Hello!
I’ve been given the OK to try cuttings from a Isabella Skinner plant nearby (I need to verify it is the correct ID, but let’s say it is). Just trying to get a plant started for my own yard; I haven’t been able to find one to buy (I asked Corn Hill, but no response). Problem is, I’ve never propagated a rose by cuttings before, and I know there is a learning curve..
I’ve read that different roses sometimes do better with different timing and techniques than other cultivars. The amount of different methods is confusing!
Has anyone had success with Isabella Skinner cuttings? What timing did you use? How did you do it?
I was watching a cuttings video by the Fraser Valley Rose farm where he used dormant late winter cuttings of Darlow’s Enigma, stuck them in the ground outside, and by spring they had pretty decent roots which he was surprised by, since it sounds like most roses root better during the growing season.
Anyway, I’m thinking that maybe I should try cuttings at a few times this year to try to get even one good plant. However, I’m in zone 3, Saskatchewan, so, quite a different climate from the BC Fraser Valley! Could late winter cuttings still be successful?
I was also thinking of trying cuttings after the blooms fade, and then if I still haven’t had success, late summer. I have a friend in Manitoba that was having zero success with various rounds of cuttings (a number of different old Canadian-bred roses)…she said she ended up just sticking cuttings in moist ground in late summer and doing nothing in particular with them. And they came back in spring! I’ll have to ask for more details because that seems hard to believe; i would have thought the tiny roots that might be there by freeze up wouldn’t have made it.
Welcome, Katie! I haven’t any suggestions for how to root in your climate, but High Country Roses in Colorado HAS Isabella Skinner in stock and they export to Canada! Victorian Memory (Isabella Skinner) As for being able to just stick cuttings in the ground and they root, yes, it CAN happen. I’m not surprised it worked with The Gift as it is literally multiflora and that is a noxious weed in many climates. Its seeds germinate everywhere and the wood roots every place it touches moist earth. No wonder it’s been a preferred root stock for commercial production for over a century.
You might consider air layering a stem of Isabella. Google “air layering roses” and you’re find MANY written and video instructions. Or, root a thick piece of The Gift, prepare it as you would a root stock cutting then bud Isabella to it once it’s growing on its own. Good luck!
I am over one province over in Alberta. Have mix of my own Isabelle cuttings and Cornhill purchases.
Last week they (CHR) told me they had Isabelle available so requested more for back gardens.
They had original cane cuttings from Skinners garden at one time (Hugh) so in theory you get the right own root rose from hybridizer’s son. Margit has also contributed material (Edmonton) to them.
Did not hear this week about confirming order. I got my first plant from Margit about 10 years ago.
I tend to grow my cuttings during winter inside with late August harvesting of material. Use standard method. Cut cane down and cut into three leaf lengths. Prune off bottom 2 leaf sets and leave top one. Gently peel off “green” skin below leaf node with razor blade. Dip in growth hormone ( liquid - wilson) and into damp potting mix. Under lights in basement.
Air layering sounds like it would be a great idea to try, but the rose is located an hour away from me in a public garden; I’d be afraid that either the growth medium would dry out when I wasn’t there to check it, or that some helpful garden worker would remove it ha ha.
I was hoping you would chime in! I’ve read lots of your posts and admired your collection over on HMF. Heritage roses are valuable to me, too. I bought my first few from Sheila Holmes at Rocky Mountain House, and I cringe now to think of all the roses she had available, that I didn’t buy at that time. But I was early in my gardening hobby and didn’t realize how difficult some of these roses would become to find..
I’m very thankful for Corn Hill Nursery! They really have amazing finds now and then.
OK, I will hope to still hear back from CH; I had sent them another email this week so maybe they just haven’t gotten around to responding yet. If I don’t end up getting a response I will ask Hugh; he told me about sending the cuttings to CH in an email but I didn’t ask him directly whether he had any available himself. I figured he would offer to sell if he had any but I will ask him if I need to!
Thanks for letting me know about the timing you’ve had success with. I’ll try that timing for sure.
Fraser Valley Rose Farm in British Colombia lists Isabella Skinner too. I am in Alberta and grow several of the early Canadian roses, but not Isabella Skinner. Feel free to reach out.
Yes, I’ve got my email on the “notify me” if it comes available from Fraser Valley Rose Farm again. I asked directly about it and they just said they continue to try to propagate throughout the year, so being on that list is the best way to know as soon as they have some they can sell.
As a backup, l can offer a large IS runner (free) that popped last up last year (grew to 4-5 feet), and too close to a precious crossing of mine.
Has to go. I can replant it elsewhere in my gardens if not interested in a gamble.
Mind you it will be cut down to 12 “ +/- to ensure has a fighting chance to take as roots will be minimal ( fed by runner). If it croaks no problem - free except work by you to plant. 99% sure IS.
I am not very good at taking cuttings, but I had a couple Isabella Skinner cuttings take this year by putting them in root riot pods in humidity domes. It seems pretty willing to root compared to other roses I’ve tried. Because it is such a vigorous plant I would feel comfortable taking a bunch of cuttings and trying the numbers game.
Edit: I have an extra cutting available for anyone in the US looking for one.
Thank you for the generous offer! You would be willing to ship it?(obviously with me paying!) I would think a sucker, even with minimal roots would be more ready to root than a cutting, would you agree?
What I will do is see if Corn Hill gets back to me about a plant; if they have one I will buy from them, but otherwise I’ll take the sucker if you are willing to ship it. Thanks again.
I’m glad to hear that you had success with cuttings from IS! That’s encouraging for getting it to root someway-somehow, whatever cutting or sucker I end of getting.
Do you feel like the Root Riot pods work better than pots of soil/perlite?
I don’t know if they work that much better, but I like them because they fit great into 6-pk seed starting trays, and then you can pluck them out to see if there has been root development.
Corn Hill says they have a small root available for me (and of course, had to add a few more to the order…), so it sounds like I shouldn’t need the sucker from you. Thank you for your offer, though!
Small or not. Dr FL Skinner ( Simonet) grew to 4 feet in three years. Can be tender. My older one sat in frump for about 5 years after a massive die down.
The calgary zoo dorthie harve gardens one that was massive. Don’t know if still there.
But the days of the bloom in a good year is awesome. Big blooms and hips the size of small crab apples.
Well I know that you need rooting hormone for roses if you are going to try and grow them from cuttings. I tell you this though, growing them from bare root or potted ones is a lot easier in my experience. And it takes less time to grow them out to the point where they will bloom. But late February in warmer climates is a good time to start planting bare root and potted ones. If you live in a cold climate that gets ice and snow, waiting until early March, or even mid March in some areas, is even better. But cuttings can be more fragile at first than bare root or potted ones. They have to be kept in pots or larger containers until their roots grow out too. Some people use glassware, but plastic nursery pots are usually pretty cheap for pots anyway. Look some up for growing out cuttings. Then get some easy to follow online instructions on growing rose cuttings and some rooting hormone. Many roses are grown bare root from cuttings from the parent plants to get exact clones of the parent plants. Roses grown from seed tend not to look much like the parent plants. They can look a bit weird sometimes. But if you do not mind that, you could try the longest route and grow them from seed. But be warned, in addition to not looking like the parent plants, they can take several years (at least 3 to 5, depending upon the species) to bloom. Cuttings are usually the better choice if you want to propagate them. But it is MUCH easier if you plant a bare root or potted one.
