Own-root, Low-Maintenance Shrub Roses with Continuous Renewal – PharmaRosa®

We propagate our roses vegetatively, by cuttings. This sustainable method ensures that every single plant reliably preserves the original characteristics of the variety: its appearance, growth habit and regenerative potential. The essence of propagation by cuttings is that the new plant develops from identical tissue origin: the root system and the shoot system come from the same plant ‘unit’, so the rose functions as a fully integrated system.

One important consequence of this unified structure is that own-root roses can use their internal regulation to maintain a root–shoot balance. As a result, the plant generally forms the natural shrub shape characteristic of the variety by itself, so it does not require regular maintenance pruning. To achieve the desired shrub shape, aesthetic shaping is usually sufficient.

After planting, when your rose arrives and you plant it, there is usually no need for pruning in the first two years: it is best to let the plant strengthen and ‘settle’ into its place. Later it will still require very little intervention; in most cases it is enough to remove dead or dried-back canes, and if you have a preferred shape, you can easily maintain it with gentle aesthetic shaping. Heavy pruning is generally not necessary.

The own-root structure has another long-term, decisive advantage: continuous renewal. Our roses can regularly produce new shoots from their own root system, so the shrub can be kept naturally fresh, remain well balanced in the long run, and it also supports the appearance of the variety’s characteristic shrub shape. In suitable conditions the plant can remain vigorous for many years, even decades – under favourable circumstances it may live for more than 50 years.

If the shoots are damaged by frost or something else, with adequate nutrient and water supply the rose can rebuild itself from the roots. In contrast, the renewal of grafted roses is mostly limited to the area around the graft union. Since there is no plant part of different origin in our roses, the plant remains uniform in structure throughout, which in practice often results in better regeneration, more balanced growth and, in many cases, greater resistance to diseases.