Description of varieties of ground cover roses, planting and care in the open field
Groundcover roses are groups of plants with long stems that fall down or weave along the ground to form a living carpet. In the flowering phase, the bush is covered with brushes of lush white, pink or red flowers. The species differ from each other in plant size, flower structure, direction of shoots and resistance to adverse conditions. What other features do ground cover roses have, and how to grow an elegant flower?
General information about ground cover roses
Ground cover roses are a relatively young group of plants: they were bred only at the end of the 20th century, on the basis of Vihur's rose hips and Wrinkled rose hips. The first specimens bloomed only once a year, with flowers of white, pink or red color.
Depending on the variety chosen, ground cover roses are low - with horizontal shoots, or high (up to 1.5), the branches of which fall down. Thanks to the work of breeders, today ground cover roses bloom until frost, and their shape, size and color never cease to amaze with variety.
Varieties of flowers
The group called "ground cover" includes dozens of species. Therefore, when choosing a flower, you need to compare the characteristics of the species you like with the conditions of the region.
Winter hardy
One of the brightest representatives is the Fairy variety. A compact shrub with falling shoots. Plant height - 60-80 centimeters. The leaves are dark green, small, with a glossy surface. The variety is not afraid of cold, disease and shading. A winter-hardy species called Hello. The bush is 30-50 centimeters high. Double flowers with a diameter of 5-6 centimeters, consist of 110-120 petals. At the beginning of flowering, the color is dark cherry.
Resistance to known diseases
Scarlett is a tall shrub with double flowers 3-4 centimeters in diameter, painted cherry red. The height ranges from 1 to 1.5 meters. The rose is highly resistant to disease and tolerates winter well.
Plants of the Fair Play variety are large, spreading: diameter - 2, and height - 1 meter. The flowers are pink, semi-double. There are up to 50 of them in one inflorescence. The shrub is used to decorate slopes and curbs.
Most beautiful
The Swoney variety surprises with the beauty of even sophisticated flower growers. Sprawling bush, densely covered with white terry flower rosettes with a pink dot in the center.One branch contains 5-20 flowers. Plant width - 1.5 meters, height - 0.6-0.7. The species has a high immunity to powdery mildew.
Ballerina is the most beautiful species in the 2001 rose garden competition. Plant height - 70-90 centimeters, width - 120. Flowers 4-5 centimeters in diameter, pink, with a white dot in the center. The brush consists of 40-50 flowers.
Features of planting plants in the garden
The well-being of the plant depends on how the planting was carried out. If a flower doesn't like where it was placed, it won't bloom.
Choosing the best landing site
It is best to plant graceful ground cover roses on small natural slopes to the southeast or west. So in the morning the plants will be well lit, and at noon they will be slightly shaded, which will prevent the flowers from fading and discoloration.
In the shade, roses grow slowly and bloom poorly, so the place for flowers should be away from large trees and structures. It is best if the site has drained soil.
Important! Due to the occurrence of groundwater, the plant gets sick, and in winter it gets supercooled and dies.
The optimal growth environment is loamy soils, which allow water and air to pass through well. To improve clay soil, add sand, peat, organic matter. It is possible to plant a flower in sandy areas only after adding turf, peat, compost and clay.
Preparatory activities before disembarkation
Before planting a rose in open ground, you need to prepare a potting mixture. To do this, in a 1: 1 ratio, mix garden and turf soil, peat, rotted manure. Depending on the type of soil, sand or clay is added. 100 grams of wood ash and superphosphate are added to the substrate.
2-3 weeks before planting, a hole is dug and a 10-centimeter layer of bird droppings is placed on the bottom. In the center of the depression, a mound is made.
How to correctly plant a ground cover type of roses in the garden
Planting is one of the most important processes in growing plants. Before planting, the upper and lower parts of the plant are shortened to a length of 25-30 centimeters, and then sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate.
The seedling is installed on the top of the mound, and then the roots are spread to the side, the missing soil is filled up, and tamped. 10 liters of warm water are brought under the bush and the surface of the hole is covered with a 10-15 cm layer of earth. To protect the seedling from the scorching rays, a screen is installed on the sunny side.
Care advice
For flowering to be as abundant as possible, the plant needs certain conditions. Bush care consists of such manipulations.
Watering scheme and rules
Roses are watered in the early morning, when the sun has not yet had time to brightly illuminate the bushes. Do not add water in the middle of the day: the sun will burn areas of the leaves on which water remains.
Flowers like to grow in slightly damp soil: overflow, as well as underflow, are dangerous for the plant. Good watering is carried out after the soil dries out 3-4 centimeters deep. In the fall, the amount of watering is gradually reduced.
Features of feeding
The abundance and duration of flowering depends on how rich the composition of the soil is. Ground cover roses are fertilized according to the following scheme:
- Two weeks after the leaves appeared on the bush, complex fertilizers are applied, which contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
- In June, when budding begins, the plants are fed with calcium nitrate and organic matter. Before flowering, plants are watered with a solution of potassium and magnesium sulfate. Consumption for an adult bush is 2 liters.
- Faded roses are fertilized with a mixture of phosphorus and potassium, manure. The leaf is sprayed with a solution of ash and mineral fertilizers.
- In early autumn, the bushes are pampered with kalimagnesia.
Pruning roses
Creeping roses, like other shrubs, need shaping and rejuvenation. Garden manipulations are carried out according to this plan:
- Cut dry, damaged and diseased branches to live wood.
- Shoots are removed, the growth of which is directed to the center of the bush.
- Old, 3-4-year-old branches are cut off, and young shoots are shortened, counting 7-10 buds from the base.
Rejuvenating pruning is carried out 1 time in 5 years, shortening the shoots to 10-15 centimeters. Pruning ground cover roses for the winter is not carried out.
According to another opinion, ground cover roses do not need to be formed at all, as they look great without any intervention.
Shelter for the winter
Ground cover roses are not afraid of frost and winter well under a layer of snow. In regions with little snowy winters, the bushes are insulated. Tall species are first carefully bent down, and then covered with pine spruce branches.
Important! Preparation for wintering is carried out when it becomes cold outside.
Diseases and pests
The cultivation of ornamental plants is not complete without treatments. Rose varieties with low resistance to harmful bacteria are susceptible to a number of diseases. Plants with high immunity growing in dense planting can also get sick.
- Powdery mildew. The leaves are covered with a whitish bloom, and soon curl and fall off. To combat the disease, the bushes are sprayed with a 2-3% solution of Bordeaux liquid or 30% ferrous sulfate solution.
- Black spot. Due to excess moisture or lack of potassium, the leaves turn yellow and become covered with dark spots. Diseased leaves are cut off, and the plant is treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid or copper-soap solution.
- Gray rot. Young leaves and shoots are covered with a fluffy gray bloom. The buds rot and ulcers form on the petals. During prolonged rains, manganese is introduced, and the diseased parts of the plant are torn off.
- Rust. Fungal disease; manifests itself as red bumps and dusty pustules. The leaves turn yellow and crumble, and the immature shoots are deformed. Treatment is carried out with a 2% solution of Bordeaux liquid, nettle decoction.
From the order of insects, bushes damage spider mites, green aphids, rosy scale insects and leafworms, drooling pennits. To combat pests, roses are sprayed with insecticides and decoctions of garlic, tobacco.
Breeding methods for ground cover types of roses
The creeping flower reproduces by seeds, budding, layering and cuttings. The first method is used mainly by specialists, since in this case maternal characteristics are not inherited. Only experienced gardeners can successfully carry out budding.
Amateur flower growers propagate roses by layering. To do this, sprinkle the shoot in the knee with earth and fix it with a hairpin. Plants are separated in summer or autumn next year.
At the end of summer, cuttings with three internodes are cut from healthy ripe shoots. The cut is made under the bud in the middle of the shoot. Cuttings without thorns and leaves are kept for 2 hours in a growth stimulator. In a semi-shaded area of the garden, a groove is made 15 centimeters deep and covered with sand by a third.
Planting material is set at a distance of 15 centimeters from each other so that the lower bud is above ground level. The cuttings are regularly watered, and the resulting buds are cut off. The rose is ready for planting in a new place next fall.
The use of varieties in landscape design
Ground cover roses look equally great in both single and group plantings. Flowers are planted along a path, a pond or in the center of a garden, thereby separating one part from another. Creeping roses are ideal for multi-level flower beds.
Thanks to the decorativeness and variety of varieties, creeping roses are gaining more and more popularity every year. Since the flower does not require special care, even a novice amateur can grow it in his own garden.
