How to Root a Confederate Rose Bush

Confederate roses grow on bush-like trees that are quite unlike most standard rose bushes. These plants grow best in the southern states of the U.S., which is where they got their name. The blooms are born in a bright white, and gradually fade into pink and then to blue. They resemble hibiscus flowers more than standard roses. These rose bushes are very successful at growing from cuttings. Take a cutting from an established Confederate rose bush and grow your own.

Pruning shears

Quart jar

Water

Potting soil

Pot

Take your rose cutting from an established plant, at the end of the growing season in fall. Cut 12-inch lengths of rose cane, using sharp pruning shears.

Cut the leaves off the Confederate rose cane, leaving only the two last leaves on the end of the stem. Cut the leaves at their base, but do not cut into the stem itself.

Fill a quart jar with water. Place the rose stem in the jar, root side down. Set the jar in a sunny window. Roots should form on the stem within a couple weeks.

Transplant the newly rooted Confederate rose into new pots when the roots have grown to about 2 inches. Use 6-inch pots, filled with a rich potting soil. Keep the rose in the sun as often as possible, to increase its growth. At this stage, water the roses once a week to keep the soil moist but not wet.

Keep the rose bush inside and treat it as one of your houseplants until April, when it will be ready to go outdoors into your rose garden.

Confederate rose bushes are adaptable to almost any soil condition.

Confederate rose bushes go dormant in winter and lose all their leaves at that time. Sometimes they don't rebloom in the spring.