Hi everyone, nice to meet you! I usually post in the daylilies forum, but today I have a question about roses.
I just bought a couple of award winning roses (Meilland, from France) for my MIL.

I was curious about reproducing them but don't want to cut a branch and ruin the plants.. reading on the internet I found that roses can be reproduced by leaves cutting. Some say you take a leaf, then cut along the veinings (doing a cross) and put it on potting mix, then cover with a thin layer of potting mix again.
I thought I could do this, but wanted to ask advices from experts. I guess the leaf should be kept humid, right? Any help much appreciated! Many thanks!

Hi Sabrina!

I have never heard about propagating roses from leaf cuttings. To the best of my knowledge, it is not possible - one requires part of the stem with a leaf-bud. I usually leave about three leaf-buds on my cuttings but I have read about people striking cuttings with only one bud and even halving the stem length-wise but have never tried it.
Not professing to be an expert only experienced

Hi Sharlene!
Thank you for your reply!
I never heard of these technique of leaf cuttings too, I read it works with many plants and a couple of articles say for roses, too.
This is the pic that was included in the article (I don't link it because it's in italian)



I can't cut a stem from the plant because it's a gift, it sure won't make me look as a good person

It couldn't hurt to try - and you might teach us all an important lesson!

porkpal said:It couldn't hurt to try - and you might teach us all an important lesson!

Ehm I asked on here because I feel such an ignorant in gardening!!!
I will let the plants recover for some days, I bought them yesterday but had to give them a fungicide. MIL birthday will be next sunday so I have some days to plan and organize. I always feel nervous in these things! Here's the cultivars I bought:

Just to know.. if you were to do anything like this, what medium would you use? I have common potting mix or vermiculite (I use it to germinate daylily seeds)

Sabrina, I agree with Porkpal - you might teach us something.

But before you start, I would just like to mention that Prince Jardinier (aka Schloss Ippenberg/Francis Meilland) and Monica Bellucci are both quite recent roses and may be patented.

If I did try I would use a potting mix.

I know they may be patented and probably they are, it's just an experiment for me, and if something will grow it will just here in my little garden. Just and idea I had seeing such beautiful roses! I was thinking of buying one for myself since the guy at the store said that they can grow in pots (my garden is small and already full) and probably I'll do it, but now I'm too curious!

never propagated a plant by cuttings, I guess humidity must be there, right?
Many thanks!!

Beautiful Roses Sabrina !!!

Hi everyone, just wanted to say that the experiment has started. I cut a couple of healthy leaves from each rose.
I don't believe something will happen, but I'll let you know.

In the meanwhile I also planted some cuttings from cut roses I received as a gift. Never tried to propagate any plant from cutting so I strongly doubt about everything!

This could be really exciting!

porkpal said:This could be really exciting!

usually I panic!

Sabrina, don't panic!!
The success rate rooting florist roses is, in my experience, between 20 to 30%.

Here are three out of eleven which I rooted this past winter. They were a mixed bunch from Aldi


These three cuttings, which I should never have put into one pot, are from cuttings I rooted two years ago. The only reason I put three in the pot is because I didn't expect them to survive the winter outside - but they did!! I stuck 10 cuttings of these and 9 took but these are spray roses. I think it is Interplants 'Flash Dance'


This is Esperance, also stuck two winters ago. Two out of 8 cuttings took. I planted one in the garden and potted the other. This is the one that was potted and overwintered in the shed but the one that overwintered in the garden is doing just a well.


So, as I said - don't panic! The more cuttings you stick, the greater the chances of getting some rooted. It can be done.
I will however repeat what I have mentioned before: you will have much greater success grafting/budding florist roses than trying to root them.

Sharlene, I had only three roses and planted three cuttings. They are in the garden, with a plastic bottle over them and shaded from sun.
I don't have any particular interest in this rose, it was a nice creamy light yellow with no much fragrance. I'ts an experiment!
I know florist roses are hard to propagate from cuttings, but they were here so I thought why not. I'm prepared to lose them.

I can't really decide if I want to venture into roses world. I usually like things that are a bit unusual (I grow daylilies and they are rare in Italy, we have widl species but not many grow the new cultivars). Also, I have a problematic soil, and poor sunlight (almost none in winter and 4-5 in summer).
There are some roses cultivars that I find fascinating, but don't know if it's something for me. maybe all these cutting will survive so I'll be forced to grow them!
Your roses are so healthy! I can't even imagine of grafting or budding!

Sabrina - experiments are fun! And as you say, they may just grow and you might get hooked like the rest of us

You know what.. I'd love that nature would go faster, I like to experiment but patience isn't one of my traits. while we're at it, how long does it take for cuttings to emit roots?

There is a time to plant - then there is a time the plant takes to grow - then there is a time for blooms and from start to finish is the time a gardener has to be patient
That is why I prefer not to cut my blooms - they last longer on the plant and after all that time of being patient, I want to enjoy them as long as I can!

I have had cuttings root in as little as two weeks up to as long as six weeks - depends on the rose/plant.

I'll learn to be patient!
I think I'd need to know how to tell if the cuttings roots. But I'm sure I know if they will die

Sharlene, very impressive looking plants you've propagated!

Thanks Neal - I am always experimenting. That's why I have started with the iris - they are earlier than the roses. Have already done a couple of crosses