History of Hansa Roses:
The rose Hansa was first created by Schaum and Van Tol in the Netherlands in 1905. The parentage of this hybrid rugosa rose is unknown however this hardy rose has become very popular over the last century due to its hardiness and resistance to disease. The Hansa is extremely resistant to blackspot and it does far better in colder climates than most other roses. With this kind of versatility just about anyone will be able to find a home for this rose and grow it with success.
Hansa roses are shrub roses and will grow to heights of about 5 to 7 feet tall if allowed to. They also tend to grow quite wide, out to 6 or 7 feet across. For this reason many gardeners use the rose Hansa as a hedge of sorts, or a screen to create some privacy in their landscaping ideas. The Hansa produce deep pink to purple blooms that are fairly large, averaging about 4 inches in diameter. They also produce a strong fragrance that smells a lot like cloves. Each bloom will carry upwards of 25 or so petals.
Growing Hansa Roses:
The rose Hansa is extremely hardy as I said before, which is not surprising considering the climate where it was first bred. This particular variety of rose can do well in climates as cold as zone 3, along with any that are warmer. Talk about versatility! The Hansa is usually only a single bloomer, however you may discover the occasional bloom later in the year if you deadhead and spent blooms as they fade. The Hansa also will produce rose hips that are decorative and often growers will clip these and use them in arrangements, just as they would the blooms themselves.
Hansa rose will require a lot of sun light if you want them to give you their best performance so try to find them a location where they will get at good 6 to 8 hours a day of direct sun light. If you can give them more, all the better! You should also plant the rose Hansa in a location that has good air circulation and soil that drains well. This is pretty standard practice for roses and even though the Hansa is resistant to blackspot, it is still a good practice to follow.
Planting Hansa Roses:
Planting the rose Hansa is rather easy and if you've done any rose planting before, you'll find this to be a piece of cake. For newer gardeners however, I always suggest that you take a trip to the local garden center and pick up a bag of organic compost to mix in with your garden soil. No matter how good you think your soil is, it can always be better. Once you dig the hole, mix in the compost with the loose soil at a ratio of 2 parts soil to 1 part compost. Your plants and roses especially will thank you for it!
How you plant your Hansa roses depends in part on where you bought them from and how you received them. When you buy roses locally, you usually get them in containers already established and probably ready to bloom. These are the easiest to plant. Just dig yourself a hole that is at least twice the diameter of the container, and the same depth. This gives plenty of room along the sides of your rose Hansa for your new soil mix, but it still keeps the bud union at the depth it was originally planted in the container.
Now if you bought your rose Hansa online, they probably shipped it to you as a bareroot plant and while these can look intimidating, they are not difficult. Start by soaking the plant overnight in a bucket of lukewarm water to help rehydrate it and wake it up. Then dig a hole that is as wide as the longest roots, and deep enough to allow you to set the plant on top of a mound of soil, and still keep the bud union about an inch or two below the surface of the soil once filled.
Once you have your rose Hansa in place and the roots spread out in all directions, back fill the hole about halfway and then water it thoroughly. Back fill the hole the rest of the way and water it once more to help settle the soil completely. This should ensure that there are no air pockets around the roots.
Caring for Hansa Roses:
Taking care of the rose Hansa is pretty easy and it's mostly about moisture control and disease prevention. A good rule of thumb is one deep watering each week and if you have to water your roses manually, try to avoid watering from the top down and soaking the leaves needlessly. Excessive moisture on roses tends to lead to diseases so just water the base of the plant.
You can also give your Hansa roses an all-purpose granular fertilizer in early spring when the leaves start to bud. You may choose to give additional feedings later in the season, at least 4 weeks apart, however since the Hansa is not often a repeat bloomer, it may be of little benefit.
Pruning Hansa Roses:
Pruning Hansa roses is pretty straight forward and should be done in early spring. Begin by cutting away any dead canes, as well as any that might look discolored from disease. If they aren't healthy it's best to get rid of them. Next, start pruning back the lateral canes that overlap one another. If left alone, these will eventually compete with one another for sun light once the leaves open. Lastly, cut back the remaining canes about one third of their current height as this will promote new growth.
The rose Hansa is also fond of producing sucker out of the base of the bud union. Never clip these with shears as that only encourages new ones to form. Grab them by the base and removing them by pulling downward and tearing them off the plant. This method will usually result in removing the buds that the suckers grow from.
You should also take this time to clean up the dead leaves and debris from around the base of your rose as these could lead to infestations down the road. Always throw cuttings and dead leaves in the trash, never toss them into the compost bin as some spores will survive to reinfect plants later on. I always finish my pruning by giving my roses a generous layer of mulch.
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