Collecting Old Roses

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Is anyone else here interested in going out and collecting roses from old homesteads? Does anyone care to share their experiences? The lady my eldest son works for, has a beautiful hot pink rose with the most fruity scent imaginable in a rose. I am going to take cuttings from it. I also plan to drive around to some abandoned farms and collect too.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@farm.com), November 26, 2001

Answers

Here is a link for pictures of some beautiful antique roses. It is important to preserve these hardy cultivars, because they are the basis of the genetic stock for our current hybrid teas. In addition to being beautiful these roses are also valuable for their being a rich source of vitamin C.

http://www.country-lane.com/yr/

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@farm.com), November 30, 2001.


Little Bit, My grandmother had over one hundred varities of roses in her yard when she died.She was in her early eighties. They were plants that were given to her or plants she took cutings from off of old home sights. I was 15 years old. I dug up lots of root stock and transplanted to my parents home. They were only 50 miles apart but it was two growing zones. Eighteen years later, I have 4 varieties that I can't get identified. My college professor said they are hybrids. But they do not match anything cataloged. Maybe Granny did a little work on her roses. I hope so. If you would like cuttings I would love to trade some with you.

-- Terri Perry (teperry@stargate.net), December 02, 2001.

how do you take cuttings of roses.Wear do you cut them at and do you put them in water or soil to root. gail in okla.

-- gail akins (gakins@simplynet.net), December 10, 2001.

I keep lurking around waiting for someone to answer gail's question!!! Please someone answer it.........I have been wishing to collect old roses in this way for a very long time. Just what is the best way to take cuttings????

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 14, 2001.

Well I will look around the internet for an answer to this question, but I always take my cuttings from one year old wood in the fall. I cut it both on the bottom and top leaving a good strong leaf axil just below the top cut. I then plant the cutting in soil after perhaps using a little rooting compound or setting it in some willow tea for awhile. This is really not always necessary with most roses, but it makes me feel like I am doing something. I always leave the leaf axil sticking out of the soil. I read in "Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul" about a woman who would start roses with a rose bud from a friend., and a quart canning jar. She would take the bud, and put it fairly deep in the ground, with the flower sticking out under a large shrub. Then she would water real good and put the canning jar upside down over the top of the rose. When it began to leaf out well she would move it to it's new location in the garden or pot it up and give it away to a friend.

Little bit farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@farm.com), December 14, 2001.



Little bit.......do you just do that in the fall outside in the dirt?? Like I live in Michigan........would you think I should still do it in the fall??? thanks :>)

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 14, 2001.

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