Email correspondence between Andrew Van Cleve and Peter Boyd in August 2006 discussing Scots Roses

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for the links to my website.

You are welcome to quote from or reproduce my e-mail but I would not want it thought that I was favouring Peter Beales nursery above others who stock Scots Roses. That was really just to provide you with a listing of some other Scots Roses that are available in commerce in Britain beyond those mentioned in my articles and his website has a straightforward link to 'Pimpinellifolias'.

David Austin at  http://www.davidaustinroses.com (look under 'Wild Roses and their hybrids')  and Acton Beauchamp Roses at  http://www.actonbeaurose.co.uk (look under 'Scots Briars') are two other nurseries with a selection of the Scots Roses available in Britain.

A search for Rosa spinosissima in the RHS Plant Finder at  http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantfinder.asp will provide names of other nurseries in Britain that stock Scots Roses ( see http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantfinder2.asp?crit=rosa%20and%20spinosissima&Genus=Rosa ).

The very small number of cultivars stocked by nurseries in Britain (often mis-named) is in contrast to the hundreds of 'varieties' that were available in the past or even to the number in my personal collection. I hope that I will gradually be able to introduce other cultivars from my collection into commerce but collections such as the Europa-Rosarium at Sangerhausen have first call on suckers when my plants are large enough to provide spare material.

'Harison's Yellow' is, of course, one of the Rosa x harisonii group. There are several different double yellow forms of Rosa x harisonii (as well as single forms) and I am not sure that all the plants sold as 'Harison's Yellow' are the same cultivar. Plants with names such as 'Old Yellow Scotch' are similar but some have a more pleasant scent than others. Personally, I prefer the flower form of 'Harison's Yellow' and 'Old Yellow Scotch' types to 'Williams Double Yellow' which gives a good show but in which the individual flowers are rather untidy.

Your method of propagating this plant sounds intriguing. However, if 'Harison's Yellow' is grown on its own roots and/or planted deeply so that it gets on its own roots, it will produce suckers that provide a means of increasing your stock. A pot-bound 'Scots Rose' has often got suckers waiting to extend into new soil and if planted out in good soil will often respond by producing suckers which can be detached in autumn and grown on. You could also lay down young stems and layer them. I am not sure if what you describe growing from the pots into new soil are suckers (root-shoots) or just roots from which you are propagating new plants. Stock plants on their own roots in open ground regularly given a good top-dressing with well-rotted manure or compost may give you enough new stock from suckers - depending on how many plants you need to produce!

I hope that this is helpful.

Best wishes,

Peter

Peter D. A. Boyd

>>> Andrew Van Cleve <azaleahs@capital.net> 21/08/2006 >>>
Third reply. This one about propagaation.

Good article. I was reading about difficulty in budding them.

I propagate 'Harison's Yellow' a cross of Rosa sinosissima and Rosa
foetida that I'm sure you are familiar with.

I have had difficulty reproducing it from cuttings. The big rose
companies commonly bud it on Rosa multiflora or 'Dr. Huey'.

I have found that if you allow it to become root bound in a Nursery
container with several drainage holes in the bottom, then place the pot
on a surface of good fertility (with drip irrigation), the rose will
over a short time (maybe 6 weeks) root into the surrounding soil. I
carefully sever the rootlets close to the container and continue to
water and fertilize these new plants (I move the pot to a new location
and do it again).

I have reproduced it from root cuttings too but have better results
with this method.

andy
On Aug 21, 2006, at 9:52 AM, PETER BOYD wrote:

> Dear Andrew,
>
> Thank you for your e-mail. You are welcome to put a link to my website
> on your site. I have just put another article on the site that was
> translated into French for publication in France. There are links to
> both the French and English versions. All my articles on Scots Roses
> are
> listed on http://www.peterboyd.com/scotsroses.htm with links to the web
> versions. Of these 'A Personal Crusade in Search of Scots Roses' at
> http://www.peterboyd.com/rosapimp6.htm is probably the most useful
> for you.
>
> The true Scots Roses are all very hardy and most are disease-resistant.
> However, the yellow ones which are probably all hybrids with Rosa
> foetida (different single and double forms of Rosa x harisonii
> including
> 'Williams Double Yellow) can be affected by black-spot - but they are
> still worth growing.
>
> Peter Beales has one of the best selections of Scots Roses available
> for sale in Britain at
> http://www.classicroses.co.uk/roses/family/pimpinellifolias even
> though his 'Mary Queen of Scots' is not the double purple form with
> pale
> backs to the petals. I direct you to this list because it includes
> pictures and is representative of what is available in commerce in
> Britain. However, the selection is still limited. Some other cultivars
> are available in other countries but sometimes include the same
> cultivars as in Britain under different names.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Peter
>
> Peter D. A. Boyd
>
>>>> Andrew Van Cleve <azaleahs@capital.net> 15/08/2006 >>>
> I read your article on Scots roses on the internet. I'd like to place a
>
> link to any of your articles on old roses from my site at
> www.floweringshrubfarm.com
>
> I allow my customers to direct my inventory of old roses somewhat and
> one of them has asked for 'William's Double Yellow'.
>
> I have requested it from a Nursey in Canada and dont know
> yet if I'll have it but I wish to find lists of old roses (like the
> Scots Roses), that are disease resistant and that I might be able to
> sell from my Nursery.
>
> I'll start with the list in your article but would appreciate any
> assistance you may provide.
>
> Andrew Van Cleve
>
>