How to grow a rose bush from a cutting

This post was contributed by Peter Crowley of the Murray Bridge Garden and Floral Art Club.

Striking roses from cuttings is pretty straightforward, but it does take time.

So says Maureen Ross of Ross Roses at Willunga, the judge of Murray Bridge Garden and Floral Art Club’s 2021 rose show.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Select a finished rose, a flower stem that has dropped its petals, about as thick as a pencil and 20 centimetres long.
2. Cut off all the leaves and the flower head, and remove the cutting with a snip at a 45-degree angle.
3. Dip the end of the cutting in a hormone powder or honey, then roll the end of it up in damp newspaper.
4. Place it in a plastic bag and into the crisper section of your fridge.
5. At least five weeks later, take it out of the fridge and plant it in potting mix about halfway down the stem.

As the weather began to warm, the cuttings would shoot out leaves and then flower, Mrs Ross said.

It was essential to keep the surrounding soil moist to help the cuttings to take.

Murray Bridge’s best and brightest blooms go on show

The annual rose show was deemed another great success as the president of the Murray Bridge Garden and Floral Art Club, Robert Butcher, thanked this year’s exhibitors.

The exhibition, a yearly event held on the first Wednesday in November, featured a stunning and diverse array of roses grown in Murray Bridge and the district.

Club patron Brenton Klemm attended the meeting to present the Murray Valley Chiropractic Centre Perpetual Trophy to the aggregate rose winners, who this year were Rob and Chris Butcher.

Mr Butcher complemented Dr Klemm and Tanya Klemm on the fantastic display of roses grown in the gardens at the clinic, describing their Just Joey, Jubilee 150, Apricot Nectar and Spirit of Peace roses as “just stunning”.

In presenting the trophy, Dr Klemm congratulated club members, saying they had yet again put on the most amazing display of beautiful roses.

“You all have done a great job despite the inclement and rather erratic weather that has beset the Murraylands this year,” he said.

Established in 1902 by Mr George Ross, four generations of the Ross family have grown roses for the Australian market, making Ross Roses one of the most respected names in the Australian rose industry.

Today, Ross Roses is managed by the fourth generation, Andrew Ross, with his mother Maureen making it truly a family business.

Mr Ross has brought to the business his passion for rose plant hybridising as well as developing a rose garden as a major attraction for tourists and rose enthusiasts.

It was Mr Ross’s passion for hybridising new roses that was the basis of Mrs Ross’s presentation at this year’s rose show.

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