Helping a plant in a zone that's too hot?

March 24, 2017 6:12 AM

I'm not sure if it's possible but I'm trying to grow the beach roses (Rosa Rugosa) of my Maine youth, outdoors in the ground, here in central South Carolina (zone 8a). They're going to get a lot of afternoon sun. Are there things I can do to help them live through the summer? TYIA!
posted by ftm to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

There are microclimates in your yard, so choose your location with care. You can also engineer things a bit to make parts cooler. Think about all seasons when you do so.

One thing to consider: roses in the South are much more prone to some kinds of diseases and pests. For most roses, you want coolness and a certain amount of dryness to mitigate mildew. If there's a disease resistant variety of the plant you want, it's worth seeking it out.

Oh, also: plan your Japanese beetle strategy from day 1. Maybe look into getting some praying mantis eggs (but be careful not to kill the good bugs accidentally with whatever you use to mitigate the other diseases).
posted by amtho at 6:47 AM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

I know very little about Rosa rugosa, and almost nothing about gardening in the South, but this page from Dave's Garden has comments from people who have successfully grown Hybrid Rugosa Rose 'Blanc Double de Coubert' in Charleston and Durham. There may be other R. rugosa hybrids which look like what you want, but have more heat resistance bred into them.
posted by conic at 9:26 AM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

In the summer hellscape of Texas, some people put up a canopy of 50% shade cloth over their gardens when it's hottest.
posted by cmoj at 9:34 AM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Coastal climate, different continent, so it might not apply, but:
I'm in Denmark, zone 8b, and rosa rugosa is considered invasive.
Go figure.
posted by Thug at 11:24 AM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

The problem with roses in zones that are hotter than they like is less the actual heat and more the diseases that come with sustained heat and humidity. Don't water the leaves, ever, and try to plant it in the coolest/best ventilated spot in your garden.
posted by lydhre at 11:34 AM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank y'all so much! I hadn't even thought about the pest aspect because I spent most of my time worrying about the GD squirrels. Good takeaways from all answers, cross your fingers for me!
posted by ftm at 10:05 AM on March 27, 2017