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Climbing rose advice

Hi am new to this forum. I intend digging out an old climing rose which was in the garden when we came so don't know the variety. I want to replace it with something repeat flowering and scented (it will go over an arch). Have been looking at the Generous Gardener, but am open to any other suggestions anyone might have.

Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Vix60 Welcome to the forum there are alot of very knowledgable rose growers on this forum who will be able to offer advice. The one thing I can tell you is there is something called rose sickness which you will need to consider.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Rose re-plant syndrome, a problem with planting a new Rose in the space where a Rose has been previously. This might be an issue for you.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    You have to change the soil if you plant a new rose where there was an old rose. One way is to plant the new rose in a mix of new soil and compost then dig a hole the size of the box putting the dug out soil somewhere else in the garden and plant the rose in the box. Eventually the box will rot away and by then the rose will be big enough to cope with sending down it's roots.

    The Generous Gardener is a lovely rose, my daughter had one over an arch.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Vix60Vix60 Posts: 7
    Thanks for the advice - never heard of this syndrome but will definately change the soil and plant in a box as suggested.
  • I have generous gardener and it's lovely. Puts on a really good amount of growth, even in it's first year. 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    A lady I worked for wanted to replace an old floribunda Iceberg. I dug a hole 4ft by 4ft and replaced the soil. It really is more soil than you realise but the second rose flourished.
    I recall a garden on a county estate where a circular border was completely dug out with a digger, moving tons of earth to accommodate a second batch of roses.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    One thing I learnt when I used the box method to plant a rose in an old one’s place is to water the hole, then water the soil in the box in the hole first. Let it settle for a day before planting the rose in it, topping up around it with new soil as necessary. Alternatively position the box slightly higher than the surrounding soil to allow for settlement. I didn’t do that and the whole box sunk, so I had to lift the box out and start again! I had already buried the graft of the rose as recommended, so if I had just topped up the surrounding soil the poor thing would have been half buried. Some say a 6 bottle wine box is fine but I found it wasn’t big enough to accommodate the roots, so used a 12 bottle box. @GardenerSuze is right, the amount of soil to swap out was huge and I only dug out a 2x2ft hole.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Good tip Nollie!
  • Vix60Vix60 Posts: 7
    Thanks everyone - lots of good and useful advice, great forum (wish I had found it earlier)
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