R. minutifolia

General Discussion
1

I need some advice.

I have unexpectedly come into possession of a plant of R. minutifolia and I feel like the dog that finally caught the car he was chasing - now what? I’m zone 5b/6a so I have to figure out quickly how I’m going to manage it without a greenhouse. Does anyone have enough experience to offer advice on temperature constraints, fertilizing, pesticide sensitivities, watering and so forth?

2

I don’t envy you Don! I water mine with the other roses and protect them from the hottest sun. The one I have given Miracle Grow isn’t as happy as the other three, but it’s also planted in what I consider too light soil, being one of Cliff’s stock plants in more than 50% perlite. The other three are in Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting soil. It doesn’t really seem to need fertilizing and it does hate wet, soggy soil. Where it’s indigenous, it gets winter rains with little spring through fall moisture other than coastal fogs. It goes dormant, deciduous, with water stress. The tiny hairs and prickles all over the plant appear to have evolved to trap moisture from the marine fogs.

These are the two most comprehensive sites I’ve encountered about Minutifolia. I guess if you were going to give them any feeding, you’d be better off with a mild organic type and let Nature do it for you. When I grew it in the native adobe in Newhall, it had a deep horse manure mulch with copious water. The plant exploded, tip rooting everywhere. But, that was a hot, arid climate with soil more like its native type and the stand was partially shaded by tall lilacs and other large rose plants to its south, uphill from it.

Good luck! You’ll have fun with this thing. Kim

Link: ucjeps.berkeley.edu/ina/roses/rosa_minutifolia.html

3

Thanks very much Kim. The fun starts today, actually, as I figure out how this is going to be carried home on a 737.

4

Oh, Lord! Good luck! I did three, one gallon gallicas nearly thirty years ago on a PSA jet from San Jose to LA. I can just imagine what kind of crap you’re going to get from the TSA! Kim

5

Has anyone gotten any hybrids from this one?

6

I agree. If I had another one… no fertilizer and no temps above 90F. Seemed to do just fine in a south facing window though… (I shouldn’t have moved it out).

7

Hi Rob,

I tried crosses with it, but no success yet. My first one died - too much water. But thanks to Kathy Strong, I have another. So far it has made it through the summer, But definitely not vigorously. I will try more crosses next Spring.

Jim Sproul

8

Good luck with that Jim. The leaves are pretty neat looking.

9

I purchased what was listed as R. minutifolia alba from Roses Loubert this year. Is the correct name albiflora or is it simply a white flowered form of minutifolia? It had several white flowers earlier this year.

10

Minutifolia can serendipitously throw white flowers. I’ve seen that a few times, then back to the traditional mauvy ones. Kim