Against the backdrop of a huge variety of garden flowers, roses stand apart. Despite all the efforts of breeders to develop new, unusual forms and colors of plants, they still remain the queens of any landscape.
Polyanthus roses take their rightful place in the royal family. Their qualities attract many hobby gardeners and professional landscapers.
Description
Polyanthus roses first appeared in France at the end of the 19th century. There are two variants of their origin:
- appeared when crossing the re-blooming Hybrid variety with a multi-flowered rose;
- the result of crossing the dwarf variety Rosa multiflora (multicolor rosehip) with Rosa chinensis (Chinese rose).
Since 1884, these hybrids have been merged into a separate group. Actually, the name "polyanthus roses" is translated as "many-flowered rose." Description:
- racemose inflorescences, which include at least 10 flowers with a diameter of 4-6 cm;
- compact strongly branched shrub;
- bud cup is usually cupped;
- unpretentious care;
- leaves are glossy, do not fade in the sun;
- foliage is medium-sized, very dense, rich green color;
- bright flowers, usually pink or red, rarely white;
- height, depending on the variety, from 30 cm to 70 cm.
Popular varieties
There are many varieties of this group of plants. The polyanthus rose (photo in the text) looks very impressive in garden plots. Since the middle of the 20th century, they have been actively crossed with tea hybrids. They got the name "floribunda". "Pure" and today popular varieties:
- Border King (Border King). Feature: white petals along the edge have a bright red edging, are weakly double.
- Betty Prior (Betty Prior). The flowers are pink, odorless, perfectly take root in a cool climate. Even bushes of polyanthus roses can form a hedge.
- Cameo (Cameo). One of the most popular varieties. The flowers are double, pink, with a pleasant aroma.
- Dagmar Shpet (Dagmar Spath). Snow-white large double flowers (up to 25 petals) are perfectly combined with blue varieties of other plants. It turns out a spectacular "heavenly" white and blue composition.
- Manou Meilland (Manu Miland). At the beginning of flowering, the petals are painted in a delicate lilac hue. Gradually, the color changes to dark pink. Has a sweet aroma. Abundant flowering and strong branchingallow you to create a continuous carpet of fresh flowers.
- Gloria Mundi (Gloria Mundi). Low-growing bushes with small burgundy-orange flowers. They bloom until the first frost, withstand strong winds and showers. Keep fresh for a long time after cutting.
Pros and cons
Reviews of the polyanthus rose are the most positive. The owners note its undeniable advantages:
- proper care guarantees luxurious flowering;
- you can admire the bush from the beginning of summer until the end of autumn;
- tolerate winter well, although the first three years require additional insulation;
- undemanding to the soil;
- shade-tolerant;
- have no spikes;
- have good frost resistance;
- resistant to various diseases of roses, but damp and cool summers can provoke fungal attack;
- do not need pruning, they are only sanitary and sometimes corrective;
- widely used as landscape plants;
- take root well in countries with difficult weather conditions;
- cut well: in autumn - lignified cuttings, in summer (June-July) - green;
- for a long time, up to 2 weeks, stand in the cut, while not losing the brightness of the color.
A distinctive feature is the ease of growing polyanthus rose bushes from seeds at home.
A few cons:
- the vast majority of varieties are odorless;
- flowers are smallish;
- in the southernregions, petals burn out, slowly, but still the color changes;
- flowers cannot self-clean, extra care is required to remove them.
Methods of reproduction
These varieties can be propagated in several ways:
Vegetative propagation:
- Grafting roses with buds, or budding. What quality the grafted roses will grow depends largely on the choice of rootstock. It must be resistant to diseases, longevity, intensive growth, winter hardiness, long vegetation, tolerate drought and excess moisture well. It is better to grow the rootstock yourself. In most of Russia, the best choice for rootstock is Rosa canina.
- Cuttings. A very effective way to propagate polyanthus roses at home. You can use summer grassy cuttings (the most common option) or winter green ones. Cuttings that are not too thick are selected: vigorous ones can rot during transplantation, and very young ones do not have time to develop sufficiently before the onset of cold weather and die in frost. To save even strong shoots for the winter, they are wrapped up.
- Division of the bush. A great way to immediately form a bush. A heavily overgrown bush may die, and this method allows you to rejuvenate and heal the plant. This method is used for roses grown from cuttings. The division is carried out either in early spring or autumn.
- Layering. Carried out in early spring. Choose a strong shoot closer to the root neck. Until autumnlayering, as a rule, takes root well, it is planted from the mother bush. If the root system is weak, leave for another year.
From seeds. The polyanthus rose is one of the few roses that can be grown from a full-fledged seed. Judging by the reviews of gardeners, the bushes grown in this way have exactly the same characteristics as the original plants
Collecting seeds
In order for the cultivation of polyanthus rose seeds to be successful, they must take care of the quality and preparation of the seed. Purchased seeds do not always meet expectations. It is easier to collect yourself or take in the nearest rose garden. Seeds are harvested from unripe fruits (blushed, not fully reddened) in late summer. The boxes are cut and the pulp is carefully separated from the seeds.
Dry or rotten seeds are not suitable for planting. The collected material does not need to be dried. Immediately after collection, they are washed in hydrogen peroxide. Such a simple procedure will help prevent the appearance of mold and serve as an excellent tool for disinfecting seeds.
Seed preparation
Seeds of polyanthus roses are referred to as tight. And this is reflected in the process of its breeding. Growing polyanthus roses from seeds at home takes time. To plant young bushes of plants in the spring, work with seeds begins in early February. Sometimes, to speed up germination, they are treated with a growth stimulator before germination. Seed germination, or stratification:
- take gauze folded into severallayers, or cloth and moistened with hydrogen peroxide;
- seeds are neatly laid out on the cloth;
- the top is covered with the same wet piece of cloth;
- "sandwiches" with seeds are placed in plastic bags - this will prevent the evaporation of hydrogen peroxide;
- to control germination, the start date of work is put on the packages;
- packages are stored in a refrigerator, in a compartment with a temperature of +5 0С;
- periodically check the seeds for mold, when it appears, they are replaced with new ones;
- if the storage conditions are observed correctly, the first sprouts will appear in 7-8 weeks;
- seeds with sprouts are planted in the ground, the rest are stored further.
A longer variant of stratification is to store seeds for 8 months. The collected seeds are mixed with clean wet sand, laid out in boxes and left (usually in the basement) at a temperature of no more than +3 0С. The prerequisites are constant air circulation and adequate sand moisture.
Seedlings
Getting seedlings:
- sprouts are planted in small pots;
- pots are placed in a cool place, not in direct sunlight, but with sufficient natural light;
- soil is mulched with perlite (1 cm layer is enough);
- constantly monitor soil moisture;
- young sprouts are sure to select the best ones, getting rid of those that are too thin, weak and crooked;
- seedlings are provided with a 10-hour daylight hours, for which special lamps are used;
- seedlings are fed regularly.
Ground landing
If seedlings of polyanthus roses from seeds (reviews of amateur gardeners confirm this) are planted in April-May, it will have time to take root firmly and endure the winter well. This is the best option for the regions of central Russia. In the south, seedlings are planted in the ground for a permanent "place of residence" in the fall.
The landing site requires some preparation;
- the soil must be warmed up to at least +10 0С;
- before planting seedlings, they dig up the soil and apply organic fertilizer at the rate of 1 kg and 1 tablespoon of mineral fertilizer for flowers (it is mixed with soil) per 1 bush;
- the depth of the hole depends on the size of the roots, they should fit in it in a straightened state;
- seedlings are placed at a distance of 0.5 meters from each other;
- shoots are cut, leaving 2-4 buds, weak branches are cut almost completely;
- after planting, seedlings are abundantly watered and spud;
- new stems appear in two weeks.
If there are no signs of fresh shoots, the soil is mulched with sawdust (you can use leaves) to better retain moisture. After the shoots appear, the excess soil is carefully removed.
Second option
There is another way to get seedlings from seeds. Starting work in December:
- Soak the seeds in water at room temperature for twoweeks.
- Planted in a moist substrate for indoor plants to a depth of 0.5 cm.
- The pots are covered with glass (you can use film) and put in a cool place.
- The soil moisture is controlled and ventilated for a month (the glass is slightly opened for a while).
- After germination, put in a well-lit place, but not in direct sunlight.
- The first summer sprouts are best left on the loggia or balcony.
- Ready-made bushes are planted in open ground in April-May for the second year of life.
Care
Polyanthus roses, judging by the reviews, are easy to care for. The best place for landing will be well-lit hills, protected from the northern winds. Despite their unpretentiousness, planting flowers in sandy soil is not recommended.
The main care is regular watering, loosening and mulching of the soil, sanitary and aesthetic pruning, periodic fertilizing. Additional care for the bush is the timely removal of faded buds.
Roses on the windowsill
Low bushes grow well in room conditions. Seedlings are planted not in a summer cottage, but in a more spacious pot. Then they look after, like a rose in the garden. It requires watering, top dressing, periodic pruning. This encourages new growth and helps control the size of the bush.
Experienced flower growers recommend following these rules:
- the best place in the apartment will be the west or east side;
- rosesthey like moist air to moisten it, you can put a container of water near the flowers;
- optimum temperature +25 0С;
- flowers need fresh air, the room needs to be ventilated regularly;
- the soil should be loose and nutritious;
- rose requires abundant watering;
- a flower requires space, crowding depresses them, in addition, it contributes to the rapid spread of pests and diseases;
- withered flowers should be removed immediately, this will extend the overall flowering period of the bush.
