Has anyone grown tree roses?

I have my eye on a couple of standard- and patio-sized ones in the Vesey's and McFayden catalogues, thinking they would look nice around the pool or near the vegetable garden, but am not sure about hardiness and reliability. Judging by the comments in the Roses forum, I'm pushing the zone limits for leaving them outside over winter - is this even possible, when they are in containers? The catalogues recommend burying them in their pots in the winter, or putting them in a cold but frost-free place.

These are some of the ones I'm drooling over.

http://www.veseys.com/store.cfm?cat=856

http://www.mcfayden.com/products.php3?pid=2587&group=7&SID=97248c883753065a554b00f83280bef6

Has anyone had either positive or negative experiences with tree roses?

~Shannon

Very pretty Shannon. Elaine might be able to shed some light on this for you. Hopefully she's reading. I am a sucker for Roses myself, but have never grown any in pots. Even miniatures I have always planted in the ground and they do very well. I agree with you though, don' t think they would make it in pots over winter unless in a greenhouse.

McFayden's is a good place to buy. Wonder why I don't have the 2005 catalog yet. :'-(

Mine just came today Donna, along with McConnell's. (Didn't realize they were affiliated with each other, until I started recognizing plant selections & descriptions)

Good thing I'm home sick today, so I can read them right away! :-)

This message was edited Jan 25, 2005 3:38 PM

HI Shannon. I have never grown them, but took this picture at Butchart Gardens in June. I presume this is a tree rose??

Glenda

Uh Oh, Shannon...

Hi Glenda, yep - that looks like it. Thanks for the pic. I'll have to take a good look at 'em in April.

Thanks, Donna. Seems that something I ate didn't agree w/ me, so I was up half the night. Woke up at 7 and called work, then slept until the crack of 1:00 pm. Feel ok now - could almost eat something. Thanks! :-)

Shannon, sure hope that whatever ailed you is long gone by now and that you're feeling better.

Thanks, Linda. Seems to have run its course, more or less. Though for a while there last night I wouldn't have cared if a tree rose came up and bit me in the behind ;-) Bleah.

Shannon..hi there! You have to remember you're in zone 5 which is very cold...and the roses you have chosen to look at, are all tender, even in a bush state! Unless you can find a cool resting place for them in the winter, I would suggest other standards, much more forgiving! E.

Hi Shannon. I have grown the tree roses before but I just grew them as annuals. Tried them two different years. They really are beautiful & I see that Vesey's has some gorgeous new Weeping Tree Roses. I read that you have to bury the entire tree rose sideways in the ground to overwinter it, can't speak from experience. They wouldn't have a hope in he$$ of surviving our climate, don't know about yours. But I had to try them anyway. I will try anything once, actually had to try them twice as they were so beautiful. At the moment I'm trying to talk myself out of the weeping tree roses. Good luck if you decide to give them a try........Linda

I dunno, kind of an expensive annual. But I suppose if that's the only way you can enjoy roses, and you come from a double income home...

http://www.veseys.com/store.cfm?product=2542........Shannon, this is probably one of the most beautiful and toughest of the Morden Series of roses."Morden Sunrise"..you can't lose with this baby! Why not try to place it in a container and place it up higher on a pedestal in the garden..Ikep three of them in a wooden container outside and our weather went down to beyond freezing two or three wks ago! These plants are tough cookies! Try one in the garden to start! Elaine

This message was edited Jan 26, 2005 4:02 AM

Double income, double debt load Donna! ... lol And family obligations, etc. etc.

Thanks for the advice, Elaine and Linda. I'd been eyeing that Morden Sunrise too - there sure is a lot of neat stuff coming out of that research station. That does sound like a good one to try. I'm still inclined to try a tree rose too - it doesn't look too heavy for bringing into the cold room for the winter, and the price wouldn't be completely ridiculous if I can in fact coax it back to life the following year. Especially at McFayden's, as their price is a bit lower.

I've been in a rose-avoidance mindset, as I've been pricked one too many times and have been sort of grumpy about them and any other thorny plant ever since. But if they're in a container, I can keep an eye on them....and the scent sure is gorgeous. Hmmm.....maybe..... :-)

I have a neighbor that moved here from Vancouver area....she brought her roses and irises with her to Saskatchewan. I told her the same thing re: roses, she would have to drop the tree ones sideways into a pit and insulate them (she covers them with straw every fall). I know she managed to overwinter some of them a couple of years.

Good to know, Lynn. Sounds like at the very least I should stick with hardy ones. I hope that bringing them into a cold room will be as good as burying them - I hate digging holes (too much like boot camp). ;-)

Good luck, Shannon. Everybody ought to have roses. Love 'em. Have many, bush, climbers, tea and minatures. But I have to admit, that is the strangest thing I have ever heard. Burying them in the ground "sideways"! I think I'd be more inclined to try and bring them inside or something. Heck we do that with our big Brugs and other plants, right?

It might work....had a neighbor try putting them in her slightly heated garage (just below zero). She lost all of them but I don't know why.

Has to be because they were in containers and even at just below freezing, they couldn't survive. The ground is probably far better insulation for them. All of my Roses are in ground and do fine here each winter, although our winters are never really that cold. But I used to grow roses in Edmonton too. Maybe not the same kind, but I always made sure they were up against the house, preferably in a south exposure and tons of insulation on top as well. Only lost a few.

Here's instructions re: burying:

I agree.

Thanks for the advice, Lynn. I swore I would never dig another trench....but I may have to 'bite the bullet' on this one ;-)

It's Pam, Shannon. ;)

jagonjune (Lynn)
Lilypon (Pam)

You're very welcome. :)


This message was edited Jan 26, 2005 3:16 PM

Darn it! What's the matter with me today??? This is the second thread you've had to correct me on that. Of course I know your name is Pam and Lynn's is Lynn....maybe my fingers saw the "L" on "Lilypon" and ran away on me. Well, PAM, thank you once again for your patience! :-)

Shannon

LOL....No problem......I kinda figured the Lilypon was throwing you off! ;)

LOL, now I don't feel so bad. I am always doing that with Sandy and Linda. Your fingers are going too fast for the Brain to catch up some times!!!:D

I meant to add my father also overwintered a number of hybrid tea rose bushes over the years but they need to be covered with a mound of dirt to do wel and like the rose standards survival wasn't always assured. He also used a similar method to overwinter Japanese Tree Peonies....those he spent hours on layering peat, compost, leaves and dirt to assure that the whole stalks would survive our winter. Good snow cover was also very appreciated and would be added to the pile as the winter progressed.

After years of doing the above and reaching the age of 80 he is now growing Morden varieties.......less thorns then other hardies and at his age he appreciates not having to work as hard. ;)

No doubt! Even at 34 it sounds appealing :-)

I hope we are all in as good good gardening health at your father's age, Pam. (see, there! I got it right :-)

I ordered patio tree roses from veseys last year. Only one of them grew. They are very good though and have given me a credit for this year. Don't know if i will try them again or not but I'm a sucker for things grown as a standard. The one that did grow didn't put out a single leaf until august and it had been potted according to direction from the end of march when it arrived. it did eventually bloom in september and is now sitting in the bed of my truck which is stored for the winter in the heated shop at the stables. will see if it makes it or it got too dry or 100 other things i might have done wrong
But i'm thinking the 60 to 70 dollars for them at the local nurseries (as compared to 35 or 40 i think from veseys) isn't such a bad idea since they come already growing and blooming and then i could try the garage trick for the second year

That all sounds fairly promising to me, Lynn. I'll be curious to know how it makes out this summer. Just out of curiosity, if I may ask, which cultivar was the one that grew?

one of the roses in the back of the truck was showing new growth this am when i watered - need to ask about pruning soon i guess.