Propagation of Roses by budding

Chapter 19 (extract 1) of "Roses for English Gardens" by Jekyll and Mawley (1902), in which Mr Mawley describes the process of budding, by which most new plants are still made in the horticultural trade.

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Illustration: Rose Viscountess Folkestone (Hybrid Tea)

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Budding Standard Stocks.—Budding is one of those things which cannot readily be learnt from printed instructions, but which any proficient in the art will be able to teach the beginner in a few lessons, and which a little practice afterwards will soon render quite easy to him. A few hints may, however, be useful when the mechanical process has been mastered. For instance, in budding standard stocks a single rather long slit is preferable to the somewhat shorter T-shaped one usually employed, as the transverse cut weakens the shoot of the Brier and often causes it to snap off in high winds where it has been made. It is also a good plan to give the roots of the stocks a good drenching with water before they are budded, as it will cause the bark to come away from the wood more readily than it otherwise would have done.

Budding can be done at any time during the summer; the early part of July is usually the best period of the year to begin, as the majority of the shoots are then in that half-ripened condition which is so desirable— that is to say, neither too sappy nor on the other hand too old and dry. The shoots of the Rose from which the buds are taken should be in the same half-ripened condition, and the buds themselves only moderately plump and consequently quite dormant.

If the bark does not come away readily from any shoot when the handle of the budding knife is inserted, it is useless to try and bud on it. When the prickles on either the shoot of the Brier to be budded or on the shoot of the Rose from which the bud is to be taken come off easily and there are at the same time fresh green leaves at the end of that shoot, it is certain to be in the best condition possible for budding. The Hybrid Perpetuals and Hybrid Teas will be found easier to bud than the Teas. The buds should be tied in moderately firmly but not too tightly. In a fortnight's time they may be tied afresh, this time more loosely. After budding, none of the budded shoots of the Brier should be touched with the knife until November, when the longest and most vigorous may be shortened about one-third of their length.

Budding Dwarf Stocks.—The stocks should be kept well earthed up until budding time, when the surrounding soil should be removed with a small hand fork from a few of the Briers as they are wanted. The main stem should then be cleaned with a rag and the slit made in it for the insertion of the bud.

The T-shaped slit, previously objected to in the case of standard stocks, may here be made, and a single bud (or if preferred two buds close together) be inserted in it. The buds should be inserted quite low down in the stem near the roots and not in the upper part of it. The instructions given when treating of budding standard stocks as regards watering, the time of year, the selecting of the buds, and also as to tying and retying them after insertion, apply equally to those dwarf stocks.

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Rose stocks for budding; Propagation of Roses by cuttings

Propagation of Roses - rose stocks for budding

Chapter 19 (extract 1) of "Roses for English Gardens" by Jekyll and Mawley (1902), in which Mr Mawley discusses the various kinds of stock that were in use in 1902.

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Illustration: Rose stocks for budding: briar, seedling briar, Manetti cutting; from Foster-Melliar "The Book of the Rose" (1894).

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CHAPTER XIX

PROPAGATION OF ROSES

There are several other ways of propagating Roses, but the one most frequently employed and the most satisfactory is by budding.

Dwarf Stocks.—Many people imagine that all the dwarf or bush Roses they see in gardens are growing on their own roots, whereas in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the roots of the plants are those of some Brier stock. The three stocks most in favour at the present time are the Brier-cutting, the seedling Brier, and the Manetti.

The only difference between the Brier-cutting and seedling Brier is that the former is obtained by making cuttings of the ordinary hedgerow Brier, while the latter is the result of sowing the seed of that Brier. They are both excellent stocks, and there are scarcely any Roses which will not unite with and grow well on either of them. The roots of the Brier-cutting are thrown out more horizontally than those of the seedling Brier, and are therefore more accessible to light and air and to any liquid or other surface nourishment that may be given them. On the other hand the downward tendency of the numerous roots of the seedling Brier enables the Roses budded on it to withstand drought better, and it is if anything the more permanent stock of the two.

The Manetti stock answers well in some parts of the country, such as the northern districts of England, and on certain soils, but cannot be so generally recommended as the other two stocks that have been mentioned. In most cases the roots of the Manetti, which is a foreign Brier, gradually decay, and the Rose budded on it, after a time, either dies outright or is kept alive by the roots thrown out round the collar of the plant by the Rose itself. It has another great defect in that the foliage of the Manetti is not easily distinguishable from that of many cultivated Roses, so that the suckers from this stock often pass unnoticed. Indeed one seldom goes into any ordinary garden without meeting with these suckers. In many cases the Rose has entirely disappeared, and the shoots of the stock alone remain.

It is not necessary to explain the method of raising any of these dwarf stocks, as all three can be obtained early in the autumn at a cheap rate from any Rose nurseryman. As soon as they arrive they should be planted one foot apart and three feet between the rows. For the convenience of budding they should be planted only about four inches deep and afterwards earthed up like potatoes as far as the main stem extends.

Standard Stocks.—The only stock used for standards, half-standards, and dwarf standards is the hedgerow Brier. These may be purchased during November from a nursery, or any local labourer used to such work will obtain as many as required from the wild Briers in the district. These stocks should be trimmed of any side shoots, cut to the length wanted, and planted two feet apart and four feet between the rows. The root should be cut away to within, say, two inches of the stem and not be left like a hockey stick. The best stocks are those of the second year's growth.

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More: Propagation of Roses by budding; Propagation of Roses by cuttings.