Rose Cuttings: May 2014
Ducher hedge. Photos courtesy of Mike Shoup, Antique Rose Emporium.
by Mike Shoup
Stay-at-Home Moms
Members of a workhorse sorority, the China roses can bloom all year in mild climates — as dependable and continually giving as stay-at-home moms. With foliage so thick you can’t see through them, they love to be shaped and pruned, allowing them to adapt to a variety of garden settings. Their uniformity and vigor make them the perfect ever-blooming hedges.
Ducher
These lovely roses offer a great deal more color than the “green moustaches” of uninspired shrubbery that typically hide the foundations of homes and apartment complexes. They are no-frills, no-fuss anchors that allow the rest of the garden entourage to show off. Used as foundation plantings or as simple hedges along a fence line, they bring great rewards.
Archduke Charles
Three of notable regard are Archduke Charles, Le Vesuve and Ducher.
Archduke Charles: These fragrant roses of white, pink or red bloom throughout the season.
Le Vesuve: This rose is like Old Blush on steroids. The pink-blushing-to-red, fragrant flowers are produced on a big, robust shrub.
Ducher: A white-flowering China is quite rare, but its size of 4 feet makes it ideally suited for hedging.
Le Vesuve