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transplanting a lady banks

K
19 years ago

Hello!

I have a Lady Banks rose (white) in a container that is not doing well at all. I got it spring of 2003 and it bloomed nicely. It went through the winter with no problem, but this year did not bloom at all and is looking a little sick. I'd like to plant it in the ground. At the moment it gets full sun from noon. I have a few possible spots for it in my yard:

1. against a solid wood fence that only gets morning sun

2. on a chain link fence ten feet south of a large tree where it would have shade all morning then a few hours of afternoon sun

3. on a chain link fence open on both sides (in this case, between our yard and the neighbors -- probably should get the neighbors' okay on this one since some will hang into their yard too)

4. against a lattice fence on the south side but shaded in the morning

Which would be the best? Should I prune it before taking it out of the container?

Thanks for any tips.

Kate

Comments (9)

  • _sophiewheeler
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Put it on the fence close to the large tree so it can climb up it. It's BIG. But then, it's also more tender than the yellow LB, so it may not get that big for you unless you have a protected spot for it. And, since it blooms on old wood, if it keeps getting nipped back by winter, you'll never get any blooms. Which is why not to prune it now. You'll be cutting of your spring blooms.

  • K
    Original Author
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the quick response!
    Actually the tree isn't that close to the fence. I only mentioned it because I didn't know if the roots would bother the rose. Do you think a four foot high chain link fence would be too small for the rose? Also, is a few hours of afternoon sun enough for it to bloom?

  • Field
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A four foot high chain link fence would be great, provided it can go 20 feet or so horizontally in one or both directions. All roses bloom best on horizontal wood. But the main consideration in your decision should be the amount of sunlight it receives. Give it the most you can.

  • K
    Original Author
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks, Field. In that case, I think I'll check with the neighbors and put it between us. The nice thing is, it keeps its leaves in the winter, so it will serve as a screen too.
    Kate

  • Field
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    One caution: Don't ever, ever weave a rose in and out of a chain link fence. Tie it to the wires on one side of the fence or the other.

  • K
    Original Author
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OK, Field, I will not weave it. But can you tell me why weaving is bad?
    Kate

  • Field
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Because canes mature, and once that begins to happen, you'll never be able to pull them out and move them. You'll have to cut then off, leaving large stubs or removing them entirely. Also, as canes grow larger, they will envelop the wire of the fence. So, it can just become a great big mess to clean up and keep a healthy rose.

  • K
    Original Author
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That makes perfect sense. Thanks.

  • WestEnder
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Carolinakate,
    You've probably already transplanted your white Lady Banks; sorry I'm so late in seeing your post. But I wanted to tell you of my experience with them here in Atlanta.

    I have both white and yellow Lady Banks roses. One of each is growing on a chain link fence in my front yard. A second yellow one is growing on a trellis in the backyard. All three are doing great, growing by leaps and bounds - and I mean that literally.

    Although many books and magazine articles will tell you that roses can be grown in pots, I have had zero success with that. They may bloom, but they seem so much happier and healthier in the ground. I definitely agree that your rose wants to be in the ground, because Lady Banks roses grow so large that it's hard to imagine what kind of pot would be big enough.

    My white Lady Banks is on a south-facing four-foot-tall chain link fence almost directly underneath a very old oak tree. I think the trunk of the tree is not more than 4 feet away from the fence. And the base of the rose is planted directly in front of the tree trunk, because that happened to be the middle point of the length of fence. Thus, the rose gets some sun throughout the day, but it is almost always shaded to some extent by the branches of the oak tree. Those are high branches because the tree is so old. The most direct sun the rose gets is in the late afternoon. In just two years, the rose has grown to cover almost the entire fence, about 20 feet in either direction. The only pruning I have done is to remove twiggy growth at the base of the rose because it caught onto my lawn mower and was in the way. Otherwise, I just tie down alal the new growth about once a month. I have probably used 30 or 40 rolls of velcro plant tie by now, for each Lady Banks rose. I have never fertilized (afraid to).

    I definitely agree that you should never train - or allow - these rose branches to weave through the chain link fence. Not only would it make a mess, but I believe that eventually it would pull the fence up out of the ground. I trained the first long branches to the top of the fence. After that, I trained each new branch - it throws out new branches, about 7 feet or more long, after every rain - to the ones beneath it. I tie them down from both the front and the back of the fence, trying to keep about the same number of branches on each side for balance.

    I cannot emphasize enough to you how massive this rose will become, and how quickly. As I said, mine now spreads about 20 feet in two directions, and is over my head in a solid mass of branches (I'm 5'4" tall). If this keeps up, eventually I may have to start cutting the new branches off, or use a stepladder to tie them down. However, I'm afraid that cutting them back may just encourage the plant to throw out more. This white Lady Banks, much more so than my yellow ones which are a year older, has already created a solid screen between my house and the sidewalk in front. When my Lady Banks roses are in bloom, people stop their cars to look. It's quite a show.

    As far as bloom, I notice you are in North Carolina, so I wonder if perhaps your bloom this year was lost to a late frost or cold spell. It seems to me that my yellow Lady Banks roses are not nearly as susceptible to cold spring weather. Once they are covered in buds, those buds will open and make a great show even if it's still cold and windy. But I lost almost every bud on my white Lady Banks in its first spring when we had a late cold spell.

    One other thing you may already know is that these roses are extremely easy to propagate by cuttings. If you have the room, you could try one in each of the spots you've mentioned. I have a feeling that they all will do well.

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