How to Graft a Weeping Standard Rose

Acquire a two to three-year old rooted rose that is commonly used for rootstock, such as Rosa multiflora, hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 8. Decide also which rambling or groundcover rose you want to use for the weeping part of the standard. Choose a type that cascades well, such as “Sea Foam," perennial in USDA zones 5 to 9.

Plant the rootstock rose where you want the standard to be or in a container, and prune out all of its canes except the strongest most vertical one. Tie that cane firmly to a sturdy stake that is at least as thick as the cane itself and as tall as its intended height. Add more ties as necessary to keep the cane growing straight up, and wait until it reaches the height you want your standard to be.

Prune most of the side-growth from the cane in mid-summer, leaving only a few leaves at the very top. With your fingers, carefully snap off all of the cane’s thorns and pinch out any leaf buds as well.

Practice cutting bud-eyes from a stem of your rambling rose before you make the final graft. You will find the buds in the axils above where the rose leaves attach to the stem. For best results, use buds that are just beginning to swell.

Remove a leaf, allowing about 1/4 inch of its stalk to remain. Slice the bud off the stem by cutting a thin, 1-inch-long, shield-shaped piece from around and underneath it.

Drop the bud into a container of clean water to keep it moist until you can fit it into place. Make a slit slightly longer than 1 inch upward into the rootstock’s cane just below its topknot of foliage. Leave a 1/4-inch flap of rose bark at the top of that slit, and cut away the rest of it to make a notch similar in size to your bud-shield.

Fit the shield into that notch with the cut sides together, sliding its top under the 1/4-inch flap and making sure the bud is pointing upward. Have someone hold the shield in place for you while you repeat the process with another bud eye, about 3 inches down from the first on the opposite side of the cane.

Wrap parafilm grafting tape tightly around both bud eyes and their shields and wait for two months to see whether the grafts are going to “take,” allowing the tape to eventually fall off by itself rather than removing it. If the shields remain green for that long, you can assume the graft was successful. Unless you live in a very mild climate, wait until spring to cut off the foliage at the top of the rootstock plant, which should cause the grafted buds to sprout.