Re: rose bushes - if suckers originate below the soil line, what were those amazingly tall (6'+) branches?

Question

attached 12" and higher from the base, larger in diameter than the normal branches, that you rose people encouraged me to cut off in another post???
Also, are the suckers that I did not cut back last year - are they separate rose bushes?

Answer 1

If the canes are above the graft they are the canes you want to keep.
if you have suckers below graft line and have developed roots they can be dug out, and planted but will not be same rose you see growing and flowering above the graft. They will normally be a variety of native / wild rose that the grower uses for their root stock. wild roses most of the time have small single pedal flowers and only bloom one time a year. they are very hardy and are good plants along your property line acting as a screen and hedge row.

Answer 2

If they were 12" above the base then they were probably just part of the rose bush. I think I remember your last post and I could be wrong, but I don't recall you mentioning that fact. It is important to be a specific as possible. If you cut them off then don't worry because they will likely grow back. Some roses can grow to 8ft, but they are not considered climbers. You can keep them pruned to a more manageable size like 4-5 feet or let them grow and cascade over. As for the second part of the question, If they are in fact suckers then no, they are not separate rose bushes, but they can become separate if you remove them from the host bush. If you have suckers that are coming from the ground then dig down to look for the union and pull, not cut, it off of the host. Then you can move it and replant it somewhere else, but the chances are that you will not have the same plant unless it is an own root rose. However, that does not mean that it is not a rose worth growing. If you leave the sucker attached then it will steal energy from the host plant. Hopefully this cleared a little up for you.