I have a rosebush that generally produces lavender colored flowers. I think it’s of the breed called “Angel Face.” Last year it was in bad shape, but after some pruning and plant food it bloomed. This year it also bloomed–but now the flowers are red. What is the explanation for the sudden change in flower color?
I don’t know much about roses, but it may be that the rootstock is outcompeting your budstock:
I believe most rootstock roses are red, too, so that’s probably your problem in a nutshell.
Other flowers may change color with the pH of your soil, like hydrangeas.
I do think the ph of soil is a factor. I have a friend who’s a landscape architect and he says that’s definitely the case. Would be interesting to transplant a plant from one type of soil to another (with varying ph levels) and see if that changes traits like flower color…
I could have wept. My stepmother meant well but one fall she really pruned back all the roses too far. The next year the ones that lived all came up red.
Almost all hybreds are grafted onto hearty red root stock. You will see a ball where the graft and the hybred come together. If you lop that off or prune too close to there, only the dominate root stock will grow.
I never knew that! Thank you. Interesting info! I had roses change color like that, but I assuemd the chemistry of the soil had changed. Now I know it was the brutal winter that killed off most of the upper portion!
Mr. Goob! Good to know - thx for posting. V interesting!
That’s one reason I like antique roses on their own roots. They’re also mostly fragrant, and many are just about indestructible. Just try killing a good well-established rugosa, especially once it starts suckering!