Scrub roses: description, cultivation in open ground and care

Remember a time when someone you knew used the word “shrubs” when referring to beautiful roses. And you stood and wondered what these shrub roses actually look like and what they actually are. We invite you not to think and guess, but to read the article about shrubs. You will learn a lot of new and interesting things!

The term "bush rose" refers to rose bushes that are quite tall and showy and have become very popular due to their stunning appearance, long flowering period and magical scent. In 1965, this type of rose became a separate variety and was quickly adopted by gardeners and landscape designers. If you come across the term “park roses” or even “English roses”, then know that this is a shrub.

Scrubs - features and external characteristics

The scrub variety has several characteristic features. This is one of the few species that is valued not for the attractive appearance of a single flower, but for the long-term flowering of a large number of flowers. Below are 7 more features:

1. Various colors of buds. Indeed, you can see bright scarlet, brown and even lilac shades. But there are also striped, variegated petals.
2. Unusual shape and size. You can find semi-double, small-flowered, and double varieties. And this is not the limit!
3. As for the leaves, their shades are no less interesting - there are even burgundy leaves. The fruits are decorative, even the thorns look very picturesque.
4. Flowering is abundant and rich. The first flowers appear at the end of May, the petals fall only in September.
5. Simply fantastic aroma of most varieties.
6. All varieties, without exception, grow quite quickly - in one growing season they can reach 150 cm. The bushes are quite elegant and have flexible branches.
7. Winter hardiness. In addition, planting and caring for scrubs is not particularly difficult. For the winter, you can simply cover them for the winter, and some English and Canadian roses can tolerate frosts of -30 degrees without problems. The only feature that may cause difficulties for novice gardeners.

Purchasing seedlings

Although scrub roses take root well, it is important to choose seedlings that have been carefully dug up and stored in proper conditions during the winter.

It is better to buy these unpretentious roses as annual seedlings with small and well-ripened shoots. They should be woody, without damage.

It is important to pay attention to the appearance of the seedling. The bark on the plant should be absolutely healthy, without wrinkling or dry areas. If the roots of the scrub seedling are quite dry, you should soak them in cool water for at least a day before planting.

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The most popular varieties

Interesting fact: breeders consider scrubs to be the most controversial group of flowers. This is explained by the fact that they include varieties that cannot be classified as any other group of roses. These include large shrubs, modern English roses by D. Austin, ground cover roses, and so on.

Absolutely all types of this rose have a spectacular appearance.

They can be grown as single plants or arranged in a group composition on the lawn. The shape may also be different - it’s up to you to make it look like a huge ball or create a flower fountain. It is the scrubs that will become a worthy decoration of the site, park and garden.

Depending on their growth, all flowers can be divided into three types:

• Semi-climbing. The height does not exceed 3 meters.
• Climbing. Their height ranges from 3 to 5 meters.
• Curly. The length reaches 15 meters.

The stems of semi-climbing varieties are not flexible. Breeders advise growing them exclusively on vertical stands. Let's look at the most famous varieties.

• Love it. A hybrid that is not at all afraid of cold weather. Its leaves shine in the sun and have a rich green color. Each cluster consists of 3-10 flowers, the shape resembles tea hybrids. The first bloom is always the most lush and beautiful.
• Flammentanz. The highlight of this type of rose is its early flowering. The buds are red and goblet-shaped. The flowers are quite large in size, the aroma is delicate and pleasant. You can form a low rose or settle on a spreading bush. It is also a winter-hardy variety.
• Dortmund. A very good choice for owners of a small garden. Flowering is almost constant, the clusters are cherry-red, the flowers are fragile. Each flower has an elegant white spot inside. The fruits are orange and quite large.
• Hamburger Phoenix. It is a tall shrub with shiny foliage and goblet-shaped flowers. One of the most durable scrubs. She almost never gets sick and tolerates the winter well.
• Ilse Krohn Superior. A good choice for those who live in cold climates. The shrub is distinguished by cream buds that are wonderfully combined with dark leaves. After blooming, the petals curl, like those of hybrid tea roses.

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The group of semi-climbing roses includes more than 60 varieties. New ones appear every year. By the way, their cost is relatively small and is quite affordable for every gardener.

In garden decor

Varieties of scrub roses can play a different role in the horizontal or vertical decoration of a garden or some recreation area. It all depends on the height, width and growth characteristics of an individual representative.

They can be used to add color to walls, obelisks, trellises or other supports, as they can serve as climbing species.

The scrubs form a fascinating hedge or fence. They will fill the garden with strong aromas, rich in pollen and colorful fruits in the fall, containing a lot of vitamin C and providing food for birds. With the help of scrub bushes, you can realize any ideas, create a play of tones, contrasting spots against a solid background and a rainbow range of colors.

As a subgroup of scrubs, groundcover seedlings will cover the ground with a thick carpet, abundant inflorescences, filling all the bare spaces of the site. Varieties of semi-climbing roses are well suited for tapeworms or single plantings, especially if it is a good, extensive bush with an excellent habit. A scrub can be used to decorate a flower bed, lawn, rocky area, or slope. They can serve as a single variety or a mixed group. Varieties of this species are also suitable for container culture, on a balcony, terrace, since they form dense, dense layers of bushes. Rose scrubs fit well into any composition, depending on the type of landscape and growing conditions.

How to plant shrub roses correctly?

There are no exact rules for planting scrubs. It all depends on which variety is used and what result you would like to achieve. For example, if you want to build single bushes on a plot, the distance between seedlings should be two meters. Group planting involves planting at a distance of 50 cm from each other. You can experiment with shapes. For example, plant flowers in the shape of a triangle or square. The main thing is that there are no more than 3 plants per square meter.

Traditional planting technology is as follows:

1. The seedling must be placed in a vase with water so that the stem and root system are 5 cm in water. You need to wait about a day.
2. The plot of land is fertilized in advance, after which holes 60 centimeters deep are dug in it.
3. The earth is poured into the hole in the form of a mound. Warm water at room temperature and a humate solution are poured into it. Carefully place the plant and straighten its roots.
4. We fill our seedling with soil, periodically shake the bush, compacting the soil. The place where the graft was made is immersed in the ground by 5 centimeters.
5. Each bush is hilled and darkened by spruce branches.

What else do you need to know about the English rose, its care and cultivation? Plants begin to bloom only in the 2nd year after planting. The continuous growth of climbing roses contributes to the fact that the flowering period extends to 60-90 days or more. There are cases where certain types of roses bloomed for 170 days!

Semi-climbing roses can also be used in vertical gardening. If you need to transform an arch or create a decorative column, there is simply no better way to find it. Climbing roses will help hide unattractive, gray buildings thanks to a hedge.

We have already said that scrubs are very easy to care for. That’s right – even a novice gardener can grow them in his garden. Care comes down to regular and timely pruning of bushes. The rosette is trimmed lightly. Always leave at least 4 strong shoots with 7-8 buds on each of them. Don't make fall pruning too extensive. This will cause your rose to take too long to recover in the spring.

In winter, it is recommended to cover the plant - to do this, the shoots bend to the ground. Before this, the soil is dug up around the bushes, and in the spring the damaged shoots are pruned to live buds.

Winter shelter

Although scrubs are among the most frost-resistant roses in the garden, especially the Canadian group, it is necessary to cover roses in the northern regions. In southern cities, you only need to hill up the rows of roses and mulch the soil with sawdust. Long shoots are bent to the soil and sprinkled with soil. But in the middle zone and northern cities it is necessary to cover scrub roses more tightly. Both ordinary natural insulation in the form of spruce branches, sawdust and dry leaves, as well as synthetic ones, are perfect for this.

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You can find out more about covering materials here .

The branches of the scrub need to be bent to the soil and sprinkled with natural insulation. If the climate in winter is unstable, and very little snow falls in winter, you should cover the shoots not only with mulch or spruce branches, but also with non-woven insulation. It can be lutrasil or spunbond. As soon as the thaw begins, you need to remove the insulation, leaving only natural covering material. This is necessary in order to prevent rotting of the roots and damage by fungal diseases.

It is very important to cover young scrubs for the winter. If the bush grows near a support, cover it along with it.

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Propagation of shrub is carried out using cuttings, thanks to which you can get a better and more frost-resistant variety of rose. At the same time, it is very important to remove young shoots in a timely manner so that the rose does not turn into a rose hip.

Fertilizing and watering plants

Now let's talk about the key features of watering and fertilizing. You will need to water the flowers every week. They love wet soil, but they absolutely cannot tolerate stagnation of moisture. One bucket of water per bush will be more than enough. English roses do not tolerate water getting on the leaves - a dangerous fungus can appear on them. If watered incorrectly, the sprouts will grow poorly, and there will be much fewer flowers.

Without exception, all types of roses are watered early in the morning or after 7 pm. After each watering, the bushes are loosened and hilled.

As for fertilizers, first of all you need to use peat soil or compost. This will significantly slow down the drying of the soil. In the spring, during the period of bud setting, it is strongly recommended to fertilize English roses with nitrogen - especially if the rose belvedere variety is used. In summer, potassium and phosphorus are recommended, which ensure flowering and rapid growth.

What about manure? It is recommended to apply it in its rotted form every 2-3 years. To strengthen the stems of roses, do not forget to add some potassium before wintering.

How to grow scrubs on your windowsill?

There is nothing difficult about growing roses on your windowsill. To do this, you should follow a few simple rules:

• The location is always on the south side. Shrubs love light, so in winter, when the days become especially short, we recommend illuminating them with fluorescent lamps.
• The optimal temperature is 15-20 degrees plus. If the plants are in the sun, they need to be sprayed with water 2-3 times a day. For watering, simply pour settled water into the pan. You can also water the plants with melt water. Freeze the water in the refrigerator and let it thaw.
• Seedlings purchased in a store or market are replanted only after a week, even if this variety is a Belvedere rose. This will allow the bushes to get used to the temperature and humidity of your apartment.
• The best option for a pot is a clay one. If you don’t have one at hand, take a plastic one and make about 15-20 holes in it with a drill or awl. The drainage is made of pebbles and gravel, up to 4 cm thick. Form a drainage, fill in the soil and straighten the roots. After this, fill in the remaining soil, compact it and water it, and then leave it in the shade for one day.

We tried to tell you the most important information about scrubs. Now you know what kind of roses these are, what varieties and varieties there are, how to care for them and how to fertilize them. We hope that now these wonderful shrubs will become a worthy decoration of your site. It’s not for nothing that they say that the rose is the real queen of flowers!