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.
