Thanks, Dan. I'm not sure about the graft. It is supposed to be own-root and the horizontal canes and blooms look exactly the same, except for the fact that they are level with the ground. I'll have to think on it for a mo before cutting them off. But, I guess it can't hurt, even if it wasn't grafted, because they don't belong on the ground and my blooms are getting lost in the other ground cover flowers.

Skybird, before clicking on any link, you can always hold the mouse over and look at your status bar (at the bottom of the screen) to see what the address of the link is. I didn't follow the link but I have done that before and found something I totally didn't expect!!

Dan, it is a Canadian Parkland rose. I got that one and the Morden Blush (another Parkland) from a highly recommended shop in Longmont but that doesn't mean it wasn't grafted. My others came from Harlequin's in Boulder and I totally trust when they say it is own-root stock. I'm hoping it wasn't grafted!!

If the blooms and leaves on the canes look like the variety it's supposed to be, then it's definitely not rootstock. I don't know why the canes are laying down, unless you got the same winds I did and the canes are partially broken at the base. OTOH, if you wanted to experiment with layering, those low lying canes would be easy to try it with. Layering is probably one of the easiest way to propagate a rose if the canes can touch the ground.

Anything from Harlequin's Garden will definitely be own root.

Thank you, Cheryl! I had thought of trying air layering back when I took my horticultural classes but never actually did. Although, now that I think of it, you said "layering" so I'm guessing that is different than "air layering". I learned to air layer plants by cutting into the branch, adding sphagnum moss and letting it root into the moss. Do you mean I could layer it into the ground?

Oh, man, Harlequin's is a dangerous place. I'm so glad you (I think it was you, way back when) told me about it. I just today brought home a Henry Kelsey from there. This is another Canadian and both my first from the Explorer series as well as my first climber. Well, I had climbers back in California but they don't count, everything did well back there.

Off to research (air) layering...

Thanks!

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
I mean the really easy, lazy way of layering where you just pile some dirt over a section of the cane that touches the ground, pin it in place with something like a rock, and wait until roots. It is very basic, but does work well in some cases. I've even had some roses do it without my help. I have an own root Blaze because it self layered by rooting to the spot where a cane touched the ground. Some of my Wichuriana hybrids, which tend to ramble on the ground, have done this a lot.
Gooseberries and grapes are also very easy to propagate this way.

Thanks! I remember my Grandmother's blaze rose, which she called 'flame', used to do this! She didn't like it though because she liked things tidy and in one spot, where it was planted!

I'm going to try this with my weird, ground crawly rose and with my goose berry which has the most fruits I've ever seen it have!

Wheee, Saturday afternoon is set for the garden.

J.