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Roses: The Myth and the Magic

© Michael Campbell

This month's article was guest-written by Michael Campbell, our editor for Gardening in Ireland, and a highly skilled Rosarian in his own right.

Have you ever noticed that when roses are mentioned in any conversation? The reply is always, ah yes. Be it the bouquet of a bride, a cottage in the country with rambling roses growing round the door, or maybe the husband, partner or boyfriend trying to atone for some past deed with a bunch of red roses. There are songs and love stories by the hundred that includes roses as if they held some magical power. Indeed the growing or roses does include myth and magic for a lot of people.

The facts as it happens, are quite the opposite. Roses are one of the easiest of plants to grow provided a few simple rules are followed.

Roses are usually grown on Rosa laxa, Rosa multiflora or rarely now Rosa canina rootstocks, and all of these are of the briar family. That in itself is a good guide as to how they should be grown. Briars are not fussy as to soil quality provided it is fertile, as you seldom see briars growing on poor ground.

One world famous rose grower used the following method. The fields were ploughed and sown with Australian white clover and ryegrass and mown faithfully every week for a two-year period. Then when it came to planting time, the men armed with spades and forks formed a line down the field, and the tractor ploughed one score at a time. This was levelled and the operation repeated. When the area was three feet wide the men planted the rose stocks into the back of the score that was just ploughed.

The particular company produced and is still producing some of our best roses. So I hope that will put to rest some of the myths about soil conditions that are required for growing these plants.

I am not saying that roses do not appreciate a lot of care and attention, and the addition of manure, compost, or any other soil conditioner. Just stating that roses are not fussy about soil conditions provided they have enough nutrients to keep them growing strongly. Personally I prefer to grow them in heavy but well drained soil as it prevents wind-rock especially in the wintertime.

As I have stated roses are budded unto briar rootstocks and the union is usually at or just below ground level. Here I want to dispel another myth about suckers. Anything that grows above this union is the budded variety, and not suckers weather it has seven or seventy-seven leaflets, and no matter what colour the new growth might be.