etoile de hollande issues
Hi Folks - my first post here.
We have an Etoile de Hollande climbing rose on a south-facing fence, now entering its third summer (or possibly 4th?). There is a persistent problem in that any time I try (gently!) to tie in any of the string basal shoots (or any of the strong laterals) They detach from the main shoot at the point of departure. It seems as the the 'join' is very weak. It's not just when I try and tie-in either: we've seen signs where a branch been snapped either by the wind or by a bird perching on it.
I've grown roses of various types for years without encountering this as an issue. Does anyone know if this is typical of the rose, or could it be a cultivation issue?
I'd be grateful for any advice as we've lost so much potential growth as a result!
Last edited: 27 May 2017 14:58:14
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I have found that Etoile de Hollande does have rather stiff and brittle growth ... I discovered that it was best to tie in the shoots when they were very young and pliable ... it does mean that you're tying them in very frequently and sometimes when they're only a few inches long, but it is a beautiful rose and worth a bit of extra trouble.
I hope that helps
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks, Dove. Oddly enough, what drove me to find this post was what happened when I tried to do just that. There was a 12-inch shoot and I moved the tip gently about 2 inches to the right and it broke a the base.
I appreciate that I may just have to let it grow its stems much more vertically than I would like and put up with the classic bare lower stems, but I'm hoping for someone who can suggest a miracle cure!
Here are two photos that show how that land lies. You can see there is another strong basal shoot that I've not dared to touch!
It's a lovely rose and quite vigorous. I would have thought it would cover an arch quite well. Like most roses, I don't think it can be called evergreen but it doesn't lose all its leaves over winter. As well as having beautiful blooms, it has a most gorgeous scent.
If you want an evergreen climbing rose may I recommend 'Bathsheba', which is apricot/yellow, which has been evergreen through beast of the east, without blemish.
If you want to cover up the ugly base of a climbing rose, you might like to consider planting slug proof Penstemons near the base. A young plant from a small pot will quickly grow and cover the bare stems, like this below. This is 'Pensham Plum Jerkum' photo taken late Feb, during beast from the east, which it took no notice of.. it's now covering up the lower canes of two climbing roses I have...
On moving to my current house I inherited a mature Etoile de Hollande on a sunny south-west facing garden fence. The rose was well over 12 ft tall, and flowering profusely at the top. For the last 2 or 3 yrs, blooms have lasted from early summer to November or December (we live in a warmish microclimate in Yorkshire). So I'd certainly recommend this as a prolific plant. The roses are deep red and fairly fragant too (and good for culinary use).
Branch junctions are a problem though. I have gradually pruned this into a fan shape, and have experied lots of snapped branches along the way. To overcome this, regular tying-in is a must and I don't try to bend the branches too sharply. If you want to bend a branch to the limit, or if your plant is espetially weak at the branch joints, then the solution is to first tie in the bottom 6"-12" of the new stem in the exact position where it "wants" to grow (probably vertical), then start the curve in the branch above this point. This will mean that the branch (which is fairly pliable when young) is getting the force of the bend but the join to the main trunk is protected.
Pruning... Finally, I have a question of my own about pruning this. My approach has been to develop a framework of permanent branches in fan form and then trim only the laterals every year (occasionally taking out one of the older branches to the base). This seems to be working well, (the plant is now over 20 feet wide and keeps getting wider!). But will this lead to problems later on? Essentially my question is should I go on as I am, or take a more aggressive approach and prune back harder with the intention to stimulate new basal growth?
All round a great plant if you have a big enough fence or wall. My only concern is that the fence is going to need repairs soon and the rose is going to be a bit of an obstacle to that.....