I have three flower carpet roses, planted in buckets of potting mix, then buried in a bed that is also filled with potting mix. (No soil available in this place) They flowered a little last year, set off with a hiss and a roar this year and were covered, and now NOTHING! They've been fertilised, and have no black spot or other diseases that I can see. They are the AMBER colour. Many years ago I had a row of the first one developed, pink, and they flowered almost non-stop. People even used to stop and take photos of them, as they were along the roadside What am I doing wrong, ar is AMBER a difficult one to get to flower prolificially Should I give them a shock and chop them right back, and maybe add more fertiliser, or WHAT?
wasgonna,
Jan 19, 10:21pm
The carpet roses should be cut back by about 2/3rds after each flowering season. Best done with hedge clippers. I do mine in late autumn then spray with anti-everything spray for over the winter.
Hope there's drainage holes in buckets? Can't help with non-flowering though, there should be some at least.
colin433,
Jan 20, 6:55am
they were cut back about July, and yes, there are holes in the buckets. We had a few flowers right at the beginning, then a few very long shoots, (watershoots maybe) with a bunch of flowers on the end,but nothing since Christmas, and they are not short of water. When I asked about cutting them back, I thought of that as a last resort, but they are nice and even in their form, and SO healthy-looking. It's quite a mystery They were supposed to be making a statement, the only statement they are making is 'the laugh's on you'
kiwimade64,
Jan 20, 9:26pm
I have carpet roses and dehead them as they finish flowering, I only prune once a year and that's a pretty hard prune. They could be roses that only have one flush, I have varying pink ones and not the amber and they flower continuously. Not sure about the amber ones.
kateley,
Jan 20, 9:35pm
what have you fertilised them with? If there's too much nitrogen they will grow very healthy leaves but they need a better nutrient balance to encourage flowers.
colin433,
Jan 21, 12:30am
just a general rose fert. Not too much. They are not making huge green growth, but quite a few long stems like water shoots with a bunch of flowers at the end. Occasionally. I think part of the problem is probably that they are in containers, and no plants seem to last very long grown that way, other than my fuschias, and Aeoniums. I thought I'd lift the buckets and dunk them in a flexibin of water, but the roots have gone through the holes at the bottom and I don't have the strength to pull them out. I'm sure they're not short of water, but thought I'd check. I'll need to cut them right back to be able to investigate, I can't get rose scratches on my hands, the skin is too thin. I really think the original pink ones were the best. Anyway, these are probably going to the garden of my home help, she can get them out, take them home, and she'll have a good home for them. I've bought some 99c plants to go in their place. They'll give me lots of colour for minimum outlay
fluffyb,
Jan 22, 11:37pm
I have that original pink one too, still flowering profusely, with little care, after 20 years! However, the amber one bought many years later (and given care, as all my other roses are) disappointingly didn't thrive at all.
tonijo,
Jan 23, 5:37am
I used to grow the Flower Carpet Roses - the original pink was the best - still have one in a pot 20 years later - every three years I take it out and give a good root prune and bung it back in. The white one was the second release I think - that is lovely too with a slight scent, but not as vigorous as the pink. The ones released later were never as good.
eljayv,
Feb 4, 12:57am
Can you recall the name of the original pink please?
colin433,
Feb 5, 5:19am
I think when I bought mine it was simply labelled pink, but then, it was the only one available at that time.
colin433,
Feb 5, 5:21am
I'm sorry to read that you've had the same problem as me, but also pleased that I' not the only one. The buckets have since been removed, and I planted annual zinnias (99c each) into more buckets and dropped them back into the holes. The zinnias are thriving
eljayv,
Feb 5, 7:40am
Thank you, yes there is still a carpet rose pink also now pink supreme which is supposed to be an improved one.
colin433,
Jan 1, 4:57pm
I'm going to give them to my home help, she gets all my rejects from my tiny garden to put in her enormous one
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