Roses. Perennial Rhizomes Wintering in the Soil of Kyrgyzstan

Roses

Roses belong to the group of ornamental shrubs, and therefore they differ significantly from herbaceous perennials in terms of reproduction methods and cultivation technology.

In landscaping, both wild species of roses with non-double flowers (wild roses) and garden varieties are used.

Naturally, preference is given to the latter.

Modern varieties of garden roses are the result of long-term work by breeders. Currently, varieties are divided into garden groups based on morphological and biological characteristics.

A total of about 30 groups have been identified. In green construction, 6-8 of the most decorative ones are used. In the collection of the Botanical Garden, the largest number of varieties is represented by roses from the groups of tea-hybrid, polyantha, floribunda, climbing or rambling, and semi-climbing.

Tea-Hybrid Roses (Hybrida Tea) originated from the crossing of remontant roses with tea roses. In our conditions, the bushes reach a height of 80-120 cm. The flowers are usually solitary, densely double, and of various colors.

The leaves are often glossy, with young ones having a reddish tint. They bloom from early June until late autumn, with slight dips. In terms of variety composition, this is the most numerous group. They are mainly used for cutting, but recently, varieties have been created that are successfully used in landscaping.

Polyantha Roses (Polyantha) originated from the crossing of the multiflora rose with the Chinese rose. The bushes are shorter than tea-hybrid roses (40-80 cm), strongly branched, and densely leafy. The flowers are small (3-5 cm), either double or single, and are gathered in large inflorescences. The colors are mainly white, pink, orange, and orange-red.

They bloom very long and abundantly due to the replacement shoots that grow from the base of the bush. In our conditions, they winter well with light covering and are propagated by rooting cuttings. They are mainly used in landscaping.

Floribunda Roses (Floribunda) were obtained by crossing tea-hybrid and polyantha roses. This group was created relatively recently but has already gained widespread recognition and is widely used in ornamental plantings. In terms of morphological characteristics, floribunda roses occupy an intermediate position between tea-hybrid and polyantha roses. They inherited size, shape, density, and color variety of flowers from the former, and from the latter, they inherited multi-flowering (character of inflorescences), the ability for high shoot formation, i.e., almost continuous and very abundant blooming. In the inflorescences, several flowers open at once, which retain their decorative quality for a long time. This group is characterized by high winter hardiness and disease resistance. Many varieties are used for forcing, cutting, and as a houseplant.

Climbing roses are lianas in their life form. Their shoots can reach significant lengths of 5-9 m, and they cannot support themselves in a vertical position, so they require support. The creation of garden forms was greatly influenced by two East Asian species: R. multiflora and R. wichurana. In addition to these two species, R. rugosa, R. kordesii, and R. lambertiana were also used. Climbing roses have flowers that vary in size, density, and color. Some varieties are heat-loving and require winter protection.

Currently, the Botanical Garden has a collection of 90 varieties. The best of them are described in Table 5.

Roses of all garden groups are propagated only vegetatively, using green or semi-woody cuttings, layering, and sometimes by dividing the bush, but the most reliable and widespread method is budding. Various wild species of wild rose are used as rootstocks. For the conditions of Kyrgyzstan, R. canina (Kyrgyz form), R. arnoldii, and R. korimbifera are recommended.

Wild rose seeds are best collected at the stage of intense fruit coloring (August - early September), cleaned from the fruit shells, washed in water (remove floating seeds), and stored until sowing stratified in sand. They can be sown in the ground in late autumn or early spring. The beds with sowings should be kept moist at all times. Seedlings usually appear in April. At the stage of 4-5 leaves, they should be pricked out, shortening the roots by one-third. During the growing season, seedlings should be regularly watered, loosened, and kept clean.

Fertilizers should be applied at least once every 10 days. With good care, wild rose seedlings reach the standard by the end of August, with a root collar diameter of 6-8 mm. This period (late August - September) is the most favorable for budding.

In winter, the budded plants are hilled up with soil and care should be taken to ensure that water does not accumulate in the beds, especially during winter thaws. In spring (March - early April), the budded plants are cut back to the bud. When the graft shoots (roses) grow 5-6 leaves, they are pinched, leaving 3-4, and the remaining part of the shoot ripens quickly, while 2-3 new shoots appear from the leaf axils. With this formation, the seedlings are quite suitable for planting in a permanent place by autumn.

They can be planted both in autumn and in spring, with spring planting being done as early as possible, before the buds on the shoots begin to grow. In the first year after planting, it is better to remove the buds on the first growth shoots, as this will promote better survival of the bushes and abundant blooming in the future.

All garden roses in our conditions require winter protection during the overwintering period. The most common method is to hill up the lower part of the bush with soil to a height of 30-40 cm. They can also be covered with dense paper, straw, dry oak leaves, and other non-decaying materials.

Formation and pruning of bushes are best done in spring, while in autumn, the longest shoots should be shortened. In spring pruning, in addition to dead shoots, all weak ones that thicken the bush should be removed, leaving 3-5 buds on the main shoots depending on the bush's strength. Such pruning promotes rejuvenation of the bushes and the appearance of replacement shoots from the base of the bush. When cutting flowers, it is necessary to leave 25-30% of uncut shoots on the bushes — strong cutting weakens the bushes, and subsequent blooming is less abundant. In addition, on such bushes, root suckers from the wild rose (rootstock) begin to grow vigorously, which should also be removed in a timely manner; otherwise, the rose will become wild.

During the growing season, care for the plants consists of timely watering, loosening, fertilizing, weeding, and treating them for diseases and pests. During the summer, they are watered 18-20 times, and 2-3 deep loosenings or diggings of the inter-rows are done.

Roses grow in one place for a long time — 10-15 years, so the soil becomes severely depleted and compacted.

That is why it is necessary to apply organic fertilizers in the form of manure, sawdust, and peat, which not only enrich the soil with nutrients but also improve its structure. During the summer, 3-4 applications of mineral fertilizers should be given at a rate of 150-200 g per 1 m². Considering that the roots of roses are located at a significant depth, fertilizers should be incorporated at a depth of 15-20 cm. By following these rules, one can have lushly blooming bushes from late May to November.

Rudbeckia, Tradescantia, Function, Phloxes. Rhizomatous perennials that winter in the soil of Kyrgyzstan