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The Super Dorothy groundcover rose is a common flower plant that is popular with both amateur gardeners and more experienced landscape designers. Its climbing branches adorn a large number of pink buds, which do not subside until almost the end of autumn.
Rose Super Dorothy refers to the re-blooming unpretentious crop with high immunity
Breeding history
Thanks to American breeders, at the beginning of the 20th century, an amazing climbing rose called Dorothy Perkins was born. This variety is still very popular due to its lush and long flowering. But unfortunately, the decorativeness of the culture is not able to completely cover one huge drawback - its excessive vulnerability to powdery mildew. And it is because of this that German scientists began to work on creating a more improved look. Thus, in 1986, an improved variety of the Super Dorothy ground cover rose, also found under the name Heldoro, was born.
In addition to increased immunity to powdery mildew and other diseases, scientists managed to give the Super Dorothy hybrid a richer color of buds and increase its flowering period.
Description and characteristics of the climbing rose variety Super Dorothy
Rose Super Dorothy can easily be called one of the best among all climbing species of this garden culture. The bush is voluminous, reaches 3 m in height and almost 1.5 m in width. It is quite branched and flexible, with a small number of thorns shoots. It is due to their high flexibility that the plant can be easily positioned on any vertical support.
The root system is quite developed, so the bush takes root well after planting. It also makes Super Dorothy's rose less whimsical to care for.
The amount of green mass is medium, it is practically invisible behind the lush blooming brushes. Leaves with a slightly shiny surface, small in size, of a standard color, with jagged edges.
The flower has an uncharacteristic shape for roses, since in the phase of complete dissolution, its petals begin to curl outward, which visually adds volume. Due to this effect, buds in a mature state more resemble pompons. And given that up to 40 buds can bloom simultaneously in racemose inflorescences, the green mass on the bush is not particularly visible.
The flowers themselves can be up to 5 cm in diameter with 17-25 petals, double, have a deep pink color, sometimes even crimson, with a white speck in the center. The aroma is pleasant, sweet, with hints of vanilla. It is worth noting that the color of the petals is highly susceptible to sunlight, which leads to a loss of their brightness. Gradually burnt flowers dry up altogether, so they must be cut off so as not to spoil the decorative appearance of the rose. At the same time, old buds are quickly replaced with new ones, so the bush almost never remains empty for the entire flowering period.
According to numerous reviews, as well as a description and a photo, the Super Dorothy climbing rose is very decorative, not afraid of powdery mildew and black spot.In addition, many gardeners also noted the winter hardiness of the variety, since the culture is able to withstand frosts down to -25 ° C.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Super Dorothy rose has won its popularity for a reason, since this variety has a lot of advantages.
Despite the small size of the buds, they constantly replace each other during the entire flowering period.
Pros:
- long flowering from June to October;
- due to the constant change of buds, the bush almost never remains without flowers for the entire season;
- increased resistance to powdery mildew and a number of other diseases;
- not afraid of precipitation and dry weather;
- good frost resistance (up to - 25 ° C it easily tolerates winter without shelter);
- unpretentious care.
Minuses:
- the susceptibility of colors to color changes due to exposure to the sun, they fade;
- requires tying to a support.
Reproduction methods
The Super Dorothy climbing rose can be bred in 2 ways:
- cuttings;
- layering.
For grafting Super Dorothy roses, planting material is harvested from the middle of an already faded brush. In this case, the length of the cut part should be at least 15 cm. After the workpiece, it is placed in a previously prepared and moistened soil, covered with a film. When the cuttings take root, they cannot be immediately planted in open ground, this is done only for 3 seasons.
The method of propagation by layers of the Super Dorothy rose is faster than by cuttings. In this case, they lean the lower lash to the ground, fix it with special brackets and lightly sprinkle it with soil. A year later, when the cuttings take root, they are separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
Growing and care
Having decided to plant a Super Dorothy ground cover rose on the site, it is important to choose the right site for her. Despite the high survival rate during transplantation in open ground, a site with good lighting and protection from through winds should be chosen for the seedling.
Spring is considered the most suitable time for planting. And the process itself consists in the following actions:
- First, dig a hole with a diameter of 60 cm and a depth of at least 50 cm.
- They arrange a drainage layer at the bottom, and also fill in a layer of sand.
- Humus and peat are introduced into the ground. It is also recommended to add about 300 g of wood ash if the soil has a high acidity and fertilizer for roses.
- Before planting, the seedling itself is also pre-prepared. To do this, its roots are shortened by 1/3 part and placed in a solution of a drug that stimulates growth for at least 4 hours.
- After the seedling is removed, allowed to dry slightly and placed in the center of the pit. The roots are carefully straightened and covered with a prepared substrate (the root collar must be located 10 cm in the ground).
- Lightly tamp the soil and watered abundantly.
For planting, you should choose a seedling with well-developed 3-4 shoots.
After planting, the Super Dorothy rose needs regular and fairly abundant watering. It is produced 1 time in 7-10 days with warm, settled water strictly under the root, avoiding contact with leaves and flowers. Watering should be carried out in the evening. For better moisture retention, mulching is recommended.
After each watering, the soil must be loosened with the simultaneous removal of weeds. This is necessary for the air permeability of the soil.
By autumn, watering should be reduced, and if the weather is rainy, then stop altogether.
Super Dorothy should be fed only in the 2nd year after planting. At the same time, fertilizer begins to be applied in early spring, as soon as the snow melts. This feeding must be carried out using mineral nitrogen-containing compounds. After 2 weeks, additional organic matter (mullein) can be added to the soil.Further feeding of the rose from the moment of budding is carried out every 2 weeks with mineral complexes containing magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. But formulations with nitrogen are no longer used to prevent the formation of new shoots.
To form a beautiful crown, the bushes of the Super Dorothy rose are pruned. This procedure is also necessary to stimulate the growth of new shoots.
The pruning itself should be done with a sharp knife or pruning shears, which must be disinfected. The cut is made at an angle of at least 0.5 cm above the kidney. But the branches that are frozen should be removed to living tissues.
As for the preparation for winter, it is still recommended to insulate the bush. To do this, the Super Dorothy rose at the base is mulched with earth or peat to a height of 30 cm. Then all the shoots are removed from the support, they are carefully folded onto a prepared substrate of straw or needles, and tied. A covering non-woven material is placed on top, thereby creating a mini-greenhouse. Some areas should be left uncovered for ventilation, and when the temperature drops - 10 ° C, the bush is completely wrapped. The plant is opened when the temperature rises to + 10 ° C.
Pests and diseases
Since the Super Dorothy rose variety has good immunity to various diseases, it is pests that are especially dangerous for her. Among them it is worth noting:
- aphids, which are capable of attacking the plant several times per season;
Such drugs as "Alatar", "Aktara", "Fitoverm" work well against aphids.
- spider mite, which entwines the leaves and buds of the rose with white cobwebs;
This pest is first washed off with a stream of water, then the bush is treated with "Aktofit", "Isofren" or "Akreks"
- slobbering penny, which can be noticed by the formation of white foam on the leaves and stems.
Often, this pest is simply crushed, and then the rose is treated with standard preparations.
To completely eliminate the appearance of powdery mildew, it is still recommended to carry out preventive treatment of the Super Dorothy rose in early spring with copper-containing preparations. And to prevent the appearance of a bacterial burn, the bush should be covered in time for the winter.
Application in landscape design
Super Dorothy's rose is actively used in landscape design. It is ideal for decorating gazebos, arches, verandas. It is used both as a climbing culture, growing on a trunk, and as a ground cover, planting greenery on slopes and different-level terraces.
Pink flowers will perfectly harmonize with garden plants such as clematis, phlox and irises. But against the background of large-colored varieties, the Super Dorothy rose will easily get lost and will be invisible.
Conclusion
Super Dorothy rose is distinguished not only by its ease of care, but also by excellent decorative properties. Even an inexperienced gardener can easily grow this crop by decorating his plot with numerous pink flowers.
