tea that was
smuggled out of France just before the Nazi occupation and introduced just
after the end of the war. It produces large blooms of yellow blending to pink
on the edges.

planting:

Bare-root: Roses that are shipped in their dormant state with no foliage.
Bare-root roses are planted during Winter or very-early Spring.

Container grown: Nurseries will often take bare-root roses from the rose
growers and place them in containers. Container grown roses can be planted any
time of the year although it is better to plant when temperatures are moderate,
usually Spring or Fall.

powdery mildew:

This fungus forms a powdery white or grayish coating on the upper surface of
young leaves and sometimes on the buds. Infected leaves crumple and become
distorted. It thrives during high humidity but forms on dry leaves. It can not
reproduce in water.

One of the best ways to avoid powdery mildew is to keep things as airy as
possible ... if your rose bushes are against a wall, that could diminish the
airflow and encourage mildew/fungus growth. Keep excess growth to a minimum
within the rose bush. (Clear out more canes in any "problem bush" much more
than you normally would, so it's got more space between the canes, in the hope
that will improve the air circulation.)

Also, spraying the foliage with a mixture of 1 T. baking soda per 1 gallon of
water is often effective.

See blackspot for other treatments of powdery mildew.

propagation:

There are two primary ways to propagate roses. Asexual reproduction is usually
used to produce a duplicate of the parent plant. Sexual reproduction, i.e.
growing roses from seed, is primarily used to create new varieties of roses.

Common methods of asexual propagation of roses are softwood rooting, hardwood
rooting, and bud grafting. Limited space permits only a brief description of
softwood rooting.

Old Roses, English Roses and Miniatures are generally good candidates for
rooting cuttings because they usually grow vigorously on their own roots.
Modern Roses such as Hybrid Teas and Floribundas are usually sold budded onto
different rootstock. Some Modern Roses do grow vigorously on their own roots,
but others do not.

Fill a 1-gallon zip lock baggie 1/4 to 1/3 full with moist, (not wet), sterile,
loose, potting mix, not garden soil. Cut a disease-free stem that has a flower
on it and preferably at least one five leaflet set. Ideally, the flower is
already spent. A bud with no color is too young. The cut stem should have at
least four leafsets under the bloom. Snip off the stem just above the top-most
leafset. Strip off the bottom two leafsets. Use a knife or fingernails to score
the bottom inch of the stem. Roots will form along this score. Use a pencil to
form a hole for the cutting, and dip the scored end of the cutting into a
rooting compound, a couple inches deep, and knock off the excess rooting
compound. To prevent fungus and mildew, mist the cutting and interior of the
baggie with a spray bottle filled with 1 quart water, 1 tsp. miracle gro, 1
tsp. baking soda (no more!), and a couple drops dishwashing liquid (to make it
cling.)

Zip the baggie almost shut. Breathe into the baggie to expand it like a balloon
and zip it up completely. Put the baggie indoors in bright, INDIRECT light.
Direct sun will likely scorch and kill the cuttings. Look for roots along the
bottom of the baggie in two or three weeks (a few real stubborn ones may take
up to six weeks). When new top growth reaches the top of the baggie, unzip the
baggie a little, opening it a little more each day for about a week. then
transplant to a pot. Keep the pot in the same sunlight for a few days and then
place the pot in a bright window. The proper time for moving the plant outside
depends on the local climate.

pruning:

?? very much under construction

General idea: open up the bush to increase air circulation which will help
prevent disease. Remove anything smaller than a pencil (Hybrid Teas).

repeat blooming: (see also once blooming: )

Describes those roses that bloom more than once a year. This varies from those
that only bloom a couple times a year to those that are in constant bloom. The
terms recurrent or remontant are sometimes used in place of repeat blooming.

rust:

This fungus is manifest by rust-colored spots on the underside of leaves and
yellow patches on the upper surface of the leaf.

shade: see sunlight:

soil:

Roses like rich, well-drained soil. Raised beds are ideal. Roses prefer a P.H.
of about 6.5, slightly acid soil.

Spider Mites:

A tiny arachnid that appears like dust under the leaves. Occurs during hot, dry
weather. Can be controlled with a water wand, or with the miticides Avid or
Kelthane.

suckers:

A sucker is a cane that starts from below the bud union. On grafted roses,
suckers should be removed since they are a different type of rose than the main
plant. With own-root roses, suckers can be kept as they are the same type as
the main plant and add vigor to the plant.

sunlight:

Roses prefer a full day of sun. Give roses at least 6 hours of direct sun a
day. Morning sun is especially important because it dries the leaves which
helps prevent disease.

Most roses do poorly in shade. Plants are leggy and more prone to get fungus.
Blooms are sparse.

Many Hybrid Musks and some Albas can tolerate partial shade. A few other
varieties including the floribunda "Gruss An Aachen" can be planted in partial
shade.

Other roses that may grow in partial shade are the Rugosas, Lyda Rose(shrub),
Souvineer du Dr. Jamain(OGR), Old Blush(China), Class Act(Floribunda),
Bonica(Floribunda?), Shropshire Lass(ER), and Lafter(HT) .

water:

Roses appreciate lots of water. Water generously, at least 1 inch/week,
preferably 2 inches/week during growing season. Water every 4-7 days during the
summer when needed. Each bush needs about 4-5 gallons/week in the hot summer.

Roses get all their food either through their leaves (foliar feeding) or
through their roots. The only medium for transporting food is water.

Infrequent deep watering is preferred to frequent light watering to help
promote a deep root system. Deep root systems help the rose to survive both
droughts, and winter freezes. Frequent, light watering causes roots to form
very near the soil surface, making the plant more susceptible to summer
'baking' and winter freezes.

Try to avoid getting the leaves wet (which promotes disease) when watering late
in the day. On hot days, wetting the foliage can reduce transpiration, and
relieves heat stress. There is some debate about whether wetting foliage
promotes disease, however, if fungicides are used regularly, there seems to be
no problem with wetting the foliage.

winter protection:

Local advice is preferred for this question, but here are some general
guidelines for winter care of rose bushes for those living in colder climates.
The major dangers to the plant in winter are the drying of the wind, the effect
of alternate thawing and freezing cycles on the plant when winter temperatures
fluctuate, the inability of the plant to take in water if the soil is frozen,
and damage from the cold itself on the canes and bud union.

  1. If you live in an area with harsh winters, plant cold-hardy roses. Your
     choices are more restricted that way, but you will save yourself a lot of
     work and heartbreak. Many once blooming old roses are very cold-hardy; of
     the repeat blooomers, rugosas are rock-hardy, and many Austins and other
     shrub roses will do okay. Many yellow and lavender roses are especially
     tender. Unfortunately cold-hardiness is not an exact science; conditions
     such as wind affect roses severely in cold weather (by drying them out),
     and so zone ratings are only a first approximation. Beware of boots that
     rate roses 'cold hardy' or 'not cold hardy'---they are referring to
     conditions in the UK, which has mild winters. Beware also of catalogs that
     overrate cold-hardiness because they want to move more product.
  2. When in doubt, plant own-root roses. If they die back to the ground in a
     particularly severe winter, they will grow back from the roots fairly
     quickly. This advice is not applicable to once-bloomers, because these
     usually flower only on the last year's canes. Own-root Old Roses and
     English roses are available. Hybrid Teas are almost always sold as grafted
     plants, and it is difficult to find own-root plants.
  3. In the fall, reduce the amount of fertilizer used. This, combined with
     lower temperatures, will slow the production of new tender growth, and
     will allow the existing growth to harden off.
  4. Stop deadheading about September 1 for zones 4 and 5. This will allow the
     plant to form hips. The formation of hips encourages the plant to slow
     down growth, slow blooming, and harden the canes, all preparing the plant
     for dormancy.
  5. Understanding rose dormancy will help to determine the proper time to
     prune during the period from late Fall to early Spring. During dormancy,
     the sap has left the canes and they are simply empty tubes of cellulose.
     Pruning too early (before the sap runs back) cuts some of the nutrients
     out, so you must be sure the plant is dormant before fall (winter)
     pruning. Winter dieback generally occurs from the end of the branches
     (canes). Pruning removes the available length that can die back before
     reaching the ground. Also, pruning a semidormant plant stimulates growth
     and sap flow in the pruned region. For a plant going dormant, this is bad
     because it inhibits dormancy. For a plant waking up (springtime) it's good
     because it stimulates growth. Ideally pruning should occur before sap is
     fully flowing.
  6. To prevent disease/fungus from overwintering, clean the rose bed by
     removing leaves and other debris. Spray the bush with dormant oil to kill
     bacteria on the bush and on the ground.
  7. Protect the crown of the rose. This is critical since the crown is where
     you want the new canes to come from. There are several methods of
     protection to choose from.
          Cover the bed at least a foot deep with tree leaves. Do not use rose
          leaves as they may harbor disease. Oak leaves are best as they seem
          to drain better.
          Cover the bed with straw.
          Use rose cones.
          Make a mound with soil or mulch to cover the crown.
          Wrap the whole plant in burlap if necessary, in addition to one of
          above methods of protecting the crown.
     Timing is important. Covering the rose too early is unwise as it may
     prevent the rose from hardening properly and will slow the onset of
     dormancy. Covering the rose too late may risk damage from the cold.
  8. Climbers or long canes may benefit from being tied to avoid thrashing from
     the wind. Canes may be protected from drying winter winds by wrapping them
     in burlap with a layer of straw for insulation. In severe climates long
     canes may need to be tied and buried.
  9. Keep the soil well-drained, especially as the spring rains come.

end of Rose Glossary
rec.gardens.roses FAQ, part 2/5

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