Rose Claire Austin
Content:
Rose Claire Austin (Claire Austin) - one of the varieties of spray roses, bred by the English breeder David Austin. Tall bushes almost all summer and until autumn delight the eye with flowering white inflorescences. In addition, claire austin is a frost-hardy rose, therefore it is excellent for growing in the conditions of the Russian mid-latitudes. For all these qualities, plus a subtle but pronounced aroma, gardeners all over the world fell in love with this English rose. The article tells about the pros and cons of the variety, the cultivation of the English rose Claire Austin in Russian conditions, in particular, about the features of its wintering.
History of creation
Rosa Claire is the result of crossing a hybrid tea rose with a French variety. The beautiful "parents" of Claire's rose gave all the best to the new variety, and it surpassed all previously bred by David Austin varieties of roses. This is probably why the breeder himself named the creation after his beloved daughter Claire.
In the collection of David Austin, the snow-white Claire is the most important pearl: white flowers, collected in rich inflorescences, are located on erect shoots
Description of the variety
Breeders say that growing a truly white rose is a lot of work, perhaps many years, because there are not so many roses with such characteristics.
White rose of the Claire variety has a slightly creamy shade, giving off a light pink in the middle
This is a typical park variety. It is readily used in landscaping household areas, in urban park landscape design. The bushes are high - from one meter to one and a half in height. The bush grows up to a meter in diameter. Initially, the shoots are erect, but over time they bend in arcs, bend downward and form a spreading bush or become curly. The greens are bright, juicy, the leaves have a glossy surface.
The flowers are large, up to 10 cm in diameter, collected in inflorescences, each of which has from one to three buds. The rose blooms long enough, in two waves. So, the first flowering begins in June, the second time the plant is covered with fragrant flowers in August to please the eye until the end of September.
In Russia, this rose is most common in the Krasnodar Territory, in the steppe part of the Crimea, as well as in the North Caucasus. However, the winter hardiness of this plant allows it to be kept even in northern latitudes, for example, in St. Petersburg, with a covering method of growing. Moreover, in these regions and the Moscow region, flowers grow as a species of Floribunda roses, while in the south they are grown as climbing varieties.
Claire is distinguished by the densely doubled flowers and the fact that they bloom and fade not immediately, but alternately, maintaining an attractive appearance of the bush for a long time
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main advantages of this variety are as follows:
- good frost resistance;
- the ability to quickly overgrow with new shoots after spring pruning and winter freezing;
- attractive and decorative appearance, flowers are suitable for cutting into bouquets;
- there are few thorns on the shoots.
The description of the shortcomings is not so long, nevertheless, they are present:
- the bushes tolerate long rains well, but their resistance to powdery mildew and black spot is average;
- tendency to climbing, which is why the look of the bush is a little careless;
- flower petals fly around rather quickly.
Use in landscape design
Like other varieties of this breeder, Claire Austin's rose is a rather unpretentious and highly decorative plant, with abundant flowering. Therefore, it is readily used in landscaping. It looks good in planting in groups and alone, it is used on alpine slides and in rockeries, roses decorated in the form of boles create an absolutely irresistible effect for any garden. Semi-pebbled scrubs of this plant during the period of active flowering look like an ocean of fragrant flowers.
Growing
English roses reproduce in different ways:
- Seeds - used only among breeders, while there is no inheritance of parental traits by the plant;
- By budding - a rather complicated method, available mainly to specialists or those amateurs who are "advanced" in floriculture;
- Dividing the bush or layering is a common method of growing garden roses, including the Claire Austin variety;
- Cutting is another simple method available even for a novice florist or summer resident. It is about him that is worth mentioning separately.
Most often, the plant is propagated by rooted cuttings.
Planting timing
At what time to plant rose cuttings depends on the climatic characteristics of the region. Theoretically, it can be planted in spring and autumn, but experts advise against doing this after the summer, especially in areas with cold winters. The young stalk will not have time to take root and gain strength to survive the winter, and may die. Therefore, the optimal time is the end of April - the beginning or the second decade of May.
Location selection
English roses, by their origin, are quite shade-loving, not spoiled by great lighting. However, when planting, you should avoid places that are blown by wind or drafts. The site can be lighted and slightly shaded - it is ideal to grow a rose near a dense blank fence or near the wall of the house. It is necessary to avoid places where groundwater is close, where there is stagnant water. Perennials, to which this plant belongs, are extremely demanding on the soil - in order for the plant to develop well and bloom, a soil that is loose and moisture-permeable is necessary.
Preparing for planting soil and plants
You need to plant a seedling in a hole with a diameter of 0.7 m, more than half a meter deep. First, the bottom is sprinkled with 5-6 centimeters of broken brick, rubble is a drainage layer, followed by a nutritious soil mixture. It is prepared from compost, garden soil, peat and river sand. The mixture is poured with water before planting.
Preparing a seedling before planting includes pruning the roots, their obligatory soaking for a day.
Planting procedure step by step
When the hole is ready, you need to soak the soil mixture, set the seedling upright and straighten the roots. After that, the pit is filled with the same substrate, compacted a little and watered with settled water.
The seedling is watered at the rate of 1 bucket per pit
Plant care
The English rose is unpretentious, it is easy to care for it.
Watering rules and humidity
Among agrotechnical measures, watering is the most important. The plant is watered regularly and abundantly once a week or a little more often. In hot weather, watering is increased. The rose does not tolerate heat well, during this period the flowers may fall off.
The plant is more favorable to moisture.It retains moisture well in the soil and helps to fight weeds by weeding near-trunk circles.
Top dressing and soil quality
If the planting was carried out in a nutritious soil mixture, the site is fertilized, then it is not required to feed the plant immediately. In subsequent seasons, fertilizer is applied under the bushes at different periods of the annual cycle:
- rotted manure, compost is applied in the spring, when the buds swell and the plant needs nitrogen;
- potassium phosphate fertilizers are necessary for a rose during budding;
- re-feeding with these fertilizers is done in August.
Pruning and replanting
Branches are removed that are old, dry, spoiled or broken off. Weak and redundant shoots are also removed to thin out and refresh the bush.
Features of wintering a flower
How does a rose winter? If it is well covered and prepared for winter, frost is not scary. So, already at the beginning of October, the shoots are neatly bent to the soil, fixed in this position. They are preliminarily freed from leaves in order to prevent the spread of pathogens. Further, the shoots are covered with spruce branches, then with covering material.
Blooming rose
The plant goes through periods of activity and rest. During flowering, roses need timely watering and feeding with an infusion of plant origin (for example, infusion of nettle), mixed with rotted manure. After flowering, the bush begins to prepare for winter, at this moment complex potash-phosphorus fertilizers are applied. The rose is at rest.
It also happens like this: a purchased seedling grows, but does not bloom. It is okay if the rose is planted the first year. On the second or third, the plant builds up strength and begins to bloom. However, if conditions are not suitable, flowering may not occur later.
Reproduction
The rose is usually propagated by cuttings. For this, a green sprout with a bud is selected, 15 cm is cut off. The bud is cut off, the leaves are also cut off, only a shoot with a pair of leaves on top is left for rooting. Potassium permanganate in the solution is used to process the cut sites, after which the cutting is deepened into the hole, covered with soil, watered and covered with a glass jar to take root. In winter, cuttings are hidden, like other rose seedlings, in the basement, after placing them in a container or bag with peat or sawdust.
Diseases, pests
If you do not take good care of roses, then they can be subject to disease. So, among bacterial infections, powdery mildew and gray rot are especially fatal. Bushes can also be affected by black spot and rust. In the spring, organic compounds, nitrogen are introduced for the treatment of bushes. If you do not start treatment, the plant will begin to turn yellow in the leaves and dry out. This phenomenon is called chlorosis.
Improper excessive watering, thickening, lack of fertilizers can lead to the appearance of black spots on the leaves of the plant.
Claire Austin's English rose bushes suffer from a spider mite, they can be affected by a leafworm, aphids or a sawfly. For treatment against pests, special preparations are used, the most famous among them are Tanrek, Lightning, Fufanon.
Rose Claire Austin is a great variety for gardening and landscaping. It is quite unpretentious, blooms profusely and creates an attractive look for a garden or park.
