Cemetery Rose Collections

Cemetery Rose Collections

By Joseph Parish

Many of you may recall a comment or two which I made earlier concerning visiting a cemetery, well this article will explain what I meant by those statements. One of the activities which I notably enjoy doing is to seek out the older cemeteries in our area and seeing what manner of antique roses are growing wild there. These beautiful but forgotten rose beauties are not restricted to cemeteries alone but can occasionally be discovered in the yards of old abandoned houses as well as in unused vacant lots. The sad part of this is that these wonderful plants have been forsaken by their planter and the rest of society.

Preserving heritage roses found in the local graveyards can readily reveal hundreds of antique and old rose varieties and in some cases rare specimens that are difficult or near impossible to obtain. Emphasis is usually placed upon those roses which are retrieved from abandoned sites, homesteads, cemeteries or along roadsides throughout the nation.

The one training topic which I have found to be lacking is the availability of hands-on workshops which deal with the topics of pruning climbing roses and re-rooting them. Remember some of the tales you heard years ago on how so and so would place a small rose stem into the ground and over it place a Mason jar to encourage growth? Or perhaps you recall the story of the early pioneers as they made their way out west in their covered wagons and bringing with them their cuttings from their favorite rose bushes? To me growing roses from cuttings has always provided an appreciation of the plant. I see nothing complicated about taking a small rose cutting and rooting it in order to start a new plant. As I have previously explained the procedure is so simple, “a caveman can do it”. Naturally there are various means at our disposal to accomplish this task. It has been said that some people might get their kicks by "rose rustling" at one of the deserted cemeteries in the area. I am one of those people. Although most roses have a scientific name and to be proper and correct you should label your rose with its scientific name, I like to christen the roses which I stumble upon with that name of the deceased person where it was discovered. If I find a rose bush on the grave site of Joe Smith than I fittingly name it out of respect to the deceased the Joe Smith Rose.

Nothing in life is free and even though you may think that those rose cutting obtained from a cemetery are without cost they are not. In the interest of good will and playing our part in beautifying the older cemeteries and grave, I like to prune and clean up the rose bushes which I find. I do not just take a single cutting from the rose bush but rather give it a manicured look when I am finished. The managers who oversee the cemetery where the roses are will greatly appreciate the time expended to clean up a few grave sites. This is a good policy to follow and ensures that future rose hunters will be welcomed with open arms. Personally, I would not be opposed for the management of these graves to create their own rose plants and sell them in order to generate enough funds to help with garden maintenance, irrigation and repairing of damaged headstones.

Incidentally, years ago I had a lawn service and we specialized in lawn care for cemeteries. In order to win the contract, we would need to provide a million-dollar insurance policy in the event we caused any damage to the headstones. We are lucky at this time that we as rose collectors do not have to comply with this sort of directive. Please do not ruin it for others and take care in all you do in collecting your rose cuttings.

Various historic rose collections often include several species of roses which are native to your particular part of the country. Rose lovers who discover these surviving roses which have been neglected and abandoned frequently will trim the plant and take cutting from their castoff branches. These cuttings will eventually grow and can be planted elsewhere. It is totally possible that you may find some unidentified cultures of roses which are unknown of in our modern times.

Who knows what you may find hidden in these graveyards, perhaps you will uncover a unique seedling which will grow for many years and continuously bear huge clusters of flowers as it develops with its strong fragrance and odor? One rose bush I saw had grown into an unattractively shaped shrub which stood approximately five feet tall and as much as six feet wide. It was totally out of control. If you wish to keep your bush small you can prune and shape it as you please.

Once you have obtained your rose cuttings from the cemetery you can consider propagating them. I have previously instructed you on how to grow the roses but here are a few important tips to ensure that your cuttings take root.

When making your rose cuttings make sure to use very sharp cutters or you will risk crushing your rose stem. Make sure that all of the cuttings you obtain are from young but firm stems. These could be those stems where the flowers are beginning to fade or even from the fallen rose petals found around the plant. On some rose plants you may wish to use the stems from where the flowers have begun to fade in the springtime. Always keep your cuttings moist and provide good air circulation and plenty of sunlight. When you take your cuttings allow about 6 inches of stem with at least 3 bud eyes.

Roses tend to root better if you obtain cuttings which still have leaves attached. This will provide valuable sugars resulting from photosynthesis for root development. I like being safe and allow three leaves to stay upon the cut stem. When collecting keep a small spray bottle filled with water handy in order to mist your cuttings as you work on them. This will keep them in a fresh state since wilted rose cuttings usually will not root properly.

Roses represent an incredible plant species which is capable of forming roots from any bud eye along its stems. What this means to a collector is that where you make a cut is really immaterial. Often people will "wound" the plant at the base of the cutting by making a 1-inch vertical slice through the stem. Another method that is popular is to slice a strip of the stem from several sides of the base of the plant with a common nail clipper. Difficult to grow varieties often will benefit from such wounding as it sends out new roots along the cut of the wound.

Most roses will root without the benefit of plant growth compounds or rooting powders. The cuttings from roses contain a root promoting compound known as auxin. This product is created by the leaves or the growing buds and shoot tips. This compound collects at the base of the cutting at a point along the stem where the plants roots start to form. Those roses which fail to produce a sufficient quantity of this auxin chemical will usually find it is too difficult to root. This is the reason that many rose growers employ a commercial root growing compound.

One of the major factors which contribute to successful rooting of your cuttings is providing adequate amounts of moisture within the plants soil as well as in the surrounding air. Planting soil is very important to your roses. The medium which I found to be successful in rooting rose cuttings consists of a 50-50 blend of perlite and potting soil. This soil composition encourages root development and produces healthy plants. Some people prefer the simpler routine and merely place their cuttings in some moistened sand or a fine potting soil than they cover the pots with a zip-loc bag. I like to use and inverted soft drink bottle which has had the top portion cut off. This creates a miniature greenhouse and maintains a high humidity for the cuttings.

Let's now talk about the light requirements for the plants. Roses often tend to root better when they are placed under a bright light. A word of caution is necessary at this point. If you are using the miniature greenhouse method you must ensure that you avoid overheating the plants and provide adequate shade from the hotter afternoon sun. This is easily accomplished by placing your cuttings in a shaded area perhaps against a northern facing wall of your home or even beneath a tree.

You cannot just go out and start cutting up the rose bushes as you please. Most rose cuttings are best accomplished in the spring or early summer season. As I have been doing lately, my cuttings are taken in the mouth of August. The weather should be warm but not extremely hot. Naturally you can successfully root during just about any time of the year however be aware that it can take longer and your successful rooting may diminish in numbers. If rooted during the months of May or beginning of June you should have a good root system within a matter of two weeks. Any variety of rose is able to be rooted within a time frame of four weeks. The process may take longer if accomplished at different times of the year and might even take as much as eight weeks. Additionally, 100-degree intense summer heat is not conducive for rose cuttings or are the colder 32 degree and below winter temperatures.

Let's discuss several methods of rooting your rose plants. The first way to grow your rose cuttings is to simply stick the rose cutting in the ground without covering it. This method works exceptionally well in mild climate areas of the country. As a beginner perhaps the easiest way to grow you rose cuttings are with a mason jar. As the method says you do not need much equipment other than a quart size glass jar. A 2-liter plastic soda bottle with the bottom removed will also work well. Cut your rose stem to about 6 inches and remove the leaves from the very bottom. Stick several inches of the stem into the ground and cover the stem with the jar or the soda bottle. Periodically provide water to the soil surrounding the jar or your stem will dry out and die. In a few months your rose will take root and start showing new leaf development.

Another popular method of propagating rose plants is known as the baggie method. I have used this method to generate both lemon and orange seeds in the past. The process is actually very simple. Fill a 2-inch plastic pot with a good quality potting soil and insert the stem partway down into the pot. Place the pots into a one-gallon zip-lock bag and you sit back and wait. If you are planting more than one stem you can safely put four 2-inch pots into a one-gallon bag. It may also be of help if you place a few small sticks inside the bag to keep it upright and away from your stems.

In order to tell if your cutting is successful and has rooted properly you can lightly tug on the plant and if you feel any resistance it has developed a strong root system. If you happen to see roots growing from the drainage hole at the pot's bottom you can rest assured that it has rooted. If you see new leaves on your cutting than it has rooted sufficiently.

Once the rose cuttings have properly rooted, they can be removed from the rooting space and hardened off for several days. This is done by placing the rose pots in a shady location where they will be undisturbed and protected from strong sun. Do not move them immediately into an area of hot sunshine as this will likely kill your new plants. As soon as they have developed a good root system and are displaying signs of developing new growth you can safety move them to an area of the sun light.

Now you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor knowing that you have done a great service to the deceased by cleaning their grave site rose bush and preserving the heritage rose you found.

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