Zephirine Drouhin Plant Care

Personally, roses have always been something that I loved to have in my garden. You must agree a rose garden always brightens up any landscape.

Now, among the rose plant, there is one that has stood out for centuries the Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose.

Plant Name: Rosa x bourboniana

Other Name: Zephirine Drouhin Climbing Rose or Borboun Rose

Plant Type: Deciduous Bushes or Shrubs

Native Areas: Hyberized

Light Requirement: Partial Sun to Full Sun

Watering: Average

Fertilizer: Fish Emulsion or Compost

Toxicity: Non-toxic

Temperature: Down to -20°F

Propagation: Softwood Cuttings

Growth: 8-12 feet

Soil Type: Humus-Rich Soil

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8

More About Zephirine Drouhin Climbing Rose

The climbing rose Zephirine Drouhin you find is mainly sold as bare root roses to grow in the garden, filling up the landscape with an aromatic scent and color, a reblooming rose.

When grown in the garden, it can form a flowering hedge with a pop of color, and it is a vigorous climber. But where does this Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose come from?

The Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ originates from Reunion Island when it was known as Ile Bourbon. The ancestry of these outdoor plants might include Damask for once blooming and very cold tolerant.

The other part of the ancestry includes China rose that is tender in zone 7 and reblooming. From 1830 to 1850, the climbing rose was a massive hit in the garden with its white, red, and pink flower production.

Still, the Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose was hybridized by Bizot in 1868. The rose is thornless, so attending to it is a pleasure. It is also shade tolerant but produces the best flowers in full sun.

Once the climbing roses grow as mature plants, they can bloom until the frost. These rose bushes are moderate growers but can reach a mature size within three years. Another huge benefit is you can grow the climbing roses as shrubs.

The process is known as pegging, where you take the long flexible stems and bend them over to attach them to the ground. Once your rose reaches the plant height you want, you can expect beautiful blooms with this repeat bloomer in the garden.

Another notable thing is that Rosa Zephirine Drouhin will bloom on last year’s wood.

Zephirine Drouhin Care Guide

Growing roses like the Zephirina Drouhin can be planted in a larger container to climb across a wall or directly into the garden. The moderate growth rate makes it ideal for gardeners with little time to care for it regularly with pruning.

So, choose a full sun with partial shade to grow it as a climbing rose bush or shrub. It is essential to ensure your container plant has enough air circulation to prevent fungal infections, even though its disease resistance is huge.

The Best Potting Medium For Bare Root Plants

The Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose thrives in moist acidic, well-draining soil. Whether you grow your climbing, rose in suitable container sizes or ground drainage is important. For added nutrients, it helps to add some aged manure or compost to your planting mix.

Lighting Needs For Your Climbing Rose

The Rosa Zephirine Drouhin is called a shade rose but grows best with up to six hours of full sun in the morning with afternoon shade. So, if you want new shoots to provide the first bloom, then sunlight is essential.

Watering Your Shrub

Just as crucial as well-drained soil is for your bushes, watering in the first growing season is just as important. Still, never allow your rose bushes to remain sitting in water, as it can lead to fungal infections.

You may find it in extreme heat; you must water carefully and often. Also, do not do overhead watering as it can result in dark spots on the leaves, making your roses sick. To help retain the water, it helps to a top few inches of mulch around the base of your plant.

Temperature and Humidity

The Zepherine Drouhin climbing rose grows well in zone 5 to 9. Still, it is best to provide your shrub with some winter protection. You can add a layer of mulch around the crown to protect the root system from the cold.

Furthermore, a layer of mulch will help prevent heaving when the plant roots rise out during warm to cold months. If you notice this, you can gently step on the root ball to push it back into the ground.

Fertilizer For Climbing Roses

It helps feed your roses a unique blend of fertilizer designed to keep the blooms coming. After every bloom cycle, add some compost to the fish emulsion in the mix.

Pruning Rosa Zephirine Drouhin Climbing Rose in Early Spring

Many gardeners advise leaving your Bourbons alone, while others feel you need to remove the side shoots in winter down to three eyes. The same applies to cutting the mane canes to one eye for a better flowering hedge.

Still, the best time to prune is in late winter or as spring arrives. First, you can trim your container plants to remove the dead cane. Then, it helps to slice the side and upright canes by 13 to 12. Finally, it allows new growth to take place.

Also, to help keep your roses blooming, fertilize them once the first signs of the initial blooms fade. Also, cut back the faded flowers and snap the suckers off.

Propagating Roses

You can easily grow your climbing roses from early spring or fall cuttings. The cuttings taken during spring are softwood cuttings, and the ones in autumn are hardwood cuttings.

With sterilized pruners, cut a six-inch cutting and remove the bottom leaves. Then, dip the cut end into the rooting hormone and press it into a soil or landscape container.

Once you see leaves on the cutting, you know your seedling has its roots.

Zephirine Drouhin Similar Plants

The climbing rose bushes are excellent to grow on a terrace, patio, hedge, or even along a wall.

Blairii Number Two

Growing an untrained Blairii forms an arching shrub and is a climber with dark pink buds that fade at the edges. You get a sweetly scented flower in mid-summer that grows 15 feet tall to 8 feet wide along a wall.

Louise Odier

The repeat bloomer displays rose pink flowers with a hint of lilac in midseason to the fall. The flowers have a rich aroma, forming clusters and adding weight to the branches to form an arch. The climbing roses can grow to 5 feet tall with a spread of 4 feet.

‘Boule de Neige’ or ‘Globe White Hip’

When planted in full sun, you see beautiful double white roses with a Damask fragrance. The flowers look like snowballs with a light green shade. The foliage is glossy green and reblooms from summer to fall.

Madame Isaac Periere

The rose bushes display fragrant magenta double flowers and are tough and hardy plants. It displays semi-glossy foliage with a dark green shade. It can grow up to five feet high and four feet wide.

Zephirine Drouhin Common Diseases and Pests

The climbing roses can get black spots to mildew, but using an organic sulfur spray once a month helps. Still, this type of rose can laugh off blackspot and bloom until it reaches a sharp frost.

Even if disease-resistant, it can still get fungal infections with overhead watering or overwatering. The best time to water your roses is in the morning, allowing the foliage to dry out during the day.

With black spots, you can snip off the leaves, replacing them with fresh growth.