Friday, July 20, 2012

Red Cascade: A Rose of Another Shape

There were several roses I took cuttings from last Fall and put them in my cutting bed.  Having a growing success at getting cuttings to start, I took four small cuttings from Red Cascade hoping to get one or two to start new plants.  Red Cascade has helped me to increase my batting average because all four cuttings took.  On Mother's Day I took the two strongest ones to my mother's house and planted them in a planter around her gas light in front of her house.  Later I potted up the next one while the smallest of them I moved to this slightly raised bed in our back yard. 
Red Cascade is a miniature rose bred by Ralph Moore but miniature only applies to the size of its petals and leaves.  The bush actually grows to be quite big, or should I say quite wide.  It is described as growing a foot tall and ten feet wide - the rose equivalent of an inch deep and a mile wide.  This spreading nature makes it very useful as a ground cover, something most people would never think of in a rose.  As such it stands out as another remarkable example of Ralph Moore's creativity.  It was through the use of Rosa Wichurana on both sides of the family tree that this trait was brought to bear in Red Cascade.  As its name indicates, Red Cascade is also another great rose to use in a raised bed where its growth can be allowed to spill over and down the side of the bed.  While mine is still only a few months old, it has already reached the edge on one side of its new home.
The small flowers are also nice, being somewhat old fashion in shape and opening flat. I have been impressed with its vigor, both in growing new roots and its ability to spread quickly. I suspect that both are related, and I wonder if in a couple of years I will wish that I had given it more space than I did.  We will worry about that later.  As for now I am just enjoying its spreading habit. 

7 comments:

  1. That must be an old tractor wheel. When I saw the first photo I thought it was a petunia. Pardon me...A true ground cover rose as compared to flower carpet or drift rose. Interesting.

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  2. An old tractor wheel - that would make sense. Having never driven a tractor, I wouldn't know from experience. I found it buried in the backyard full of daylillies and pulled it out. It sat around for a while until I decided to put a couple of tomatoes in it last year. This year it got a rose. I do think this is a true ground cover but if it has something to grow on it will also climb. I like Flower Carpet Red but it does as you suggest seem misnamed. I've not tried the Drift Roses yet but the Flower Carpet roses don't match Red Cascade as a ground cover.

    I saw that you visited the prof. I didn't realize I would be jealous that he got a visit and I didn't - until I was.

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  3. Red Cascade is not a candidate for a formal rose garden. Once it gets some size, all those tiny red blossoms are a sight to behold, isn't it?

    I corraled mine with some red cedar limbs and put my green and blue bottles on the limb stubs for a really gaudy show.

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  5. Red Cascade is classified as a miniature rose, because each deep red rose, although it contains many petals, is only about one inch in diameter. But the flowers grow in large sprays, and the impact of a red cascade in full bloom is huge.

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  6. It is indeed a true groundcover and sometimes it roots where stems touch the ground...either that or it suckers a little. Over several years, I think my original Red Cascade is now 4 separate plants about 3 feet apart.

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  7. We have two shrubs of this rose growing in a large kettle with wrought iron trellis and they are doing quite well. Great little rose.

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