Roses That You Can Graft or Bud

Grafting Basics

• Flowering plants that are closely related to one another --- in the same genus or species --- can often be combined or grafted together even if they have different characteristics. Grafting by budding is the most common type of grafting method for roses. While budding is a labor-intensive process, it is a simple procedure if you have the proper tools and techniques, and can easily be done to grow different types of roses on established roses in your home garden.

Benefits

• Grafting one type of rosebush with another type allows you more flexibility in the type of roses you can grow in your region. By grafting delicate varieties of rosebuds onto a hardy rootstock, you can produce a healthy, robust rose plant much more quickly than growing a plant from seed, according to North Dakota State University.

Technique

• Grafting roses by budding is a time-sensitive process that should be carried out in the early fall when the roses have started to wilt and deflower but air temperatures are still warm. The bark of rosebushes is softer than normal during this period, which makes the removal and grafting of a bud a much easier process. Cut a bud from the type of rose that you want to grow, using a sharp knife. On the rootstock plant, make a T-shaped incision near the base of the plant to accommodate the bud. Slide the bud between the bark of the incision so the base of the bud is flush against the rootstock plant, and then wrap the bud with grafting tape to maintain moisture around the grafting site.

Care

• Leave the grafting tape around the bud until the following spring when the rose develops new growth. Prune back the original canes on the rosebush to encourage the bush to develop new growth on the grafted bud. Water the plant deeply once or twice each week, and remove the grafting tape once new growth is observed on the grafted bud.