122 What kind of care do English Roses need?
Description
This article is from the Rose Gardening FAQ, by Bill Chandler chandler@austin.ibm.com, Jolene Adams jolene@cchem.berkeley.edu, Brent C. Dickerson odinthor@csulf.edu, Karen Baldwin kbaldwin@veribest.com, and many contributors
122 What kind of care do English Roses need?
The care of English Roses is similar to that of Modern Roses with some
exceptions.
Hardiness: Most English Roses can be grown in Zone 5 or warmer. 'Constance
Spry', 'Mary Rose', 'Charles Rennie Mackintosh' are some of the hardiest
English Roses. 'Graham Thomas' and other yellow varieties may need some
winter protection in cold climates.
Disease: Some varieties of English Roses seem to be rather resistant to
blackspot and other diseases. However, this depends greatly on the
particular variety and climate. In particular, many of the red English Roses
have been rather susceptible to blackspot and other diseases and have been
weak growers.
Planting: While English Roses can be grown as individual plants, group
plantings of two or three plants of one variety planted closely together are
often recommended if there is room in the garden. A group planting will
produce a fuller looking growth and more flowers in an area than a single
planting. An odd number of rose bushes planted in a particular location
usually looks more natural than an even number of bushes.
Pruning: Much of the beauty of English Roses is not in just the flower, but
also in the plant. Each variety is different, so before pruning, understand
the natural shape of the bush: upright, bushy, arching, etc. There are two
main philosophies to pruning English Roses: prune like a Hybrid Tea, or
prune like an Old Rose. Of course, many people's methods fall somewhere in
between these two methods.
* Some people prune English Roses like they prune Hybrid Teas, cutting
them back sharply each year. This will keep the plants smaller, and
they will produce fewer but larger flowers. This is common in small
suburban gardens that don't have room for large rose bushes.
* Others prune English Roses like Old Roses, allowing them to assume
their shrub rose forms. They prune less, only pruning lightly or not at
all (except for deadheading) during the first couple of years, to allow
the bush to fill out. A large bush will produce slightly smaller
flowers but more of them. This method of pruning allows the natural
shape of each variety to be emphasized: upright, bushy, arching, etc.
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