June 21, 2007 : Yellow Rose?

Rugosa roses are a family of shrub rose that has crinkled foliage (Rugosa means 'rough') and old-fashioned, fragrant blossoms. They are wonderful plants and are famously hardy and easy to grow...with one exception: If planted in soil that is too alkaline the leaves will turn yellow, like on the rose pictured here.

Here at the nursery they grow well in most places, but here and there is a spot where they'll be yellow. There is a rugosa-type about 15 feet away from this one that is deep green. I've also seen both successes and failures in the traditionally alkaline soil of Ada, MN. Therefore, they must be right on the edge of being able to tolerate the soil in this area. I think they are still very worthwhile to plant.

Can it turn it green again? Truthfully, we're planning to grub this one out rather than try to fertilize. However, I have possibly gotten a couple of others to green up by applying lots of acidifying fertilizer, iron, and elemental sulfur to the soil around the rose.

I still think rugosa roses are quite worthwhile to plant around here. Just don't plant a hedge of them until you've tried one or two.