My Double Delight wants to Climb ?

12 years ago

I'm not sure I really understand the genetic differences between the same cultivar that climbs versus doesn't climb.

I bought a 1.5 gallon Double Delight last fall. She started out this spring with the biggest most heavenly bloom. Then had a few more fair blooms, then the canes started growing. Two canes grew to 4' tall, with a few short canes surrounding, so I thought I'd just prune those tall guys back. And 1 month later - they're both back to 4' tall, straight up in the air, putting on more leaves, without a sign of a bud anywhere.

Do you think I have a "climbing" version of her, or just a confused rose? She isn't in a spot that will support a climber, so wondering if I should move her to a fence and just let her do her thing?

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Comments (10)

michaelg
12 years ago
I would think if a cane grows > 6' without a bud, you have a climbing sport.
hartwood
12 years ago
Long canes without any sign of flower buds makes me think that these new canes may be rootstock suckers.
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roseseek
12 years ago
What they said. Either is potentially the answer to your question. A third is perhaps the plant is reaching for light? If it's shaded sufficiently, the plant can be triggered to throw longer canes to push itself up into the sun. If that isn't the case, then the first two suggestions are possibilities.

Or, perhaps you have a particularly happy plant of DD? If it's being fed and watered well, it could be performing as it originally was supposed to, instead of the junk we've usually been fed of it. It CAN be a vigorous, incredibly beautiful plant, though I've seldom seen it perform that way. Kim
harmonyp
Original Author
12 years ago
Ok - Hartwood, you sent me running out to inspect rootstock. I should have figured this one out on my own after doing surgery on cl. aloha taken over by Dr. Huey, but in that case I had all the Huey red blooms to give it away.

Indeed as I inspected - the 3 no-longer-growing canes that had produced the flowers were at the graft. The 2 super hardy 4' canes came from 3" below the graft off the rootstock. They have now been removed!

Well - at least I should get my DD back.
seil zone 6b MI
12 years ago
I don't understand why you seem to have so much of a problem with your root stock growing, harmony. In thirty years of rose growing I've only had one rose taken over and that was after a very severe winter where the graft froze and died. I've never had suckers come up around a plant either whether or not the graft was buried. Is this a common thing to have happen in California?
harmonyp
Original Author
12 years ago
All I know is that this is the 3rd rose of now 54 that has thrown up rootstock suckers. Two were weeks roses - cl. Aloha and Blueberry Hill, and then this one, Double Delight from Lowes - so probably from some Texas mass producer. I'm guessing all are on Dr. Huey.

I only started planting roses last spring, so I have no idea how many more times this will happen, but I do know now to recognize it before it takes over from the growth pattern. I don't bury my grafts but seems like that is unnecessary in my part of the world. Would be interested to see locations of others that have this happen.
harmonyp
Original Author
12 years ago
Seil - as an addendum - I do mulch with a LOT of horse manure. I have a horse ranch - so everything gets liberally mulched with both fresh manure (early spring) and more composted manure later spring, and early summer. Maybe Dr. Huey really loves horse poo?
flaurabunda
12 years ago
I'm giggling at the mention of Dr H and poo in the same sentence....

I have 2 roses that went bonkers and are both over 7 feet tall right now. They started their ascents last year and I thought something had gone haywire, but everything appears to be okay. Just seems like they got really happy & decided that the canes in the back would now like to be climbers.

I don't see very many roses in my area that are over 6 feet tall; very few make it over the 4 foot mark. I'm counting my blessings and hoping they stay happy!
seil zone 6b MI
12 years ago
That may just be what's doing it, Harmony. Your roses are being too well fed! And the good Doctor, being what he is and so very vigorous, is loving it!
buford
12 years ago
My DD regularly suckers with Dr. Huey. I just pulled a long one out yesterday. I was a bit over zealous for a while. The graft for my DD is oddly shaped and it was hard to tell what was a sucker and what wasn't. So I was removing 'suckers' for years, but last year I was lazy and let some grow in and they were DD canes!

I can regularly see a tall thin straight cane that seems to pop out of nowhere and know it's Dr Huey. Especially if the rose is a smaller one. Usually the leaves are different as well.