| Why do roses revert to original rootstock? I've had some that did after 2 years and some that did after 15 years. Can I keep this from happening? |
| Hybrid roses are grafted onto vigorous rootstocks. Sometimes canes grow from below the graft and are unnoticed until they overtake the hybrid canes. Other times the desired canes are accidentally pruned out because no attention was made to their point of origin. Or, sometimes winter weather will kill back the hybrid canes, and the rootstock will send out canes from below the graft, to keep the roots alive. So technically, hybrids don't revert to the rootstock, but canes from the rootstock can overtake the hybrid grafted onto it. The secret to preventing this from happening is to recognize the graft and keep any canes developing below the graft pruned off so they don't take over. |
| That may be the case for Hydrids but I have a 20 year old Eglantyne shrub rose that has done just that. The oldest stem on the rose has reverted to a white dog rose while the newer stems are still the beautiful pink rose we expect. Last year this stem produced many of the usual flowers. Interestingly, this oldest stem also now seems the most vigorous. I have around 25 roses in the garden of all types, most are around the same age, I have never experienced this before. I intend to remove the offending stem as it is affecting the rest of the rose. Your comments would be appreciated. |
