rooting your own roses

There are several ways to start your own roses - I'm going to cover only one way today as I'm starting a New Dawn rose for my sister L. But first, I want to give you the history of my New Dawn rose.

Spring of 2001 was a a very deep valley for us - one of them was the collapse of my MIL and her death from a brain tumor in a matter of weeks. After everything was over, DIL M. gave me a New Dawn rose, something I had been yearning for. What a wonderful reminder this was...that death is not forever but is merely a 'new dawn' waiting for all of us!

At that time, we lived several miles from here but were renting this place out and I knew I wanted to have it here when we moved to our 'dawdy haus' (retirement home). New Dawn roses grow up to twenty feet so they need good support and space to grow so we installed a gated arbor and picket fence and planted it at the 'Gap house.' Today, it's in it's third location since we've lived here - after living in one spot for six years, they are moveable but it takes either a crazy woman to move it or a panic call to a son to help you out of a bind! :)

Back to the main topic...

 Spring is a very good time to start a rose like this as the canes are easier to work with than later in the summer. However, it can be done at any time throughout the summer.

Take at minimum, a second year growth cane that has a good length to it...

bending it toward the ground without breaking the cane. 

Place the rest of the cane on the ground...

 pinning it to the ground with a u-pin or a stone,

making sure the nodes (where the leaves are) are free to root.

 U-pins can be bought at any nursery

or you can make your own by taking a wire clothes hanger,

cutting it with a wire cutter 8-10 inches long and bending it

like a big hairpin.

I used two pins here, then covered it with dirt.

That's it!

By the end of summer,

you'll very likely will have a new start wherever a leaflet is.

Let it there till the next spring,

cut the new growth from the 'mother cane' and plant...

s.i.m.p.l.i.c.i.t.y itself!

Now if you're like I am,

 andyoujustcannotwait,

our local Stauffer's of Kissel Hill carries them for,

oh, something like 20-30 bucks, then go for it!

Unless you're blessed in having a DIL like I have...

  A pic of when I started mine a month ago and here it is today...

It's off to a very good start and I just counted six starts.

This is one I started in 2005 - picture from last summer...

...grows fast!

...happy gardening!

ox