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Roses are our favorite flowers and are able to decorate our garden from spring to autumn. But when buying in their variety, it is easy to get confused. This is not surprising, because even experts do not know exactly how many varieties exist today. Some say that there are 25 of them, others call the number 000. In any case, there are a lot of varieties of roses, they are all beautiful, they can bloom once a season or all summer, there are disease-resistant ones, and there are some that you need to tinker with.
Climbing roses are always popular, because they can be grown in the form of a liana, covering the wall of a house, an arch or a pergola, or you can form them in the form of a sprawling huge bush. Today our heroine will be the rose “Don Juan”.
Description of the rose “Don Juan”
Of course, all roses are good, and to say which one is better is a thankless task. But the Don Juan variety, in addition to beauty and all its other positive qualities, grows well in our conditions, and even in a harsh climate, which deserves our close attention.
Appearance and characteristics of the variety
Rosa “Don Juan” (Don Juan) was registered in 1958 by the Italian company “Malandrone”. It refers to large-flowered climbing roses or climbers that bloom on the shoots of this year.
The plant forms a powerful bush with upright shoots up to 2-2,5 meters long. In some cases, under particularly favorable conditions, branches can reach 3 meters or more. If they are not planted on a vertical support, after a couple of years a sprawling tall bush about 2 meters wide will form. A feature of the variety is that the old shoots have a two-tone color – they are painted in red and brown, which only adds decorativeness.
The flowers of the climbing rose “Don Juan” are cup-shaped, medium double, with 35 petals. They have a delicate aroma, are painted in dark purple or red, reach a size of 10-12 cm. The inflorescences consist of 3-5 flowers and cover the bush throughout the season.
It is noteworthy that the variety “Don Juan” blooms profusely, and continuously throughout the season, and not repeatedly, when one wave of flowering after a short time is replaced by another, and then only rare buds appear until frost. Although repeated flowering is the rule for climbers, such a long and long lasting is a rarity even for them.
The description of the variety is completed by matte dark green leathery leaves.
Variety resistance
No matter how beautiful the roses are, they often get sick, which gives the owners a lot of trouble. All the flaws on climbing roses are especially noticeable – a bush formed on a trellis or around a support cannot hide anywhere either the leaves touched by the disease or the petals blackened after rain. In addition, we can not be afraid for wintering only in the southern regions.
A completely different story with the variety “Don Juan”. This rose has proven to be exceptionally resilient for nearly six decades.
Variety “Don Juan” is distinguished by exceptional resistance to black spot and powdery mildew. This rose is also not prone to getting wet – in the rain, its flowers do not deteriorate, the buds open, the petals do not blacken or rot. But for many excellent varieties, prolonged inclement weather is a real disaster.
We have already talked about winter hardiness – it is beyond praise. And although the rose still needs to be covered for the winter and it can freeze slightly, the variety recovers very quickly. An old bush, even thoroughly frozen in a particularly harsh winter, which has several living buds left, is able to grow about one and a half meters in a year and bloom.
Agrotechnics
We have already written in detail about planting, pruning, care, garter to the supports of climbing roses. We will repeat only the main points, and we will focus on the features of the cultivation of the Don Juan variety.
Accommodation and boarding
The rose will grow most comfortably in a sunny, wind-sheltered spot. But it grows well in partial shade, without losing its decorative qualities. In fact, this variety is quite enough of the sun that it can receive in the morning – you can place it so that in the afternoon it is deprived of direct sunlight.
The best time to plant roses is spring and autumn. Moreover, in regions with a cool climate and harsh winters, it is best to plant them in April-May, so that the plant can take root during the warm season, and in the southern regions – in the fall.
If you plant the Don Juan variety near the wall of the house, dig a landing hole no closer than 40 cm from the support. It should be 60 cm in diameter and 30 cm deep. Pour some planting mix into the bottom of the hole and place the seedling in it so that its roots are directed in the opposite direction from the wall. Sprinkle them with the prepared substrate, gently tamp, add soil and water abundantly. To do this, you need at least 15 liters of water. Spud a rose, no matter what time of the year you plant it.
If your soil is poor, add a bucket of well-rotted compost or humus.
If you plant several climbing roses, the distance between the bushes should be at least 3 meters.
Seasonal care
In the first months after planting, especially if it was carried out in the spring, the rose should be watered abundantly, spending at least 15 liters of water under the bush. In the future, water the plant as the soil dries out, as climbing varieties require more frequent watering than other varieties. Watering should be plentiful.
Regularly feed this rose variety – it grows quickly, and blooms profusely throughout the season, therefore, it requires enhanced nutrition. A very good result is given by foliar top dressing. The rose also needs loosening of the trunk circle, especially if you have not mulched it.
Bush formation
Rose “Don Juan” can be formed on a trellis – against the wall of the house, on a pergola, trellis or trellis, placing the main branches horizontally or in a fan and tying with strong twine or thick wire in a plastic braid.
A plant formed around a pole, on an arch, or next to a large tree will look very good. In this case, the main shoots are directed vertically and tied to a support.
The rose “Don Juan” has powerful thick stems. It can not be tied to a support, but formed in the form of a tapeworm (single focal plant) or a hedge (in this case, the distance between the bushes during planting is reduced to 2 meters).
Trimming
In a young rose, cut out only weak and unripe shoots. If you grow a Don Juan rose on a trellis, then every spring, immediately after removing the winter shelter, cut out all frozen and weak shoots, shorten the main and skeletal branches by a third. All young last year’s branches that are not needed for the further formation of the bush, cut off by a third or remove completely – the Don Juan rose blooms on the young shoots of this year.
When growing a plant without support, only sanitary pruning and trimming of excessively long lashes will be mandatory if they suddenly go “wrong”.
Shelter for the winter
The Don Juan variety has high frost resistance, but this does not mean that it is able to winter without shelter and does not freeze. Shelter should be more serious, the more severe your climate.
With the onset of the first frost, the rose is removed from the support, all weak or unripe shoots are cut out, spudded and laid on the spruce branches, covering the lashes from above with it. If a harsh winter is expected, spruce branches are covered with agrofiber or spunbond.
It is very important to remove it on time – roses are more likely to be destroyed by damping out than freezing.
We offer you to watch a video dedicated to the cultivation and care of the climbing rose “Don Juan”. There you will also hear reviews from flower growers about its winter hardiness and decorative effect:
Conclusion
Rosa “Don Juan” is a recognized favorite among climbing varieties with red flowers. We hope you enjoy it too.