Victoria and Barney Martin of Stokesay Flowers give their advice on growing roses for cutting. Words: Kendra Wilson, photographs Jason Ingram.
Around ten years ago, Victoria and Barney Martin leased a one-acre walled garden at Stokesay Court near Ludlow in Shropshire. They are now famous for the beautiful roses and cut flowers they grow there. Shane Connolly, a florist, said that their flowers are truly some of the best in the UK. They are grown with love and care, without using chemicals. Stokesay Flowers grows many beautiful stems, but customers want roses the most. They even sell rambling roses that are cut by the tumbling branch.
Experimentation is part of the Stokesay ethos, and roses are obtained from many sources, including discount supermarkets. But any that are found to be “unlovely or ungenerous in flower” are soon gone.
If you want to use garlic and seaweed spray instead of chemicals in your garden, the plants need to be naturally healthy. Any that don’t make the cut are dug up and replaced. The pink and white-striped Rosa “Variegata di Bologna” is an exception. It is very likely to get black spot, but people don’t mind because of its luxurious beauty.
Old roses are the Martins’ favourites, each one an ode to romance. They love the anticipation, the intense but finite burst of flower. And yet there are many old roses in the garden such as Rosa ‘Madame Alfred Carrière’ and R. ‘Buff Beauty’ that keep on going, on and off, into autumn.
Victoria and Barney talk about the best roses to cut and how to grow them. They also include a recipe for a garlic and seaweed spray that they swear by for getting rid of aphids on roses and giving the plants a general boost.
From weddings to dinner parties, few flowers compare to roses for creating breathtaking floral arrangements Growing your own roses for cutting provides an abundant, cost-effective source of these classic blooms for all your floral design needs With proper selection, care, and harvesting, a rose cutting garden can supply armloads of vibrant roses for indoor enjoyment throughout the season.
Selecting the Best Rose Varieties for Cut Flowers
With over 150 species and thousands of cultivars, choosing the right roses is key. When planning a rose cutting garden, look for varieties that:
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Produce long, straight stems, at least 18-24 inches
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Have a high petal count for lush full blooms.
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Boast mildly fragrant blooms. Strong fragrance reduces vase life.
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Show disease resistance in your climate. Choose own-root varieties when possible.
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Repeat bloom through summer for ongoing harvests. Once-blooming roses have a short harvest window.
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Have lightly thorny canes that are easy to cut from.
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Maintain good color even in heat. Some roses fade in full sun.
Some top rose types and varieties for cut flowers include:
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Floribundas: ‘Julia Child’, ‘Betty Boop’, ‘Rainbow’s End’
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Grandifloras: ‘Gold Medal’, ‘Queen Elizabeth’, ‘About Face’
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Hybrid Teas: ‘Mr. Lincoln’, ‘Olympiad’, ‘Veterans Honor’, ‘Double Delight’
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English Roses: ‘Olivia’, ‘Heritage’, ‘Princess Alexandra’
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Climbers: ‘Above All’, ‘Eden’
Growing Conditions for Productive Rose Cutting Gardens
To yield an abundant harvest of beautiful blooms, roses require:
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Full sun – Minimum 6 hours direct sun daily. Morning sun is ideal.
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Well-drained soil – Loamy soil enriched with compost. Avoid wet, compacted sites.
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Even moisture – 1-2″ water weekly. Too much or too little impairs flowering.
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Air circulation – Space plants 2-3′ apart. Allow air to flow through canes.
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Support – Install trellises for climbing varieties. Stake tall bushes.
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Winter chill – Most roses need winter dormancy with 800-1000 chill hours under 45°F.
Timely Care for Healthy, Prolific Blooms
Attentive care and maintenance will keep rose plants thriving and producing the most blooms for cutting:
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Spring – Prune out dead canes and shape bushes. Apply organic rose fertilizer when new growth appears.
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Summer – Deadhead spent blooms to a lower 5-leaflet leaf. Water 1-2″ weekly.
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Fall – Reduce watering. Apply final fertilizer 6 weeks before frost.
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Winter – After several hard frosts, prune back by 1/3 for winter protection.
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All Season – Monitor for pests and disease. Treat organically at first sight.
Harvesting Rose Stems for Gorgeous Arrangements
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Cut stems in the morning while cool. Use clean, sharp bypass pruners.
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Select flowers that are 1/2 to 2/3 open. Fully open blooms won’t last as long.
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Cut stems at a 45° angle just above an outward facing 5-leaflet leaf node.
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Cut stems extra long, then recut underwater to 30+ inches before arranging. Remove thorns.
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Immediately place cut stems in a bucket of cool water out of direct sun. Cut underwater again and arrange quickly in a vase.
Storing Cut Roses for Extended Beauty
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Display roses out of direct sun in a cool spot. Warm rooms hasten decline.
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Use clean, non-chlorinated water changed every 2-3 days. Recut stems underwater before returning to vase.
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Commercial flower foods provide nutrients, sugars, and biocides to prolong vase life.
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Remove any leaves or thorns that will sit below the waterline to prevent bacterial growth.
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Consider using silver thiosulfate or other anti-ethylene treatments for delicate rose varieties prone to wilting.
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Refrigerate arranged bouquets overnight to revive drooping blooms. Then display the roses in a warmer spot.
Enjoy a Bounty of Homegrown Cut Roses
With proper planning, care, and harvesting, a rose cutting garden can provide all the elegant blooms needed for arranging showstopping floral designs all season long. Take time to make careful variety selections for disease resistance, fragrance, stem length, and productivity. Growing your own cut roses is infinitely satisfying and provides fresh, local flowers that capture the beauty and joy of summer.
Victoria and Barney’s tips on growing roses for cutting
Choose healthy rose varieties
“Some varieties are more susceptible to blackspot than others,” says Victoria. “Old roses don’t seem to get it, and in my experience the more modern ones often do. “Apart from my favourite Rosa Variegata di Bologna’, we just take it out and grow something more healthy. We’re growing Bologna against a wall now and it’s doing much better. “.
“We have good, rich soil here. The bottom of the hole is filled with garden compost or muck, and it is stirred like a cake. We then mulch with muck. “.
“We mulch throughout the year, especially from autumn to spring. We use grass clippings to suppress weeds and to keep moisture in the soil. We’re addicted to mulch, we love it. “.
Planting and Growing Roses for Cut Flower Production
FAQ
What kind of rose is best for cut flowers?
What are the easiest cut roses to grow?
What type of roses do florists use?
How do you produce cut flower roses?
Can you grow roses from cut flowers?
Let’s get started! Is Growing Roses from Cut Flowers Possible? Yes, it is possible to grow roses from cut flowers, from a florist bouquet, or one you grab from your local grocery store. Given the right conditions, some of the rose cuttings taken should begin to grow roots within a month or so of placing them in water.
What are the best cut roses?
If you’re looking specifically for the best cut roses, hybrid teas are most found in bouquets. These roses are the type that florists use with a single bud at the end of a long, straight stem. Remember the beauty of a single rosebud in a vase as well as a bountiful bouquet.
How do you cut a rose?
Make a fresh cut. Cut the bottom off the rose stem at a 45-degree angle under running water. Consider the next cut. With most fresh cut florist rose bouquets, you can usually take more than one cutting from a single long-stem rose. Make sure each cutting has at least one or two healthy leaf nodes. Make the next cut under water.
How do you grow roses from cuttings?
Place a baggie over top of the jar. This helps create a little greenhouse that traps the warmth and moisture inside to help the rose cuttings root. Label the type/color of rose and the date. You’ll love seeing how long it takes to see signs of growth from the date you made cuttings.