We specialize in Canadian-grown grafted roses. Grafting is an old and instrumental part of horticulture’s history and continued success. From grape vines and fruit trees to lilacs, Japanese maples, evergreens and all standard ornamentals, grafting is used across many different plant varieties. It is a process that joins two plants, combining the desired qualities of each to create something better. Our roses feature robust, hardy, seed-grown Rosa multiflora understock paired with curated rose varieties.
Our selection of Rosa multiflora and processes offers a number of benefits:
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Winter Hardiness - It is well known for being sturdy, surviving cold winter weather, and thus increasing the grafted cultivar's winter hardiness.
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Strength and Vigour - This benefits all varieties of roses, but in particular, the many cultivars that have not been hybridized to grow on their own root. It is only in recent history that hybridizers focus on breeding roses that perform well on their own-roots. Historically, from at least 1850 to about 2010 hybridizers assumed that the rose would be grafted. Grafting gives roses vigour, which can help them overcome numerous growing challenges they would face as own-root plants.
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Adaptability - Rosa multiflora performs well in a large variety of soils, from sandy mixes to heavier soils, allowing roses to thrive in the wide variety of soil blends that North America has to offer.
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Longevity - Its ability to survive tough winters, its strength and adaptability all contribute to Rosa multiflora thriving, allowing you to enjoy your roses for many years.
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Quality - We grow our rootstock from seed rather than from cuttings, which means we graft onto true root tissue. This reduces the likelihood of sucker growth and helps eliminate the risk of virus carryover in the rootstock.
Grafted roses are widely used and preferred around the world for their vigour, reliability, and performance. In North America, there is more conversation around grafted and own-root roses, largely due to the occasional possibility of suckers forming on grafted plants and concerns that Dr. Huey & Fortuniana rootstock are not hardy enough for colder growing zones.
A sucker is a shoot that grows from the rootstock rather than the rose variety itself. On multiflora rootstock, suckers are easy to identify by their smaller, matte leaves and nearly thornless canes. If allowed to bloom, they produce small pinkish-white flowers in clusters that do not match your rose.
If a sucker appears, do not cut it off. Instead, gently brush away the soil to expose its point of origin and pull it downward to remove it completely. This prevents regrowth and keeps the plant true to type.
Grafted roses are ecological, time tested and field-grown. They are hardened off naturally by exposure to seasonal temperature changes and environmental pressures. At Lakeview Roses™, the growing cycle from understock seed to a saleable plant is three years. This offers customers a strong and mature plant with a deep root system that is ready to perform in the first growing season.
