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 occupy a worthy place in the royal family. Their qualities attract many amateur gardeners and professional landscape designers.
Description
Polyanthus roses first appeared in France at the end of the 19th century. There are two options for their origin:
- appeared when crossing a re-blooming Hybrid cultivar with a multi-flowered rose;
- the result of crossing the dwarf variety Rosa multiflora (rosehip multicolor) with Rosa chinensis (Chinese rose).
Since 1884, such hybrids have been merged into a separate group. Actually, the name "polyanthus roses" is translated as "multi-flowered rose." Description:
- racemose inflorescences, which include at least 10 flowers with a diameter of 4-6 cm;
- compact strongly branched bush;
- the cup of the bud is usually cupped;
- unpretentious in leaving;
- leaves are glossy, do not fade in the sun;
- medium-sized foliage, very dense, saturated green color;
- flowers are bright, usually pink or red, less often white;
- height, depending on the variety, from 30 cm to 70 cm.
Popular varieties
There are many varieties of this group of plants. Polyanthus rosea (photo in the text) looks very impressive in garden areas. From the middle of the 20th century they began to be actively crossed with tea hybrids. They received the name "floribunda". "Pure" and today popular varieties:
- Border King (Border King). Feature: white petals on the edge have a bright red edging, belong to low-double ones.
- Betty Prior. The flowers are pink, odorless, perfectly take root in a cool climate. From smooth bushes of polyanthus roses, you can form a hedge.
- Cameo (Cameo). One of the most popular varieties. Terry flowers, pink, with a pleasant aroma.
- 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-blue composition.
- Manou Meilland (Manu Miland). At the beginning of flowering, the petals are painted in a delicate lilac shade. Gradually, the color changes to dark pink. It has a sweet aroma. Abundant flowering and strong branching make it possible to create a continuous carpet of fresh flowers.
- Gloria Mundi (Gloria Mundi). Shrubs with small burgundy-orange flowers. Bloom until the first frost, withstand strong winds and showers. Long retain freshness after cutting.
Advantages and disadvantages
Reviews about polyanthus rose are the most positive. Owners note its undeniable advantages:
- proper care guarantees luxurious flowering;
- You can admire the bush from the beginning of summer to the end of autumn;
- they tolerate winter well, although the first three years require additional warming;
- undemanding to the soil;
- shade-tolerant;
- do not have spikes;
- have good frost resistance;
- resistant to various diseases of roses, but wet and cool summers can provoke defeat by fungi;
- do not need to be trimmed, they are only carried out sanitary and sometimes corrective;
- widely used as landscape plants;
- perfectly take root in countries with difficult weather conditions;
- well cuttings: in the autumn - lignified cuttings, in the summer (June-July) - green;
- for a long time, up to 2 weeks, stand in a cut, while not losing color brightness.
A distinctive feature is the simplicity of growing polyanthus rose bushes from seeds at home.
A few cons:
- the vast majority of varieties are odorless;
- flowers are small;
- in the southern regions, burnout of the petals is noted, slowly, but still the color changes;
- flowers cannot self-clean; additional care is required to remove them.
Breeding methods
These varieties can be propagated in several ways:
- Vaccination of roses by the kidneys, or budding. The quality of grafted roses will grow, largely depends on the choice of stock. It must be resistant to diseases, longevity, intensive growth, winter hardiness, prolonged vegetation, tolerate drought and excess moisture well. It is better to grow a stock for yourself. In most of Russia, the best choice for rootstock is Rosa canina.
- Cuttings. A very effective way to breed polyanthus roses at home. You can use summer grassy cuttings (the most common option) or winter greens. Picked up not too thick cuttings: vigorous can rot during transplantation, and very young do not have time to develop enough before the onset of cold weather and die in cold weather. To save even strong shoots for the winter they are wrapped.
- Division of the bush. A great way to immediately form a bush. A heavily overgrown bush can 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 in autumn.
- layering. Spend in the early spring. Choose a strong shoot closer to the root neck. Until autumn, layering is usually well rooted, it is planted from the mother bush. If the root system is weak, leave for another year.
- From the seeds. Polyanthus rose is one of the few whose bush can be grown from a full-fledged seed. Judging by the reviews of gardeners, bushes grown in this way have exactly the same characteristics as the original plants.
Seed collection
In order for the cultivation of polyanthus rose seeds to be successful, they always take care of the quality and preparation of the seed. Purchased seeds do not always live up to expectations. It’s easier to assemble it yourself or take it at the nearest rose garden. Seeds are harvested from unripe fruits (with a blush, and not completely reddened) at the end of summer. Boxes are cut and gently separate the flesh from the seeds.
Dried or rotten seeds are not suitable for planting. The collected material does not need drying. Immediately after collection, they are washed in hydrogen peroxide. This simple procedure will help prevent the appearance of mold and will serve as an excellent tool for disinfecting seeds.
Seed preparation
Polyanthus rose seeds are classified as tight. And this is reflected in the process of its breeding. Growing polyanthus roses from seeds at home takes time. In order to plant young bushes of plants in the spring, work with seeds begins in early February. Sometimes, to accelerate germination, they are treated with a growth stimulator before germination. Seed germination, or stratification:
- take gauze, folded in several layers, or a cloth and moisten with hydrogen peroxide;
- seeds are carefully laid out on the fabric;
- on top cover with the same moist piece of cloth;
- “Sandwiches” with seeds are placed in plastic bags - this will prevent the evaporation of hydrogen peroxide;
- for control of germination, packages indicate the date of commencement of work;
- packages are stored in a refrigerator, in a compartment with a temperature of +5 0 ;
- periodically check the seeds for mold, when it appears they are replaced with new ones;
- if the storage conditions were observed correctly, after 7-8 weeks the first sprouts will appear;
- seeds with sprouts are planted in the ground, the rest are stored further.
A longer stratification option consists in storing seeds for 8 months. The collected seeds are mixed with clean, moist sand, laid out in boxes and left (usually in the basement) at a temperature of no more than +3 0 . Mandatory conditions are constant air circulation and the corresponding sand moisture.
Seedlings
Getting seedlings:
- sprouts are planted in small pots;
- the pots are placed in a cool place, not in direct sunlight, but with sufficient natural light;
- the soil is mulched with perlite (a layer of 1 cm is enough);
- constantly monitor soil moisture;
- young shoots must select the best, getting rid of too thin, weak and crooked;
- shoots provide 10-hour light day, for which they use special lamps;
- seedlings are regularly fed.
Landing
If the seedlings of polyanthus roses from seeds (reviews by amateur gardeners confirm this) are planted in April-May, it will have time to firmly take root and transfer 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 not less than +10 0 ;
- before planting seedlings, they dig the soil and make organic 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 pit depends on the size of the roots, they must be placed in it in a straightened state;
- seedlings are placed at a distance of 0.5 meters from each other;
- shoots are pruned, leaving 2-4 buds, weak branches are cut almost completely;
- after planting, seedlings are abundantly watered and spud;
- two weeks later, new stems appear.
If there are no signs of fresh shoots, the soil is mulched with sawdust (can be leaves) to better retain moisture. After the shoots appear, excess land is carefully removed.
Second option
There is another way to get seedlings from seeds. Start work in December:
- Soak the seeds in water at room temperature for two weeks.
- Planted in a moist substrate for indoor plants to a depth of 0.5 cm.
- Pots are covered with glass (you can film) and cleaned in a cool place.
- Within a month, soil moisture is monitored and aerated (glass is slightly opened for a while).
- After emergence, they are exposed 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 in the second year of life.
Care
Polyanthus roses, judging by the reviews, are easy to care for. The best place for landing is well-lit hills, protected from the north winds. Despite their unpretentiousness, it is not recommended to plant flowers in sandy soil.
The main care consists in regular watering, loosening and mulching of the soil, sanitary and aesthetic pruning, periodic fertilizing with fertilizers. An additional care for the bush is the timely removal of faded buds.
Roses on the windowsill
Low bushes grow well in indoor conditions. Seedlings are planted not in a summer cottage, but in a more spacious pot. Then they look after them like a rose in a garden. It requires watering, top dressing, periodic pruning. This stimulates the growth of new shoots and helps to control the size of the bush.
Experienced flower growers recommend following these rules:
- the best place in the apartment is the west or east side;
- roses like moist air to moisten it; near the flowers you can put a container of water;
- optimal temperature +25 0 ;
- flowers need fresh air, the room needs to be regularly ventilated;
- the soil should be loose and nutritious;
- the rose requires abundant watering;
- the flower requires space, their crowding depresses, in addition, it contributes to the rapid spread of pests and diseases;
- wilted flowers need to be removed immediately, this will extend the general flowering period of the bush.