Rose
Also called Garden rose, Bush rose.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 5 days in the growing season, every 21 in winter |
| Pets | Cats safe, dogs safe |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Rose entry.
A rose is a hedgerow shrub that has been bred for two hundred years to hold its flowers open, and it still wants what the hedgerow gave it: sun on its head, moisture at its roots, and wind through its middle. Bare root plants are lifted while dormant and sold from about November to March in the north and through the dry winter in South Africa, which is why July is the traditional rose planting month there. Plant so the graft union sits at soil level, firm it hard, and water it in even in the rain. The first summer decides the plant. Two long soaks a week beat a daily sprinkle, because the roots follow the water down. Prune hard in late winter, feed as the buds break, and take the fallen leaves away rather than composting them.
Ailments observed
| Spots on the leaves | Black spot, a fungus that overwinters on fallen leaves. Pick off and bin the marked leaves, clear every leaf from under the bush in autumn, and water the soil rather than the foliage. |
|---|---|
| White powder on the leaves | Powdery mildew, from dry roots and stagnant air. Soak the ground properly and thin the centre of the bush so air can move through it. Mildew is a drought signal more than a damp one. |
Filed underPlants that will not poison the cat
Neighbouring entries
Box
Buxus sempervirensBox for hedging and topiary: the long winter planting window in each hemisphere, what a new hedge drinks, and what box blight looks like.
Cape leadwort
Plumbago auriculataCape plumbago for a long-flowering, drought-tolerant screen: why it is cut back hard at the end of winter, and a genuine skin-contact caution.
Cherry laurel
Prunus laurocerasusCherry laurel for a broad-leaved evergreen screen: why it dislikes heavy feeding, when the shot-hole disease appears, and the truth about its leaves.