Snow queen of the summer garden: climbing Iceberg rose

One of the most popular and famous among white roses is the climbing Iceberg rose. The reason for this is that this plant is unpretentious and capricious, it has good winter hardiness in our conditions, and its beautiful and delicate semi-double white flowers are resistant to rain and wind and perfectly retain their decorative qualities until frost.

At the peak of popularity

Rosa Iceberg is stalksome, the photo of which you can see in this article, is a kind of the most beautiful variety that has been decorating gardens around the world for more than half a century, - Schneewittchen from Floribunda group of varieties. It was created in Germany by specialists of the firm "Wilhelm Cordes and Sons" in 1958. In such English-speaking countries as Australia, Great Britain and the USA, the variety is better known as Iceberg. Its crocheted form appeared ten years later in the famous English cattery Cants of Colchester.

Description of the plant

As already mentioned, the climbing Iceberg rose originated from the German rose Schneewittchen. Preserving all the positive qualities of the parent variety, it differs from it first of all in height, since it can grow more than two meters. Under favorable conditions, the iceberg form can grow up to 3 meters and wide. When observing agrotechnics of cultivation and a good winter shelter, the climbing rose Iceberg Clyming forms a vigorous bush, which in adulthood acquires a rounded shape of the crown. To the dignity of this variety include an insignificant number of thorns. Its leaves are smooth and shiny, light green in color. The plant is rather winter-hardy, but even if last year's shoots were frozen and not preserved, the rose will still blossom on the shoots of the current year. The climbing Iceberg rose grows quite quickly, which allows it to decorate various structures and fences. Despite a lot of advantages, this rose variety, according to experts and gardeners, has one significant drawback - a very weak, almost invisible smell.

Oh, what roses!

In the pink bush of Iceberg, long pinkish or greenish buds are tied, opening into snow-white flowers. If the summer turned out to be cold, then the core of the unfolded flower can change the color to creamy-yellow, turning into a light pink shade. The size of the semi-double flower is small, as a rule, does not exceed 9 cm. The climbing Iceberg-rose forms from 3 to 15 colors collected in large loose brushes, and pleases with two flowering in the season. This is possible only when all the faded inflorescences were removed in time. Externally very fragile, snow-white flowers steadily endure rain and wind, without losing their decorative qualities.

Where can I find her place?

A lot of sun, fertile and well drained soil, sheltered from the wind and waterlogging place - only if all these conditions are met, the rose Iceberg can show itself in all its glory. Comments of Russian gardeners say that the plants of this variety grow and blossom well in our climate. It is important only to create optimal conditions for them:

1. Well ventilated, but protected from sudden gusts of wind.
2. The rose is a sun-loving plant. In the shade or partial shade, it can grow, but it's not necessary to wait for a beautiful and powerful flowering in these conditions.
3. The soil should be well-fertilized, because it's not for nothing that they say about the rose that it is the queen of manure.
4. It is important that the soil under the rose bush absorbs moisture well, but is not satiated with it, that is, it must be drained.
5. The roots of the plant should receive not only food, but also air. That's why experienced gardeners recommend after every watering to gently loosen the soil around or wrap up the soil under the bush. This will help to avoid compaction of the upper soil layer, and aeration of the root system will not be disturbed.
6. You can not plant seedlings in the lowlands and under trees, as well as in places where roses used to grow. If there is no other place, then it will be necessary to change the soil to a depth of 50 cm.
7. It is necessary to closely monitor the condition of the planted shrubs, recognizing the first signs of diseases or pest damage in a timely manner.

How should I take care of her?

Plant clumps in the middle zone of Russia is better in the spring, when the soil warms up to + 10-12 ⁰ C, but the buds on the plants have not yet woken up. You can plant young plants in September, while it is important that the kidneys do not go into growth, and the bush is rooted. But unpredictability of weather can prevent normal rooting.

Soil and pit for planting roses are prepared in advance, from autumn or a month before planting. During this time, the components of the soil mixture are mixed and it will settle down. The following fertilizers are added to it, based on the calculation for 1 m ² :

• 500-1000 g of wood ash;
• 500-1000 g of lime;
• 500 g of bone meal;
• 100 g of superphosphate.

In the place where the planting of roses is planned , dig a pit 70 cm deep and 60x60 cm in size. The top fertile layer is carefully removed and deposited separately from the rest of the soil. At the bottom is laid a layer of gravel, broken bricks or pebbles. Then pour 40-50 cm of pre-prepared soil mixture with fertilizers, and then fill the pit with a fertile layer of soil.