A fast growing hedge

Sometimes it is urgent to protect yourself from the eyes of the neighbors or from a prevailing wind. Some fast-growing plants will help you in record time if you take good care of them.

The right conditions

Whatever the shrub, it must correspond to the physical characteristics of your region and the soil of your garden. Climate, exposure, pH and soil type should be taken into account before making your choice.

Remember also to determine your needs: if you want to be sheltered from the wind all year long, it is imperative to choose evergreen shrubs. If you choose deciduous species, you can mix them with evergreens and create a mixed hedge that will be much appreciated by the animals that come to the garden.

Choice of shrubs

Preferably choose young, bare-root shrubs. These will have a much better chance of recovery and will grow much faster than taller plants stored in containers whose roots may have suffered. Always check that the roots have not formed a bun, as in this case the plant is already suffering and will take a long time to recover.

Careful planting

Plant your shrubs in the fall in amended and loosened soil. Add well decomposed compost, a little ground horn powder and mycorrhizae to facilitate the recovery and make your plants more resistant.

Respect the planting distances to leave enough room for your shrubs to grow harmoniously.

Remember to water your hedge often, both in summer and in winter, because depending on the region, drought can also occur in winter, causing a delay in growth!

Don't forget to mulch the soil to avoid competition from wild grasses and to maintain a certain freshness in the soil.

What are the fast-growing shrubs to form a hedge?

Among the great classics, the Leyland cypress remains a safe bet, as does the cedar. These conifers grow quickly if they find ideal growing conditions.

Privet has been used for decades. Despite its qualities, it is gradually being replaced by more modern shrubs such as Photinia 'Red Robin' which blooms abundantly and presents beautiful red shoots in spring. The cherry laurel and its large shiny green leaves are still very effective and easy to maintain, while the elaeagnus tolerates strong winds, sea spray and pollution. The perfume of its flowers, although insignificant, perfumes the garden in autumn.

As for deciduous shrubs, buddleia, forsythia and seringat are safe and fast growing. The weigleia is not to be outdone, as is the black elder, which will grace you with its deliciously scented bloom in summer.

Bamboos, which are not shrubs, can also form hedges very quickly depending on the choice of species. Look for Phyllostachys, a genus with many species that are perfect for this purpose.

A defensive hedge

Unfortunately, it is sometimes necessary to protect oneself from intruders on a property. Defensive hedges composed of dissuasive shrubs are a good solution to curb bad intentions.

What is a defensive hedge?

A defensive hedge creates a physical and vegetal barrier that is impenetrable. It is often installed at the property line to prevent the passage of animals or ill-intentioned people. To be effective, the plants that make up the fence must be at least 1.60 m high and 1.20 m thick, and must be prickly or very dense.

Choice of shrubs for a defensive hedge

The mahonia is a shrub of choice to create a defensive hedge. Its leaves are lined with sharp thorns and don't really make you want to rub up against them. Its evergreen foliage turns red in the fall and serves as a backdrop for its yellow flowering clusters that appear in winter and attract pollinating insects. It likes cool soil and is very hardy.

The Pyracantha or burning bush, is one of the best known shrubs for creating a defensive hedge. Very dense, up to 3 meters high and thorny, it produces red or orange berries. Its foliage is evergreen. This very rustic shrub, likes the majority of soils. It supports the drought and the sea spray and can thus be planted in the South and/or at the seaside.

If you are not a fan of tidy gardens, or if the property to be protected is a simple field in the countryside, you can plant a bramble hedge. It will become dense and impenetrable and you will be able to eat blackberries, but beware of the work that awaits you to maintain it!

The barberry is a deciduous shrub, very easy to grow since it grows in almost any soil and in any exposure and is very hardy. It is ornamental with its pink and yellow flowers and brilliant red berries.

In the warmest regions and in very well drained soil, several species of cactus can do the trick. Plant for example Cylindropuntia imbricata which will reach 3 meters in height for as much spread. Its stems are impenetrable and it produces beautiful pink flowers.

Many opuntias are also suitable for the creation of defensive hedges, the choice is vast among species, you will find the plant that suits you without worry.

How to plant a defensive hedge?

Prepare the ground about fifteen days in advance, preferably in the fall. Remove stones and wild grasses. Add the necessary amendments according to the nature of the soil: sand and compost in heavy and humid soil, decomposed manure in poor soil, heather soil to correct a calcareous soil...

Soak the clumps of your shrubs in a basin of water at room temperature. During this time dig holes of 80 cm in all directions, in staggered rows. Space them at a maximum of 80 cm apart to create a dense hedge.

If you choose deciduous shrubs, keep a proportion of 1/3 for 2/3 of evergreens so that the hedge keeps its function.

Add compost and ground horn to the bottom of the holes and plant your shrubs.

Water abundantly.

A hedge resistant to sea spray

Gardens exposed to the sea are subject to the harshness of sea winds and spray. To protect them effectively, a hedge composed of shrubs resistant to these specific conditions will provide a perfect protective barrier.

A windbreak hedge

At the seaside, winds are often very present. Waves break on the shore in micro-droplets of water carried by sea breezes covering the surrounding vegetation with salt. Knowing this, the plants chosen for your windbreak hedge will have to withstand such conditions and be persistent to protect the garden all year long.

The best hedge shrubs to withstand salt spray

Here is a selection of shrubs specially chosen for their resistance to wind and spray:

Viburnums

Hardy and easy to grow, even for novice gardeners, viburnums or "viburnums" make beautiful flowering hedges in winter. Some varieties are very fragrant, which adds to the plant's charm.

Pittosporum

This is a very large genus with nearly 200 species! Plenty to choose from. Among them, the Japanese pittosporum, very hardy and resistant to sea spray and prevailing winds. It forms dense hedges with beautiful shiny green foliage. In late spring, its white flowers add to the charm of the garden.

Elaeagnus

Evergreen foliage with silvery tones, resistance to cold and difficult maritime conditions make this shrub the ideal subject to install as a windbreak hedge in a seaside garden. These very discreet flowers give off a sweet carnation scent.

Oleander

Reserved for very mild climates, the oleander is an ornamental subject of choice for creating hedges with flowers for long months (May to October in Mediterranean regions). Some varieties of oleander offer, in addition to the colorful bloom, a very sweet almond fragrance. The range of colors extends from pure white to bright red through all shades of pink. Be careful, the yellow varieties are more fragile.

The tamarisk

A shrub with very light foliage, the tamarisk produces beautiful pink or almost white flowering stems during the summer. Mix species in your hedge to extend the blooming period. Tamarix parviflora starts the ball rolling in April and Tamarix ramisissima takes over in late summer.

Dodonea

For gardens in the warmer parts of our country, Dodonea is an ideal hedge plant. Its bronze green foliage turns deep purple in autumn. It can grow to nearly 4 meters in height quite quickly if the growing conditions are right.

A carefree hedge

A hedge is an ideal design to mark the boundary of a property, to serve as a windbreak and a privacy screen. However, some gardeners are put off by the restrictive side of its maintenance, let's see how to compose an easy to live with hedge.

The different types of hedges

It is very useful to know the different types of hedges and their characteristics to be able to make a wise choice with low maintenance constraints.

Keep in mind that deciduous hedge plants are bare in winter and will not protect you from the wind or from view, not to mention that you will have a nice mass of leaves to collect in autumn!

Coniferous hedges and certain fast-growing shrubs require regular pruning, sometimes twice a year depending on the vigor of the trees, so it is best to avoid them.

Open hedges made up of flowering and berrying shrubs are ideal for an ever-changing décor and attract garden creatures who will find shelter and food there, but here again, always choose plants adapted to the climate, exposure and soil type of your garden to limit maintenance work.

Successful planting

As we have seen, the choice of plants is essential. If they correspond to the soil of your garden, they will necessarily be less fragile and therefore rarely sick or attacked by parasites. Make sure you know the needs of each plant before introducing them into your hedge. For example, avoid acid-loving shrubs in limestone soils or those that like heat and sun in the North of France. Adult pruning is also important if you want to avoid spending your time containing exuberant vegetation; choose moderately sized shrubs so you don't have to prune them constantly.

When planting, respect a good spacing between the subjects so that they can develop without constraint. Prepare the soil by draining it with a bed of gravel if the soil is heavy and wet to prevent certain diseases from finding a favorable soil. Add compost to the soil to balance and nourish it while lightening it.

Also think about watering, which should be regular in the first few years to ensure a good recovery. The ideal is to install an automatic drip watering system that will be activated in the evening during the warm season. One less chore for the gardener in a hurry!

Choice of plants

There are many easy to grow plants that can be used to create a hedge without any care. Among them, bamboos and their numerous species with decorative culms or variegated foliage. Be careful, an anti-rhizome barrier must be put in place as soon as the planting is done to avoid invasion, otherwise choose non-tracking species.

In the South, think of opuntias, these cactus with very graphic snowshoes if your garden is in full sun or Provence canes if your land is humid. These two plants require no maintenance and grow by themselves.

As for the more classic shrubs, the eleagnus with its silvery foliage and discreet but deliciously fragrant flowers and the photinia with its young red shoots and spring umbels will be sure values which, once well established, will require very little maintenance.

How to pollinate a trachycarpus to obtain seeds?

A beautiful, fast-growing palm, trachycarpus, better known as 'hemp palm', can adapt to most gardens thanks to its amazing hardiness. To propagate it from seed, you need some know-how. Let's see how to proceed.

Characteristics of Trachycarpus

Obtaining seeds from Trachycarpus is more complicated than it seems because this plant is dioecious, meaning that a male and a female subject are required within a limited area for the palm to form seeds. These are carried by the female plant after pollination with male flowers. Therefore, two plants are needed in the same garden or in close proximity to each other for fertilization to take place.

How to recognize a male hemp palm from a female hemp palm?

The male palm blooms in spring. It appears in the form of very dense hanging clusters of cream-colored flowers that produce a lot of pollen that falls as soon as the inflorescence is touched.

The flowering of the female subject is less spectacular and intervenes a little later. The flowers look like small yellowish grains, again placed in clusters on the inflorescence.

How to pollinate a trachycarpus?

As you have probably understood, the ideal would be for you to have a female and a male subject in your garden. If this is not the case, you will have to collect pollen from the male flowers in your nearest garden or park, or even go to a website specialized in palms in order to find an amateur near you who will be ready to give you the famous pollen.

Equipment needed:

• A paintbrush;
• a small iron box;

How to proceed?

Wait until the male palm is well developed and then take a tin can or a glass jar and a brush;

Shake the inflorescence on top of your container to make the pollen fall in;

You can use the brush if necessary;

Close the container to avoid losing the pollen during transport if the two subjects are far apart;

A female flower is optimally receptive to pollination within 12 to 72 hours after opening, so you should aim for the right moment. Finally, if possible...

With the brush, take the pollen and pass it delicately on the female flowers;

Keep some pollen to repeat the operation for 3 successive days to maximize your chances of success.

After the pollination of the trachycarpus

All you have to do is wait for the seeds to form on the female plant. If this is the case, your artificial pollination is successful! Then wait for the seeds to mature before sowing them in a pot containing a very light mixture of potting soil and river sand.

Place the seeds in full light and water so that the substrate never dries out completely.

Over time, change the pot to accommodate the growth of the plant and then install it in the garden in the spring two years later.

Acclimatization of palms

Acclimatization is necessary in cold regions

Acclimatization of palms is a very important and necessary step for their successful integration into our gardens, as these are so-called exotic plants. This means that they normally live in an environment where the growing conditions, the nature of the soil and the climate are very different from ours.

Depending on the region where the garden is located, the acclimatization period will be more or less easy and more or less long. In fact, in the Mediterranean climate, given the warm temperatures in all seasons, acclimatization of palms is not necessary in principle. On the other hand, acclimatization is mandatory further north, as soon as winter temperatures are cooler.

The acclimatization of plants at the nursery Bio gardens

At the Bio jardins nursery (located in Brittany), the plants arrive without leaves or roots. They are then acclimatized and cultivated in local soil, before being sold to gardens in the region. Their breeding in nurseries allows them to avoid a difficult and sometimes fatal 'expatriation', when they will have to face shade, humidity, higher rainfall, and a specific soil (the Breton soil) other than the universal one.

The duration of acclimatization

The acclamation of palms requires a rotation of crops. It is important to know that when a palm tree arrives at the nursery, it is cultivated for two years (or even two and a half years) before being marketed, the time to produce roots and leaves, but also to harden up by facing several Breton winters and the climatic hazards that characterize it.

It is therefore important for the nursery to have a large number of palms (1,000) at different stages of cultivation, in order to have a permanent supply of trees for sale.

The hardiness of palms is acquired through acclimatization

Acclimatized palms are of interest to a varied public (communities, professionals and individuals) who have generally experienced several growing failures with palms from the Mediterranean region. The reason for this is simple: they are not used to the cold. Even if some palms have a theoretical hardiness of -18 to -21°C, they will not be able to withstand winters at -10°C if they have been raised in regions where temperatures never fall below 0°C.

The multiplication of palm trees

Palms are among those plants whose propagation is not the easiest. Many parameters must be taken into account to succeed in this operation.

The various methods of propagation

Sowing seeds remains the most common method. In palms, the size, shape and color of seeds vary considerably from one species to another. For example, a Sabal minor seed will only measure a few millimeters while a coconut (Cocos nucifera) will be much larger!

In addition to sowing, other methods are possible on the species producing offshoots.

Some of them produce shoots at their feet, it is then easy to take them, others of the seedlings directly on the stipe, which it will be then necessary to marcotter.

In the horticultural industry, palms are multiplied by cloning but we will not go into the details of this technique reserved for professionals.

Sowing

This is the method most appreciated by palm growers, which is why we will detail it here.

The amateurs are sometimes put in failure by the non respect of certain parameters which we will learn to know better in order to control them:

The viability of seeds

The viability, that is to say the capacity of a seed to germinate in a given time, depends not only on the species (from a few weeks for the Latiana to several years for the Phoenix canariensis or the Cocos nucifera), but also on the conservation of these.

Palms growing in tropical areas need heat, the same applies to their seeds which should be kept at adequate temperatures (minimum 20°C). The rate of hygrometry is also important; if the seed dries too much, it will lose its germinative power.

Treatment before sowing

A specific treatment can also be necessary to induce a good germination. Thus, a few days in the refrigerator's crisper can be beneficial for species originating from temperate regions with a marked cold season. Others will have to be soaked 48h before sowing, others still will have to be well brushed and washed to remove the germination inhibiting substance present in their flesh!

Temperature, hygrometry, substrate, luminosity and patience: the keys to success

At the time of the sowing inform you well on the needs for each species because the temperature necessary for germination can vary. For Trachycarpus, a temperature of 20 to 24°C will be sufficient whereas Elaeis guinensis, the oil palm tree will need 38 to 40°C constant and this during a very long period (2 months and half) to germinate correctly. The installation must therefore be up to the task!

The composition of the substrate, the light and the hygrometry rate are other parameters to take into account. Always very light, the substrate will have to be very permeable so that water does not stagnate around the seed. The depth of the pot must also be chosen according to the species because some palms like Lodoicea maldavica have a so-called 'delayed germination'. A long root forms (sometimes for almost a meter) before the bud appears. Don't panic though: these cases are rare and our good old Phoenix will be satisfied with a depth of 2 cm!

After that, everything will be a story of patience because palm trees at the seedling stage are rather long to grow. Don't forget to water them regularly!

The planting of the palm trees

Planting a palm tree

The palm tree has an inverted vegetative cycle, compared to traditional plants; that is to say that it rests in summer. This characteristic allows it to be resistant to heat and drought in semi-arid regions. It is therefore during this period that we proceed to the planting of palms. The summer temperatures will be, moreover, an asset for the development of the roots.

To accentuate this heat effect, it is advisable to add well decomposed manure to the planting pit (fresh manure would burn the roots).

It is also important to bind the palms together: this is to limit the transpiration of the plant during the first year.

Maintaining the palm tree

Pruning the fruits

When the fruits appear, it is advisable to remove them so that their development does not exhaust the plant. This operation should be carried out regularly.

Pruning the palms

The trunk of the palm tree, called stipe, is actually a succession of old pruned palms. They can be cut more or less short depending on the variety or the climate; the drooping palms protect the stipe from the cold, but on small trees they quickly become cumbersome.

Consequences of pruning on the hardiness of palms

To give the palm tree extra protection against the cold, it is recommended to gather and tie the palms every winter. This protects the heart at the top of the stipe.

With this method, the hemp palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) can withstand temperatures between -18°C and -21°C. But for palms like washingtonias, which are less hardy, it is better to leave the old palms hanging around the stipe to protect it.

Rattan, a climbing palm

Under the common name of 'rattan palm' are hidden many tropical species of climbing palms with strong development. These amazing plants are used in many fields by the natives. Discovery...

Rattan palm, who are you?

Several species of palm trees are grouped under the term 'Rattan Palm'. From the Arecaceae family, these climbing palms grow in tropical areas, especially in Southeast Asia and Africa.

In Malaysia, they are very common, the word 'rattan' would come from the Malay 'rotang'. Among the genera, we find Calamus, from the Greek 'calamos' which means 'bamboo' in reference to the very fine stipes and Daemonorops. These genera are divided into many species of plants with very fine stipes, flexible like lianas.

The stipe is never very thick although it can reach 18 cm in diameter on some species, but it is very long and equipped with fine prickles that help it to attach itself to the surrounding trees, allowing it to climb happily up to 200 meters in length.

Rattan palms are clumping, which means that they often form a clump at their base. There are however solitary subjects.

The pinnate leaves, 60 to 80 cm long, are also armed with hooks or spines, sometimes even flagella with a hook at the end, allowing them to cling to the surrounding plants to reach the light. Red, yellow or orange fruits follow a white flowering in clusters.

Rattan palm in local crafts

In the countries where the rattan palm grows, it is exploited from the 8th year following its plantation and this, over a period of about 30 years. Harvesting is generally done after fruiting, with many precautions and specific clothing to avoid injury on the various hooks and spines of the plant.

The stipes are then sectioned in sections of 5 to 10 m then rid of their spines and their leaves to be then conditioned.

The pith will be used for fine basketry, while the strips removed from the peripheral part of the stipe will be used to make coarser objects.

Locally, fishnets and traps are made with rattan fibers, but also crossbows, baskets or small handicrafts, both utilitarian and decorative.

Rattan is also used to cane chairs and of course to make furniture that will find its place in our verandas or in the garden.

The palm trees

Originating from hot zones of the globe, palm trees bring a touch of exoticism to your decor. Common to the Mediterranean coastline, their elegant bearing and original foliage never cease to seduce plant lovers who dream of acclimatizing them in their gardens.

From the Palmaceae or Areacaceae family, palms group together 2700 species of monocotyledonous arborescent plants bearing large pinnate leaves, palmate or arranged in a fan at the top of a stipe. The stipe is the name given to the robust stem of palms, it is an interlocking of old leaf sheaths nested in each other and resulting from the fall of leaves induced by the growth of the plant. For palms, we will never speak of a trunk. The stipe is recognizable by its constant diameter which does not vary from the foot to the bunch of leaves. This stipe is in fact a stem filled with pith or fibers.

The stipe does not branch except in rare cases, we will then speak of cepae when multiple stems are born at ground level, as in the case of Chamaedorea seifrizii for example.

The leaves of palms are often large and very cut. They can be pinnate, that is to say that the leaflets are distributed on both sides of the veins as in Cocos nucifera (coconut palms), Phoenix canariensis, or palmate or flabelliform (fan-shaped) in Chamaerops.

The inflorescence (spadix) of palms is formed by a spike surrounded by a large bract called "spathe". In some genera of Araceae, the spike can bear more than 2,000 flowers. The fruits have a soft edible flesh in the date palm (Phoenix dactylifer) or hard in the coconut palm.

Due to their botanical specificity, palms are similar to grasses; it is impossible to cut or graft them. The only method of multiplication remains the sowing of seeds, preferably on a hot bed. Germination is very slow (2 to 3 months). The small seeds will be planted in a mixture with sandy dominance and covered with a thickness of substrate equal to their size. The very big seeds as those of the coconut trees will be half buried. Certain species produce rejections with their feet, it is then possible to separate them delicately in order to replant them separately by taking care well to take a stem already well rooted. However, the success of this technique remains uncertain and sowing is without doubt the only sure way to multiply palms.

You can grow some species of palm trees in your gardens even if only two species grow naturally in Europe, the Chamaerops humilis and the Phoenix theophrastii.

The very famous Trachycarpus fortunei, very present on the French Riviera, is without doubt the most cultivated of the so-called hardy species. Once well installed, it can survive temperatures of -15°C. Be careful because this palm can grow very fast and take unexpected proportions.

The Rhapidophyllum hystrix, although quite rare, remains one of the most resistant species to cold (-20°C). Northern countries have adopted it. Brahea armata, otherwise known as the "Mexican blue palm" is recommended for small gardens because its growth is very slow, as well as Chamaerops humilis, which has a great capacity to adapt and will do well in dry ground as well as in areas exposed to sea spray. Very present in garden centers, it is the ideal palm tree even in a pot on a terrace, to give a note of exoticism to your decor.

Cold-resistant palms

There are 3800 varieties of palm trees in the world, but only ten or so can live outdoors in our regions.

In order for the palm tree to resist the cold, it must first be acclimatized.  To do this, the production of palms starts with the sowing of seeds, then the young plants are raised in unheated greenhouses and, finally, the palms are planted outside, without winter protection. The palms produced in this way are very resistant to the cold: up to -18 / -20°C for the most rustic.

NB: The cold resistance of palms also depends on the wind, the humidity level and the duration of the cold period.

Varieties of palms resistant to cold

Trachycarpus fortunei

This is the most cold-resistant palm (-18 / -20°C) and the best known. Its trunk is surrounded by small threads, hence its common name: the hemp palm. As for its scientific name, it comes from the name of the British botanist Robert Fortune, who brought it back from China in 1842. Since then, it has become the most produced palm in France.

The Chamaerops humilis

It has the particularity to emit shoots around the main trunk and is the only European palm that grows naturally around the Mediterranean. However, the Chamaerops humilis is very rare in France because of the pressure of real estate on the land.

The Sabal minor

It grows very very slowly. It is the "champion" of resistance to cold. Its particularity: it makes its trunk inside the ground.

The Washingtonia filifera

The petticoat palm as it is more commonly called comes from California. It has a very large trunk at the base and the base of the petioles, split in two, forms a beautiful braid. This palm grows in only one place in the world, in the wild, in the San Adnréas fault.

Watering the palm trees

It is often thought that palms from hot countries do not need to be watered. This is not true. To obtain a beautiful, green and hardy palm tree, it is necessary to water it as soon as the temperature rises above 15 / 16 °C. Don't be alarmed if it receives too much water, it tolerates it very well. On the other hand, in winter, do not water it.

Pruning palms

Pruning is generally done when the foliage begins to yellow. However, if a palm becomes troublesome because of its location, it is quite possible to cut it off without harming the palm's growth.

Where to plant palms?

Palms can be planted in containers or in the ground. In the ground, they can be planted in any type of soil. The important thing for a palm tree is not the soil but the watering.

Palm trees, the most rustic

When one mentions the term palm trees, images of paradisiacal beaches or tropical settings come to mind, suggesting that it will never be possible to grow them in our latitudes...

General information

Many species of palm trees can withstand cold and even frost.

The longer the palms have been in the garden, the more resistant they are, sometimes happily beating the minimum temperatures given for each variety.

Similarly, a palm tree planted in the ground is much more resistant to the cold than the same tree in a pot, which should be wintered in a greenhouse or veranda. Finally, you should know that in case of a cold snap, you can protect the heart of the palm tree with a wintering veil or bubble wrap to preserve it. In the coolest regions, don't hesitate to keep the old palms which form a protective collar at the top of the stipe.

The most rustic palms

Here are some examples of palms that will find a place in your garden despite the cold:

Rhapidophyllum hystrix is one of the most cold-hardy palms with a temperature of -25°C! It owes its adjective to its stipe covered with fibers dotted with protruding spines. The said stipe does not exceed one meter in height which makes it an ideal subject in small gardens, its leaves are wide (1,20 m) in fan and brilliant green. This palm appreciates humid soils where it grows in its regions of origin (Mississippi, Florida, California).

Trachycarpus fortunei is much better known than the previous species and for good reason! The hemp palm, as it is commonly called, is the most cultivated palm in our gardens, where it can tolerate frost episodes down to -18°C. Native to the forests of Central China, this fast-growing palm can reach 15 meters in height! Its broad (1.20 m), palmate leaves are a beautiful dark green. The stipe is covered with interlaced brown fibers protecting it from the cold.

Nannorrhops ritchieana is able to survive at -20 °C. This beautiful and slow growing palm has beautiful bluish leaves, enhanced by a kind of orange 'fur' around the base of each petiole. This palm tree native to the semi-desert mountainous areas of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan can reach 10 meters in height.

Washingtonia filifera is also well known in our gardens, because it likes most of the soils and grows very fast, reaching 18 meters in height and 1.20 m in diameter. Its massive and vertical stipe is covered over time with dried out palms forming a petticoat that falls under the crown. The shiny green palmate leaves see the emergence each year of arched inflorescences of 4 meters in length bearing cream flowers. The petticoat palm is frost resistant up to -10 ° C when well established.

Palm trees, family portrait

Palms belong to the Arecaceae family. There are nearly 3000 species in the hot regions of the world, mainly in tropical areas but also in desert and mountainous regions. In the south-east of France, we find a species growing naturally: the dwarf palm: Chamaerops humilis.

Among palms, we are used to records! In the Andes, the largest palm tree in the world reaches 60 m high. Some climbing palms offer lianas of more than 200 m. Raphia regalis offers the longest palm in the world: 24 m. Coripha umbraculifera is distinguished by a palm of 5 m in diameter and inflorescences of 9 m long! As far as seeds are concerned, it is still a palm tree that wins the prize: the famous coco-fesse which produces seeds weighing more than 20 kg....

The botanical point of view

Palms are not trees but giant grasses. We do not speak of trunk but of stipe. This one can be smooth, ringed or thorny, swollen at the base or in the middle. The palms are connected to the stipe by the petioles. They are most often pinnate (leaf segments arranged on either side of the petiole) or palmate (fan-like). The fruits of the palm tree offer a beautiful diversity in the form of bunches called infrutescences, berries (e.g. dates) or seeds (e.g. coconuts).

The hardiness of palms

Winter temperatures are not the only factor that determines the hardiness of palms. Other factors are also important: age of the palm tree, duration of frosts, thermal amplitude between day and night, soil drainage, exposure to cold winds and sea spray, and summer heat. A long and warm summer favors good growth and better hardiness the following winter.

Chinese Palm, Trachycarpus Fortunei (Chamaerops excelsa)

Single, straight and thin stipe. Large dark green fan-shaped palms. Whitish fibers at the base of the petioles. Short golden yellow inflorescences. Small purplish fruits in female subject.

• Fast growing. H: 10-12 m.
• Likes: a fresh and humid soil, sun not burning, half-shade. Fears: drought.
• Hardiness: -15 to -20°C.

Trachycarpus de Wagner, Trachycarpus wagnerianus

It resembles its cousin Trachycarpus fortunei in more compact. Stipe fibrous. Stipe more rigid.

• H: 5-10 m.
• Hardiness: up to -15°C.

Dwarf palm or Mediterranean palm, Chamaerops humilis

Dense and compact silhouette, fibrous stipe, branched from the base. Light green fan-shaped palms. Inflorescences very short, light yellow. Reddish fruits in female subject.

• Slow growth, reduced size. H : 2-3 m. (very old subjects until 8 m).
• Likes: sun, half-shade, draining soil (sandy, stony).
• Hardiness: -12°C.

Chamaerops cerifera

It resembles Chamaerops humilis but with wider leaves, bluish green color and slower development.

Jelly palm or wine palm, Butia capitata

Very elegant South American palm with its large, bluish-green, arched, pinnate palms. Spiny petioles. Long yellow or purple inflorescences followed by small orange and edible fruits!

• Rather slow growth: H: 3 to 5 m.
• Appreciates: sun, any soil even heavy and clayey.
• Hardiness: up to -12°C.

Metal palm, Brahea armata

Mexican palm tree offering a beautiful bluish and waxy foliage on the top. Spiny petioles. Very long bright yellow inflorescences followed by small brown fruits.

• Slow growth. H: 10 m.
• Likes: sun, heat, well drained soil.
• Hardiness: up to -12°C.

Canary Island date palm (or Hyères palm), Phoenix canariensis

Vigorous and massive stipe reminiscent of a giant pineapple when it is young. Long and abundant pinnate palms forming a very full crown. Spiny petioles. Short pale yellow inflorescences. Clusters of small orange-yellow fruits.

• Rapid growth in warm conditions. H: 15 to 20 m.
• Likes: full sun, fertile soil, cool in summer but well drained in winter. Withstands drought and sea spray.
• Hardiness: up to -8°C.

California palm (or fan palm), Washingtonia filifera

Light green palms in a rounded fan shape, with long whitish threads (hence the name). Spiny petioles. Long inflorescences of cream flowers followed by small shiny black fruits.

• Very fast growth if much sun and water. H: 12 to 15 m.
• Likes: sun, fertile soil, well drained but cool in summer.
• Hardiness: -8/ -10°C.

10 tips for beautiful roses

The rose is a mythical flower that has adorned gardens with its shimmering colors for centuries. To obtain beautiful flowers and keep your roses in good health, you must be precise in your choice of varieties and provide the right cultural care. Follow our advice!

1- Choose the right rosebush

There are a multitude of cultivars in the sweet land of roses. The choice of rosebush will depend on the climate of your region but also on the nature of your soil because, as few people know, some roses are cold, others can't stand limestone, etc. The choice of a rose tree adapted to the soil is therefore of the utmost importance.

2- Be careful with the rootstock

Today's roses are the result of hybridization and are grafted onto a rootstock. The latter must be known in order to modulate the adaptability of the rosebush, for example 'Rosa multiflora' does not tolerate limestone soils, unlike 'Rosa canina' which tends to grow better in this type of soil.

3- Choose a rose with a label

The German ADR label remains a guarantee of quality when choosing a rosebush. Very resistant to diseases, parasites and climatic hazards, these roses have been tested before obtaining the famous label. Other roses that have won prizes in national or international competitions are also good values if they correspond to your region.

4- Plant in the right place

Choose a well-ventilated, sunny spot with well-drained, rich soil to plant your roses. Avoid planting in soil that is constantly waterlogged or plant on a mound. If you have a climber that is prone to cold, plant it on a wall facing south, sheltered from prevailing winds.

5- Plant at the right time

When the roses are resting (from November to March), bare-root roses should be planted. Of course, avoid periods of frost or snow to install your shrub. If you buy a container rose, it will be possible to plant it all year round but not during periods of drought or extreme cold.

6- Take care of the planting

Prepare the soil carefully to add the right amendments according to its nature. Compost will always be welcome whatever the structure of the soil as well as a little ground horn powder to support the recovery. Do not bury the rootstock.

7- Regular watering

Water your newly planted roses very regularly if it does not rain. Do not water the foliage in order to protect it from powdery mildew.

8- Prune for more flowers

Pruning induces the departure of new flower-bearing branches. It is done in winter at 3 eyes on classic roses and just after flowering on remontant roses. Always remove the dead wood and the stems that cross in the center of the plant. Cut off wilted flowers as you go along.

9- Arboring climbing roses

To obtain a very opulent bloom, slightly arch the long stems of the climbing roses downwards.

10- Fertilize often

Scratch a mixture of compost, bone meal and dried blood at the foot of your roses in the spring. Repeat this application in early summer if they are remontant, otherwise wait until fall.

How to choose a rose tree

The choice of a rose tree should not be made solely on the appearance of its flower or its fragrance, even if this remains the major criteria for most buyers. Many other parameters must be taken into account to avoid disappointment and growing mistakes.

Climatic conditions

Not all roses can withstand the same climatic conditions, so it is important to know this before buying one. Roses are thought to be very hardy, but some are not and prefer to be planted in warm areas of the country. This is the case of the 'Noisette' roses and the 'Thé-noisette' hybrids which are known to be cold, as well as the varieties obtained in the past by Nabonnand such as 'Sénateur Amic' or 'Archiduc Joseph'. The famous Rosa 'Cooperi' should also be planted on a wall facing south, as well as Rosa chinensis and its hybrids.

In the mountainous areas, you will have to rely on safe values such as botanical roses like Rosa alba or Rosa rugosa. Avoid modern climbing roses or use creeping varieties like 'Seagull' or 'Apple Blossom'.

Adapting the rootstock to the soil

It is best to know the nature of the soil before buying a rose tree in order to plant it on a suitable rootstock. Thus, in a calcareous soil, Rosa canina will be preferred, it tolerates the cold very well but remains somewhat sensitive to drought.

In a non calcareous soil, the most used rootstock is Rosa multiflora, it adapts well to light and sandy soils.

Disease resistance

Nothing is more unpleasant than spending time caring for sick roses. To avoid this, choose resistant roses with the 'ADR' label, which have been tested under extreme conditions for many years to obtain the famous German label.

The use

There is a wide range of roses. To choose yours, think about its future location and function. To border a flowerbed, a path or cover an embankment, choose ground cover roses not exceeding 70 cm in height such as 'The fairy', 'Bassino' or 'Marie Pavie'.

To flower a bed, choose polyanthus or English roses. One rule: be careful with the colors to avoid taste mistakes.

On a pergola, a large tree or an arbour, climb rambling roses like 'Ghislaine de Ferigonde', 'Treasure Love', 'Apple blossom' or 'New dawn'.

As single specimens, stem roses or weeping roses have no equal, but you can also consider landscape roses or bushes for this purpose.

Miniature roses will be reserved for terraces and balconies to decorate a table or even a windowsill.

Choosing a fragrant rosebush

Sweet, heady, fruity or musky fragrances, roses distill their scent throughout the day. To take full advantage of this, you need to know how to capture the best moment, when the scents reveal themselves in an ever-changing olfactory symphony. To help you make your choice, here is a small guide...

Roses with the scent of the May rose

The characteristic scent of the rose of our childhood can be found in 'Rosa gallica' considered as the quintessence of this very particular fragrance. It can be found in 'Rosa x centifolia' used in Grasse for perfumery or in modern varieties such as 'Prince Jardinier' with very pale cream flowers with a pink heart and in the award winning 'The McCartney Rose' with its fuchsia colored flowers. This exceptional rose has won over 20 awards worldwide.

Roses with fruity scents

Very present in hybrids and especially among the novelties of rose designers, fruity notes can be found in 'Bourbon' roses and modern English roses. Amandine Chanel' is an example with cherry and peach notes, as is 'Jude The Obscure' with guava and white grape fragrance, or 'Pierre Arditi' a pure white rose with exotic fruit, not to mention 'Château de Rivau' with green apple notes.

Roses with musky scents

It is the stamens and not the petals that give these roses their musky notes. The eugenol that gives off this characteristic scent attracts pollinators but also has a protective function against pollen-destroying micro-fungi. This heady scent can be found on Rosa multiflora, a very vigorous botanical species, but also on Rosa arvensis, an old rose with simple white flowers, or on Rosa mulliganii, a rambler rose ideal for adorning a pergola or climbing a tall tree.

Tea-scented roses

This delicate fragrance is reminiscent of tea, but also of damp humus, whiskey malt or iris root.

The rose 'Pegasus' with its apricot camellia flowers is a good example, as is 'Graham Thomas', a classic with yellow flowers, or 'Gloire de Dijon', one of the most beautiful climbing varieties with very double, flat-cupped flowers in a cameo of cream, yellow, apricot and pale pink, not forgetting the famous yellow rose 'The Pilgrim', which combines notes of tea and myrrh.

How to cut a rosebush in early summer?

Cutting roses is possible in July: rose stems or branches taken from a bush, these cuttings are still tender and allow rapid rooting, then transplanting in the fall.

Although rose cuttings are most often recommended in September, it is also possible to take cuttings in early summer, in July and even in June. This is the time of the first roses, of the abundant and more punctual blooming of old roses, and it is not rare that you are offered a bouquet of roses from the garden, some of which, if not all, make you want to grow them. When the roses in your bouquet start to wilt, you can try cutting them!

How to prepare the cutting to optimize the recovery?

The June/July cutting is made from the stem under the flowers:

• a cutting length of about 20 centimeters is suitable.
• the bouquet or the terminal rose, deflowered, is cut.
• the leaves are almost all removed, cut cleanly, except for 2 or 3 very green leaflets which are left. Indeed, reducing the leaf surface will limit the transpiration and thus the water loss of the cutting. The plant transpires through its stomata, the organs responsible for gas exchange.
• With a sharp instrument, the bottom of the cutting is cut cleanly in bevels. Likewise, 2 or 3 longitudinal scarifications of 2 cm are incised. We can also remove sparingly without breaking a little of the soft and green bark. This scarification is not essential, but it increases the scar surface, where a callus is created, and a concentration of auxin, the natural rooting hormone of the plant.

Pots with cuttings

The cuttings will be gathered in the same pot, in a light mixture which does not compact to facilitate the transplanting without damaging the fragile roots: such as a mixture of potting soil (without adding fertilizer) and fine gravel or coarse sand.

Apart from the practical side, gathering several cuttings close together can help the most recalcitrant ones to root by a hormone game. If some cuttings produce a lot of rooting hormone, it can diffuse to a nearby cutting that makes little and allow it to root.

Mixing several varieties of cuttings can be interesting as long as you label them well.

Use a small stick to drill a hole in the pot before pushing in the cutting. Do not twist the end.

The soil is packed lightly, the pot is watered deeply.

Putting the cutting in the pot

To prevent rose cuttings from drying out with drafts or sweating more than their supply would bear, the cuttings are enclosed in a closed space. The 'smothering' can be done by enclosing the whole thing in a plastic bag, but if you're on the hunt for plastic, a jar does the trick and looks much better.

These cuttings must remain in a humid atmosphere until they start to root, between 6 and 8 weeks. They will show their good will by starting to grow.

The cuttings are maintained in the light shade and with a substrate which never dries out.

Is it necessary to put hormone of cutting or not?

The answer is never clear, after all. The cutting hormone can help, but has an unfavorable effect when it is too concentrated. Moreover, these hormones are quickly expired and without effect. It will be up to you to decide, knowing that for many varieties of roses, it is possible to do without it, which makes life easier! These wood cuttings, which are still quite green, need them less than the November cuttings.

Successful cuttings or not 

The success rate of rose cuttings is related to the technique, but not only, because depending on the variety of roses, some root easily and others not. In any case, trying several cuttings of the same variety will multiply the chances.

Transplanting rose cuttings

At the end of September, the cuttings that want to start again are generally rooted. The lighter substrate makes it easy to separate them from each other. They will be able to have their individual pot of free soil for 2 months before being transplanted in place, or offered to friends.

How to plant a bare root rose?

Fall is the ideal time to plant bare root roses. Whether you buy them from a grower, nursery or mail order, don't delay planting them to ensure their recovery.

What is a bare root rose?

As the name suggests, a bare-root rose is not packed in a pot. It is sold without a root ball, roots in the air, which implies constraints in terms of uprooting, transport and sale, steps that must be carried out as soon as possible.

Advantages of planting a bare root rosebush

A bare-root rosebush has a better chance of recovery because it has grown and fortified in the ground. It is only available at the right time for planting and will therefore be installed at the best time.

In pots, the root system is often constrained, the roots sometimes form a bun, a sign of suffering of the plant contained in a pot too small to ensure its development. Such a plant will have very little chance of recovery, and if it starts again, it will take a long time to develop properly.

How to choose a bare root rose?

Choose a healthy plant with well-developed branches. There should be no signs of rot or suspicious spots on the stems. The roots should be fleshy, strong and not dried out.

How to prepare for planting a bare-root rose?

• Soak the roots in room temperature water while you prepare the soil.
• Choose a sunny location and then manually weed the area before aerating and applying an organic manure such as compost or well-decomposed manure.
• Dress the roots, i.e., prune those that are damaged, and reduce by half those that are too long.
• Prepare a praline based on clay, garden soil, water and cow dung. Praline is also available at garden centers if you don't have all the 'ingredients'.
• Take your rose bush out of the water and dip the roots in the praline, making sure they are all well soaked. This mixture will greatly help the rosebush's recovery.

How to plant a bare root rose?

1. Dig a 40 cm hole in all directions.
2. Make a small mound at the bottom of the hole, ideally with garden soil, compost and a handful of crushed horn.
3. Place the roots flat on this mound, adjusting its height so that the grafting point is just above ground level.
4. Fill in the hole by packing the soil well around the foot of the rose.
5. Do not bury the grafting point!
6. Make a basin around the foot of the rose and water thoroughly.

How to prune roses?

Pruning roses is essential to maintain an aesthetic appearance but also to encourage opulent flowering and its eventual return. Gestures must be precise, but there is nothing very complicated about the program!

Pruning roses in a nutshell

1. Prune roses from February to April, except during the frost period. Non-remontant climbing roses are pruned after flowering in spring.
2. Always use disinfected secateurs between each bush.
3. Prune bush roses to 3 or 5 eyes from the grafting point.
4. Keep 6 branches on climbing roses and prune the other branches to 2 or 6 eyes depending on the vigor and variety.
5. Remove wilted flowers.

How to prune roses on a case-by-case basis?

There are several types of roses. Bush roses are the most common and are often grown in beds. Climbing roses offer opulent blooms, but in order to bloom well, they need precise pruning techniques which are not the same for remontant roses (which bloom a second time) as for non-remontant ones.

The case of ground cover roses is a bit special because they will only be pruned every 3 or 4 years, mainly to remove the dead wood. This is also the case for many old roses, which only need to be pruned to clean up from time to time.

Pruning on miniature roses and stem roses, will be the same as that applied to bush roses.

Equipment needed:

Pruning shears or loppers depending on the size of the branches ;

Thick gloves;

How to prune bush, miniature or stem roses?

1. Disinfect the blades of the pruning shears with methylated spirits before using them for pruning.
2. Wear heavy gloves to protect yourself from thorns.
3. Start by removing all dead branches at their base and those that cross in the center of the plant to allow maximum air and light to enter.
4. Keep 4 to 7 main branches that you will prune above the 3rd or 5th bud (eye) starting from the grafting point (swollen part at the base of the plant). Prune to 3 eyes for roses that are not very vigorous and to 5 for those that are in good shape.
5. The pruning should be done at an angle above an eye so that the water runs off the part of the stem opposite the bud.

How to prune climbing roses?

Follow the same procedure as above from step 1 to 3.

Keep 6 main branches as a framework.

Prune the side branches to 6 eyes.

After the first flowering remove the spent flowers by cutting off the petiole under the first leaf.

How to prune non-remontant climbing roses?

These roses are pruned in the spring after flowering.

Remove the dead wood.

Keep 6 to 7 carpenter branches.

Prune all lateral stems to two eyes.

Create a new variety of rose

If you have the soul of a sorcerer's apprentice and you like surprises, don't hesitate to try to create a new variety of rose. The technique requires a little know-how and a lot of patience, but the results can be as good as you expect and even better!

Choosing the "parents

The mother plant is generally chosen to carry the seeds of the new rose variety. It is selected according to its vigor, its resistance to diseases and to bad weather. The other rose or "father" plant will determine the color, fragrance and shape of the future rose.

The hybridization technique

• Materials needed:
• Small scissors;
• paper cone ;
• ramekin ;
• colored wool thread;
• fine paintbrush.

The ideal time to hybridize is in the spring.

The choice of the mother plant will be made on a vigorous and disease resistant subject. The plant must be in flower.

• Choose a well opened rose and remove all the petals to free the heart. Cut the stamens with small scissors to prevent the rose from self-pollinating.
• On the father plant, select a beautiful rose and cut the stamens before complete maturity.
• Place them in a flared ramekin.
• Wait a few days for the pollen to be released on the walls of the ramekin.
• Collect the pollen with a fine brush that you will put in direct contact with the stigmas of the rose prepared beforehand on the mother plant.
• Cover with a paper cone.

Waiting for the result

It only remains to wait a few months for the rose hip to ripen and go to seed. It will then be time to extract them to sow them in small pots well drained in their bottoms and filled with a light substrate composed of two parts of potting soil for one part of river sand.

Place the pots outside but away from strong frosts.

By April, the seedlings should have produced small seedlings that should then be transplanted into individual pots or even in the ground. Sometimes in the first year, the roses created in this way will have one or more flowers. If this is not the case: be patient, you will have to wait until the following year to discover the result!

Natural roses

Roses are often reserved for formal gardens, forgetting that they are originally civilized brambles that were so popular with the first gardeners that they were selected and then hybridized, to the point of arriving at cultivars that no longer have much in the way of wildness, some even have no thorns!

Natural gardeners also have their roses. Here is a selection of natural roses that are easy to find and easy to live with, without treatment, without complication.

Natural roses for a hedge

The first of all in Europe is of course the rose hip, rosa canina, which serves as a rootstock for many roses. This hardy shrub with an arching habit supports well a calcareous or heavy soil, and it even grows in the shade!

The rosehip can be used as an open hedge, associated with hazelnut or dogwood trees. In spring, its simple flowers with golden stamens are a delight. In autumn it attracts birds with its red fruits full of vitamins, do not cut them: they are a food guard for the winter!

The rough rose or rosa rugosa comes to us from Asia, more precisely the North East of China and Japan, hence its name of Japanese Rose. It is often disliked, used to roundabouts and freeway service areas on the pretext that it tolerates pollution and sea spray very well, we forget that it can make very pretty rustic hedges. Its embossed foliage is particularly covering. When not pruned, it quickly reaches a height of 1.5 to 2 meters. Its delicately scented petals are used for rotting pots. Its large fruits are also very decorative. A tip: install a plant every 1.20m and mix white and pink colors. The first two years, prune to obtain a dense hedge. If you have an oceanic climate, be careful to contain this very strong plant which is considered invasive on the coast. Calcareous soils do not suit it and make its leaves yellow.

The fruits of rosehips or Rosa rugosa are used for rose hip jam.

Natural roses for the bottom of a bed

The botanical rose Rosa glauca is perfect for the bottom of a bed. It is the only rose cultivated for its foliage! This shrub reaches 3 or 4 meters high if it is at its ease. Its foliage is wonderful at the bottom of a bed to bring out pink flowers for example. Its young leaves are purple, then they turn to metallic blue gray if the exposure is shaded, or keep their purple reflection if the exposure is sunny. Its mountainous origins make it a good candidate for dry and stony soil. Combine it with perennial geraniums and foxgloves to accentuate its country side. The English use it as a background for their rose beds in shades of pink or cream. Its small bright pink flowers are followed by small red fruits in autumn.

For a wild place we associate it with a small willow called red osier, the Salix purpurea nana.

Climbing roses

As for climbing roses, the 'New Dawn' is an easy rose that can colonize a fence or wall under its vegetal ardor. It gives off natural pearly pink flowers with a light fragrance. It blooms all summer long. This undemanding rosebush can climb to a height of almost 5 meters and can even withstand northern exposure. Place a few columbines and bistort knotweed at its feet, or mix it with a honeysuckle.

Should we bury the rose graft?

The majority of today's roses have a grafting point that many gardeners look at with suspicion when it comes to burying it. Opinions are divided on the subject...

What is the grafting point?

Today's roses are often grafted. A variety chosen for its aesthetic characteristics (beauty of the flower, abundance of the bloom, perfume...) is grafted on a resistant rootstock, which makes it possible to obtain plants offering all the qualities required to be appreciated by gardeners. The rootstock allows better resistance to cold, humidity or to a specific soil (acid pH, clay soil...) as well as to various diseases. The more vigorous the rootstock, the more likely the rose will remain healthy.

The grafting point qualifies the part where the graft has been fixed on the rootstock. It can be recognized by the bulge it forms on the stem. On classic roses, it is located a little above the collar (part corresponding to the junction between the roots and the stem). Branches are always formed after the grafting point, but sometimes it happens that the rootstock takes over and branches come out under the grafting point. It will be necessary to cut them to favour the graft.

Questions at the time of the plantation

When planting a rose, the gardener is sometimes at a loss as to where to place the graft. Some recommend to bury it, others not: it is difficult to find one's way...

Everything depends on the region and the planting period. The best time is between October and May, except in high altitude and in heavy soil where it is preferable to wait until March to favour the chances of recovery.

In mild regions and in humid soil, the rosebush should be planted with an apparent grafting point. It is not necessary to bury it. It would risk rotting.

Everywhere else, it is recommended to bury the grafting point, about 2 cm deep, in order to protect it from the cold and to avoid that the rootstock produces suckers. This is particularly valid for the frosty varieties as well as the dwarf cultivars.

Ridging will be done every week during the first two months to keep the grafting point buried. As soon as spring arrives, the protective mound can be removed. If you plant in spring as soon as all risk of frost is eliminated, it is useless to bury the grafting point especially if you live in a mild region.

Generally speaking, if your soil retains excess humidity, think of ensuring a good drainage before planting and prefer to cover the grafting point with a thick mulch of dead leaves to avoid cryptogamic diseases attacking this sensitive part especially if it is constantly bathed in mud.

Dressing the foot of the roses

Roses are the star plants of the garden in spring, and even longer for the remontant varieties. By choosing wisely, you can dress the base of your rose bushes in a durable way, creating a splendid setting for a good part of the year.

Why dress the base of roses?

Some shrub roses can become a little thin at the base, especially as they get older. Medium-sized plants will fill in this visual space and enhance the beauty of the roses, while taking over from the blooms during slower periods.  Another advantage: they will shade the base of the shrub, keeping the soil cooler for longer.

Some plants even provide protection against disease and pests, while others create a contrast of colors or textures, so don't be afraid to plant!

The best plants to dress up the base of roses

The perennial geranium is undoubtedly a first choice plant to dress up the base of bush roses. Very hardy, it can remain in place in the garden without fear of frost, and comes in many varieties. Among them, 'Johnsons Blue', the best known, whose deep blue color enhances yellow, pink or white roses. Also in blue shades, think of campanulas, these robust and easy to grow plants that are at home in most gardens, or nepeta, which blooms abundantly from May to November in lavender blue spikes.

Very graphic, large irises accompany the flowering of roses in spring, in beds or in mixed borders; their colors, whose palette is very wide, adapt to all shades of roses!

Lupines also work wonders at the foot of roses, especially varieties with large white spikes that will contrast perfectly with red roses. Here again, you can vary the pleasures depending on the color of the roses, creating scenes with similar shades of pink and mauve, or on the contrary, creating flashy contrasts with orange and blue.

Think also of penstemon to give a little wild side to your beds. These very easy to grow perennials bloom for many months, in clusters of bells, sometimes pastel, sometimes bright, depending on the variety. There are so many varieties that you won't have any trouble finding a color that goes perfectly with your roses. In the same style, the gaura, gives a country note from May to October, all without any particular maintenance or effort from the gardener. White, pale pink or fuchsia, gauras bring lightness to beds or flowerbeds.

Gypsophila and its myriad of small, vaporous flowers, whose pure white color is a perfect match for all shades and styles of roses, is widely used by florists to enhance rose bouquets. Do the same in the garden!

To combine business with pleasure, plant decorative alliums at the foot of your roses. They will protect them from cryptogamic diseases as well as from certain parasites while magnifying them thanks to their large mauve pompons.

Finally, think of plants with decorative foliage such as heuchera, which will be happy in the shade of your roses, forming splendid shades of color, or santolina, mugwort and lavender with silver foliage, which are always very easy to combine with all the colors of roses.

History of the rose and the rose bush

Throughout the northern hemisphere, the history of the rose goes back to the dawn of time. Rightly the queen of the garden, the rose is a jewel that gardeners have patiently fashioned from generation to generation.

According to scientists, the first roses appeared nearly 35 million years ago. Although little is known about these early specimens, numerous writings from antiquity show that the queen of flowers was already appreciated by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. At that time, only a white variety was cultivated mainly for its medicinal virtues.

According to historical accounts, roses were also cultivated in China about 5000 years ago. These flowers originated in Central Asia and spread throughout the northern hemisphere without ever crossing the equator.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, when the crusades were stirring hearts and passions, armed travelers brought back new varieties of rose from the Near East, including the mythical Damascus rose, which from the 13th century made the fortune of Provins in the Paris region. This rose was originally planted on the island of Samos in honor of the goddess Aphrodite. Later, it was honored in Rome with the goddess of love, Venus. It was at this time that the cultivation of the rose in France really began with gallica officinalis (Rose des Apotyhicaires). This variety brought back from the Holy Land was first cultivated for its medicinal virtues before being appreciated for its beauty in the garden. It was from this variety that rose oil was made in the Middle Ages.

In France, the most cultivated old roses were then the Gallic also called Roses of France (Rose de Provins, Charles de Mills, Tuscany) but also varieties of white roses also called Alba (Céleste, Jeanne d'Arc, Cuisse de Nymphe), Damask roses (Félicité Hardy, Quatre Saisons, Rose du Roi), Centfeuilles roses (Rosa Centifolia, Rose des Peintres, Petite de Hollande) and finally Moussus roses (Moussu commun, Salet). All these varieties had common features: developed in large bushes, they usually presented a unique and abundant flowering. Each very fragrant flower was composed of numerous petals varying from pure white to dark purple. Only the Damask rose (Four Seasons) was a remontant. It was the origin of the first remontant roses in the West.

In 1700, the arrival of roses from China and Japan revolutionized rose growing in France. Within a few years, the number of varieties exploded to the delight of European gardeners, who had fallen under the spell of this bewitchingly fragrant plant.

Many years after the crusades and the introduction of varieties from the Near East in the West, a discovery upset the horizon of the rose growers of the time. Around the year 1700, exotic varieties such as roses from India, China or Japan were added to the now known varieties we mentioned in the first part of our history of roses. The arrival of these Chinese varieties took place via the United Kingdom, the United States and Reunion Island. These remontant specimens opened the door to blooms from June to October.

The first crosses between the already well-established roses and these newcomers produced non-remontant varieties such as Bourbon roses (Mme Pierre Oger, Souvenir de la Malmaison), Hazelnut roses (Rose Noisette, Desprez with yellow flowers), Tea roses (Adam, Gloire de Dijon) but also remontant hybrids (Baronne Prévost, Reine des Violettes...).

Other varieties were also imported in the 18th century from Holland and Belgium, including the Centifolia rose or Rose Chou aux cent pétales. This last variety was quickly adopted by the perfumers of Grasse and gave birth in turn to the sparkling roses to the roses with lettuce leaves. At the beginning of the 18th century, botanists had listed all possible strains. Some spontaneous hybrids appeared such as Alba, Centifolia, Portland, Bourbon and the famous Tea Rose.

For a long time, rose growers were faced with a problem. These roses originating from hot countries could not stand the cold of Europe! To remedy this fragility, the rose growers of the time decided to proceed to hybridizations to create stronger and more vigorous roses. The fruit of these first hybridizations gave a tremendous impulse to the creation of hundreds of new varieties that are generally grouped under the name of old roses. This name includes no less than 10,000 varieties and cultivars, all of which have the particularity of having been created before 1920.

The propagation of roses by sowing

A fun experiment, the multiplication of roses by sowing is within everyone's reach. With a little patience you will obtain beautiful surprises!

To know before starting

The majority of roses sold on the market are grafted hybrids for a better resistance to diseases, parasites or unfavorable climates but also to combine the qualities of the two original plants. The sowing of these species may therefore give you a result absolutely different from the mother plant, thus offering you some nice surprises! As the rose is allogamous (i.e. cross-pollinated), you will most often obtain plants that are different from the original plant.

The seedling is very interesting for all those who want to try to obtain a new variety of rose by hybridization.

Harvesting the seeds

Always choose a healthy rose to collect your seeds;

• Pick the rose hips when they are mature, when they start to wilt and soften with a well disinfected pruning shears;
• let the rosehips dry in the open air and under cover for a few days before opening them;
• place the seeds in river sand to which you have added charcoal powder to avoid the development of cryptogamic diseases;
• Pour the seeds into a small paper envelope, write the name of the rose on it, and place the envelope in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator for at least one month (vernalization). The relative cold will trigger the 'awakening' of the seeds.

Sowing roses

• Fill a polystyrene box (like the ones you find at your fishmonger's) with a light mixture of 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 river sand and 1/3 peat moss. Add a handful of charcoal powder to this mixture;
• Pack the surface of the mixture and water to moisten the substrate;
• with a pencil, draw small furrows 10 cm apart;
• Place the seeds in the furrows, spacing them 5 cm apart;
• Then cover the seeds with half a centimeter of river sand;
• spray the surface gently to moisten it well without disturbing the seeds;
• place the box in the dark at a temperature lower than 10°C, but not frozen;
• install then the box under cold frame and keep the substrate slightly wet during all the period of germination.

And then?

Once the seedlings have 4 leaves, transplant into individual rose pots (deeper than wide). The substrate should be well drained and composed of good commercial potting soil, a little vermiculite, clay and chopped straw. Be sure to water your seedlings well and to add fertilizer during the growth period. The plantation in full ground could be envisaged in the autumn, two years after the sowing.

Planting a rose tree

How and when to plant a rose tree? It varies according to whether you buy it in a container or bare root.

When to plant a rose?

Containerized roses can be planted almost all year round, but for bare-root roses, the best time is in autumn.

In any case, avoid periods of frost.

How to plant a rose tree?

Dig a hole at least one and a half times wider than the root ball or the roots to put in it. The root ball must be comfortable in the hole. The roots need loose soil around them to grow properly.

Shorten the roots a little in the case of bare root roses, and prune them. Spread the roots over the entire hole.

Place well-decomposed manure in the bottom of the hole and place your rose in the center with the graft point at ground level.

Fill the hole with garden soil (roses like heavy soil so there is no need to add potting soil) well loosened so that it penetrates well between the roots. Pack the soil to bring it in contact with the roots and form a bowl.

Water abundantly after planting and bring water afterwards, especially during the dry season.

How to plant a climbing rose?

Move your rose bush about 20 cm away from its support and place the roots on the opposite side of the support.

The suppression of wildlings

Nowadays, most commercialized roses are obtained by grafting. However, on grafted subjects, nature sometimes tends to take over... Wildflowers can then appear at the base of the plant and it will be necessary to remove them.

What is a savage?

A wild rose is a rejection that can appear under the grafting point at the base of the plant. Wildings are regrowths of the rootstock from the collar of the rose or from the roots.

In the case of stem roses or weeping roses whose grafting point is located much higher on the trunk, the wild rose may appear directly on the main stem but always under the grafting point.

Be careful not to confuse wildings with "gourmands", the latter always appearing above the grafting point unlike the former which are always located below the grafting point.

Why does the rosebush emit wildings?

The majority of roses currently on the market are grafted from a variety chosen for its specific characteristics: beauty of the flower, perfume, color. This variety is then grafted onto a very vigorous rootstock in order to resist diseases, to support all kinds of soil and to tolerate various climatic conditions.

The rosebush thus obtained will combine the qualities of these two plants, but over time, it may prove to be unstable and the rootstock may take over.

Why eliminate wildings?

It is necessary to remove these shoots because if this is not done, the rootstock could take over, shamelessly suffocating the grafted variety. Your rosebush would then lose the characteristics that seduced you at the time of its acquisition and would be transformed into a wilder shrub, with an indeterminate habit and a flowering absolutely different from the one you had chosen.

How to eliminate wildflowers?

Take gloves and sharp, disinfected pruning shears.

First of all, clear the base of the foot at the level of the wild boar and cut this new growth as close as possible to its departure at the level of the roots. During this operation, as when planting a new subject, be careful not to injure the roots, which will be even more likely to form new shoots later on.

In the case of stem roses or weeping roses, remove all the lateral branches located under the grafting point flush with the main stem.

Pruning rose flowers

In full bloom in spring, roses offer an extraordinary show in the garden. Then the flowers fade one by one, and it is time to prune them. Why prune? How to do it the right way? Follow the guide...

Why is it necessary to prune faded roses?

A rose, when it fades, will turn into a fruit and produce seeds like most other plants, in order to ensure its reproduction. This stage will require a lot of energy from the rose, which, busy producing these famous seeds, will flower less. By pruning, the rosebush will regain its vigor and form new shoots that will soon bear beautiful roses, thus prolonging the blooming period for your greater pleasure.

You should also know that non-remontant roses bloom on the previous year's wood, so a well-practiced pruning will encourage the birth of new branches bearing flowers.

The other reason is more aesthetic: it is always a shame to see faded flowers that detract from the overall beauty of the shrub.

How to prune rose flowers?

Pruning is a much more important operation than one might think. It is very technical and requires a few precautions to be taken:

• always choose a well-sharpened and disinfected pruning shears;
• always choose sharp and disinfected pruning shears; always wear gloves, as we often forget that roses can not only injure but also transmit tetanus!
• Preferably proceed in the morning on a dry day, to give the wound time to dry before the night's humidity.

The cut will be made according to the length of the branch: the longer it is, the more important the pruning will be. To keep a harmonious and bushy shape to the roses, it is always preferable to prune low enough, contrary to the pruning practiced by the amateur gardener, who, believing he is doing the right thing, cuts just under the receptacle (bulging part located under the petals and joining the stem). Thus pruned, the stem will have very little chance to branch out and produce new shoots.

You will therefore have to proceed in the following way: you will notice by carefully observing the stem that directly under the faded flower, there is a leaf bearing three leaflets, further below it you will find a leaf bearing 5 leaflets.

Look at the axil of this leaf and you will see a dormant eye close to the stem. Cut at a bevel above this eye so that the upper point of the cut is half a centimeter above the eye. This way you will avoid rainwater running directly on the bud. A new stem will soon appear bearing one or more flowers.

Did you know that?

If you want to flesh out an etiolated subject you can cut lower but still above a leaf with an outward facing eye.