White Frosted Purple Tipped Roses

If you are looking for a frosted white rose with purple tips to grow in your flowerbed, you probably won't find it because white roses with purple tips generally are dyed or tinted to look that way. You can find them in flower shops in bouquets and flower arrangements. Nevertheless, a true purple and white rose is available may help to add that desired splash of purple and white in your rose bed. It is the "Purple Tiger" (Rosa "Jacpurr" Purple Tiger).

The "Purple Tiger" is a white-flecked or white-streaked, purple floribunda rose that blooms from early summer until frost. Its blooms can be up to 4 inches in diameter and consist of 40 petals. The flower's fragrance is strong, and the plant's foliage is a matte green. "Purple Tiger" is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9 and can grow 3 to 4 feet tall. It may be planted alone or in groups along borders, in cottage gardens or among other rose varieties.

"Purple Tiger" should be planted in a site that receives full sunlight and has well-drained, sandy loam soil. It tolerates partial shade, although its disease resistance is stronger in a full-sun location. In order to determine when to water a "Purple Tiger," stick your finger as far as it will go into the plant's soil. If the soil feels dry all the way to that depth, then water the soil. Rose bushes' soil should be watered deeply about once each week. Never water roses from overhead because that could lead to fungal disease in them. Drip irrigation is best. In order to conserve soil moisture, mulch may be applied on top of the soil around the base of each rose bush, leaving 6 inches between the mulch and the base of the plant and placing the mulch outward 18 inches. Apply the mulch in a layer up to 2 to 3 inches deep. Any kind of organic matter may be used as mulch. For fertilizer, use organic compost or well-rotted manure. Apply them as you would the mulch. Both contain microorganisms that make nutrients in the soil accessible to plants. A new rose bush should not be fertilized until after its first flush of flowers, but a mature rose should be fertilized in spring just before its buds sprout. It also may be fertilized in fall in preparation for the following spring.

Start the pruning process by removing all old, dead and diseased canes. Crossing canes also should be cut back. In a warm climate, a rose bush can be cut back by one-third. In a colder climate, it may need to be cut back even more. "Purple Tiger" also may be pruned for increased blooms. Do so by making a diagonal cut on the stem about 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud and where a leaf consisting of a pair of five-leaflet leaves attaches to the stem. The cut should slant away from the bud. Cut the stem in the location where you want new branching to take place. After several weeks, expect to see a new stem emerging from the bud eye just below the cut.

Just like any other rose, "Purple Tiger" can fall victim to certain pests and diseases. Pests such as aphids, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, earwigs, leafhoppers, nematodes, rose midges, scales, small carpenter bees, spider mites and thrips can cause problems for the purple and white rose, depending on its geographical location. It also can succumb to diseases such as the mosaic virus, canker, crown gall, blackspot, rust, botrytis blight and powdery mildew. The best way to prevent both pests and diseases is to keep the rose healthy by applying the proper care.