Floribunda rose: hybrid tea and polyanthus varieties

Main characteristics

There are several opinions about what a Floribunda rose is and about the authorship of this selection. It is believed that the first varieties were obtained at the beginning of the 40th century by Peter Lambert from crossing polyanthus roses with tea roses. According to other sources, around the same time, the Danish breeder Poulsen also crossed polyanthus with hybrid tea roses, resulting in hybrid polyanthus varieties, which were then used to cross with other hybrid forms, in particular musk roses. However, the way we are used to seeing Floribunda roses today, they were bred by the American breeder Eugene Berner more than XNUMX years ago, for which he was unofficially awarded the title “Father of the Floribunda”.

Currently, the Floribunda group has hundreds of varieties, among which there are undersized border (up to 40 cm), medium height (up to 80 cm), as well as high garden hybrids over 1 meter. All roses are completely different in height, flowering period, shape and color of buds. But there are characteristic features that are unique to Floribunda roses – this is an elegant bud, like a tea rose, and lush inflorescences literally covering the bush, inherited from polyanthus varieties.

Floribunda roses are practically not afraid of frost, and if they freeze in a harsh winter, they quickly recover and resume flowering. Caring for them is simplified by the fact that the bushes do not need to be processed with anything, since they inherited excellent immunity against diseases from their “parents” – polyanthus roses. And yet the main advantage of roses is the high decorativeness of flowers and bushes in general.

Roses bloom in waves several times a season. Depending on the varietal characteristics, the buds come in different sizes (4-8 cm in diameter). The flowers are cup-shaped or goblet-shaped, can be double, densely double or simple. The color of the buds is distinguished by a wide color palette, and there are even several varieties of striped color (Purple Tiger, Tiger Tail).

Floribunda roses are characterized by multiple inflorescences, because of which doubts sometimes arise – what is it, polyanthus roses or is it Floribunda?

Indeed, both of them bloom in inflorescences, but in Floribunda roses, the buds are more like a tea rose. A huge variety of varieties allows you to use roses to decorate any territory and space. They look great along paths, walls, fences, in the center of a flower bed, in a beautiful pot and as a single bush.

Video “Queen of the flower bed – Floribunda”

From the video you will learn a lot about this rose bush.

Landing

Growing a Floribunda rose is not at all difficult. Her agricultural technology is simple, and the roses themselves are unpretentious and tenacious. The main thing is to choose high-quality planting material and properly plant seedlings in the soil. The Floribunda rose is well propagated by cuttings and grafting onto a stock. It is grafted seedlings that are offered in nurseries and specialized stores. When purchasing them, give preference to specimens with a closed root system (in pots) – they take root easier and faster. A more economical option is self-growing from a cutting. Cuttings for these roses are convenient because the cuttings can be cut from stiff shoots and immediately planted in a permanent place.

The grown seedlings are planted in the ground at the end of May, cuttings – in June. For the southern regions, autumn planting is possible from mid-September to the end of October, but in regions with a temperate and northern climate, planting in the fall is rarely successful, so it’s not worth the risk.

Seedlings in containers can be planted throughout the summer. Like all roses, Floribundas prefer sunny areas without wind and drafts. As for the soil, there are no special requirements, the main thing is that the soil is not heavy and swampy.

All fertilizers and soil components can be applied directly to the planting hole. The substrate in which the rose will feel perfect is prepared as follows: peat, humus and sand (1 bucket each), fine clay (0,5 buckets), bone meal and superphosphate (handful each) are mixed with half the earth taken out of the pit , after which it is used for planting seedlings.

The landing itself is carried out as follows:

• a hole is dug 40×40 cm in size up to half a meter deep;
• the bottom of the pit is abundantly watered;
• soil mixture is poured into the pit by a third;
• the seedling is placed vertically in the center of the planting pit;
• if the roots are open, they need to be straightened – the plant removed from the pot should not be touched;
• cover the seedling with soil evenly, periodically compacting, make sure that the root neck (grafting site) is 3-4 cm deep in the soil;
• water the plant around the bush (not under the root);
• as soon as the water is absorbed, cover the trunk circle with mulch (peat, sawdust, fine gravel, expanded clay).

When planting in groups, seedlings must be planted at the following distance from each other: low-growing roses – 50 cm, medium height – 70-80 cm, high – at a distance of 1-1,2 m.

Trimming

Formative pruning of Floribunda roses has some features. Since all varieties are very different, there are no uniform recommendations for pruning – it all depends on the condition of the plant, its shape, height and other characteristics. It is important to understand that heavy pruning can weaken the bush and delay flowering for a long time, while light pruning leads to the appearance of excess growth, so the measure must be observed in everything.

For bushes, two main prunings are required: in spring and autumn, but since most Floribunda varieties bloom in waves 3-4 times per season, it makes sense for them to also carry out summer pruning. Spring pruning is considered the main thing for these roses, as it affects the formation of the bush and the formation of buds. It should be carried out immediately after removing the shelter, until the buds have had time to bloom. There are three types of spring pruning: strong (1-2 buds remain), medium (4-5 buds) and weak (up to 8 buds).

There are several rules that must be observed during spring pruning:

When deciding on the intensity of pruning, remember that weak pruning ensures earlier flowering (in June), with strong pruning, flowering will have to wait until August or even September, and in order to achieve multiple flowering of the bush, the tops are cut in the summer between flowering for only a few centimeters.

Shelter

Despite the good winter hardiness of roses, in the climate of northern latitudes and the middle zone, they need shelter for the winter. Before you cover the roses, you must carry out the following preparatory activities:

• completely remove all diseased and damaged branches from the bush;
• remove withered leaves, inflorescences from the remaining healthy shoots, collect everything from the ground and burn;
• cut the stems to a height of 40 cm (undersized varieties up to half);
• since it will be humid and warm under the shelter, the shoots will need protection from fungi and pest larvae, therefore, for prevention, the stems should be treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or a 3% solution of ferrous sulfate;
• spud each bush with earth by 20-30 cm;
• protect the roots – pour peat under the bushes or cover with spruce branches.

In snowy and not very frosty winters, hilling and covering with organic matter will be enough, but if there is no snow and the frosts are severe, then roses must be additionally covered with non-woven material. Since the stems of most varieties of Floribunda are erect, a frame should be built for shelter, on which the covering material should then be pulled.

The most famous varieties

Floribunda roses have long been very popular with flower growers and ordinary summer residents, so over the years it has been possible to identify several of the most famous and frequently planted varieties:

1. Rumba. An amazing rose that changes color over time: first the petals are yellow with a red edging, and then turn carmine red. Blooms continuously from late June to late autumn. The flowers are medium (5-7 cm), collected in brushes of 10-15 pieces. The bushes are compact, the leaves are very thick, decorative.
2. Leonardo da Vinci. Continuous flowering variety with bright leaves and bright pink buds. Bushes of medium height (70-100 cm), flowers are densely double, very fragrant, grow singly or are collected in small (3-5 pieces) inflorescences.
3. Iceberg. Popular all over the world variety with semi-double snow-white buds. The bush is low (up to 70 cm), during flowering (June – September) it looks very decorative, as it is densely strewn with flowers collected in inflorescences of 3-5 pieces.
4. Nina Weibull. An old but still very popular variety. The flowers are dark red, semi-double, small (up to 6 cm), collected 3-10 pieces in inflorescences. The bushes are compact (up to 70 cm), densely leafy.
5. Freesia. Gorgeous rose of golden yellow or lemon color. The buds are large (up to 8 cm), semi-double, beautifully refined in shape, collected in 3-5 pieces. The variety is resistant to weather conditions, the flowers do not fade and retain their original appearance for a long time.

New varieties

Do not disregard the new hybrids bred literally in recent years by American breeders. These are completely different typical forms, which, according to their characteristics, belong to the Floribunds, but differ in appearance. Such hybrids are Spray Roses, Flora Tea Roses, Mini Flora, and Patio.

Spray roses are highly decorative. They are characterized by a bouquet type of inflorescences – when several buds on long stems are located on one shoot. This species is very often used in wedding bouquets to create original compositions. In the garden, they look just great, as the bushes are compact and low: Tamango variety – 40-45 cm, Mandarin and Lydia – up to 60 cm.

Flora-tea roses are special in that inflorescences are formed not on the main shoots, but on each individual young shoot, due to which the bush is completely covered with buds. Patio roses are especially original. These are undersized plants with small bright leaves, and rather large multiple inflorescences. The maximum height of these roses is 50 cm, which allows them to be used to frame compositions, and planted in a pot as a gift option. 

Video “Trimming”

From the video you will learn how to properly trim.