The name ‘Dr. Huey’ may be unfamiliar, but if you grow roses, I’ll bet you have met him. The doctor is really quite a handsome rose, with a semi-double array of about 15 crimson petals and a center of golden stamens. It grows vigorously, shooting up from the roots with wild abandon. The doctor is also a repeat bloomer, so you will see the flowers again and again over the course of the growing season.
All of that sounds wonderful, but Dr. Huey also has some bad habits. In fact the good doctor is like the guest who shows up at every party, even when it is clear that he is a crasher. I have met Dr. Huey often in the private party that I call my garden. I have tossed him out a couple of times and will shortly do so again.
If you go to a garden center to buy a rose, you may well purchase Dr. Huey even if you have no idea that he is going home in the trunk of your car.
Why? Because Dr. Huey is one of the most popular root stock varieties for grafted garden roses.
The vast majority of garden roses are grafted, meaning that the top growth of a named variety—say ‘Peace’—is manually grafted or joined onto a hardier root stock like Dr. Huey. The two parts eventually meld together. This practice is like building a house with a strong foundation. A good strong rootstock will feed and support the weaker, but showier rose grafted on top of it.
How do you know if you have a grafted rose? Look at the lower third of the main stem; if you see a noticeable swelling, it is most likely the result of the grafting process. These days, some rose merchandisers print the information on plant tags or literature.
The problem with Dr. Huey or any other hardy rootstock is the same as the benefit of using the plant in the first place–vigor. Sometimes Dr. Huey gets above himself, literally and figuratively, and puts forth canes that sprout leaves and ultimately flowers. This can result in a rose bush that is apparently producing roses of two different colors and configurations.
What can you do if this happens? Pick up your pruners and cut off Dr. Huey’s canes at ground level. Watch for further rogue growth and cut it back right away. If you do not do so, eventually Dr. Huey will take over and the desirable top growth will die completely.
It is easy to spot that rogue growth because it sprouts from below the graft. Canes of the desirable variety grow from above the graft.
While you can’t completely avoid this issue with all rose varieties, the first thing to remember is to buy the right shrubs to begin with. If you can, choose “own root” varieties, rather than grafted types. In the mid twentieth century—the golden age of the hybrid tea rose–almost all commercially available roses were grafted, combining the top growth of a beautiful, but relatively weak-rooted glamour-puss rose with the rootstock of a hardier one. Now the situation has changed and own-root roses are much more widely available. With own-root roses, new growth will often sprout from the roots even if winter or other climatic conditions result in the death or destruction of the top growth. The eventual flowers will be true to the variety.
When you are buying new rose varieties, make sure that they are reliably hardy in your USDA plant hardiness zone. Zone hardiness information is almost always available on plant tags. Websites can help as well. To find your area’s zone, go to http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/phzmweb/interactivemap.aspx and click on your state. Helpmefind.com/roses is an especially good source for rose-specific hardiness information and searchable by the varietal name.
Mulch is good for all roses at any time. Winter mulch, whether you use pine straw, shredded bark or buckwheat hulls, is an excellent insulator. The goal of winter mulch is to prevent heaves and other mayhem caused by the wide winter temperature fluctuations that many of us experience, so for best results, apply it after the ground has frozen. However, if you are like many gardeners who mulch once a year in the spring, don’t fret. Lightening will not strike you or your roses if you neglect winter mulching.
Pruning roses in late fall is another good idea. The aim is always to prevent damage caused by wind, ice and snow. This means a reduction in the overall length of the stems or canes, with special attention to long stems that are likely to whip around in high winds. Generally, cut back established roses by one third, with overgrown specimens or overeager stems receiving a two thirds chop. Much nonsense has been spouted about pruning to an outward- facing bud and much time has been wasted by those who worry too much about that. In practice, simply eyeball the one third or two thirds cutting line and apply your clippers or loppers. The rose will be fine. While you are at it, nip off any dead or damaged stems or canes. The only exceptions to the pruning rule are brand new roses, which probably don’t need any pruning, and situations where you want to preserve rose hips as winter food for the birds. If you like the hips, trim back only the extra-long canes.
Wise rose selection and good rose care will help keep Dr. Huey from crashing your rose party. If he shows up, get him out the door promptly.