Advice on damask Rose bush with hazel

Nature_Serendipity

Hi,

I've inherited this Rose bush mixed in with what looks like common hazel.

Its very leafy at top with nothing much else in between, suckers also keep popping up from the roots which I pull out regularly.

I'd like some advice on what is the best way to keep this healthy, I can't find anything on the internet when I combine rose & hazel.

• Should I thin out the stems
• Does this need a trellis to fan out & support the thin stems
• Should I remove the hazel around it?
• Why do so many suckers keep popping up from the roots?

Thanks

Nollie

Looks like more rose than hazel, perhaps the hazel has seeded into it? Is it definitely a Damask rose you have and do you know the exact variety or at least if it’s a summer or autumn damask? That would help to advise on pruning and care. Failing that…

• Should I thin out the stems - yes, take out up to a third of the oldest, woodiest canes right out to ground level including any dead, damaged or diseased canes. This will help rejuvenate it, assuming you can get sharp secateurs or loppers in there! [edited to say, apart from the three Ds, this thinning is best done over a number of years rather than all at once, the shock might be too much!]
• Does this need a trellis to fan out & support the thin stems - not really, some old roses have a naturally arching habit and it would look a bit trussed up, plus damasks are usually large, bushy shrubs, not climbing roses.
• Should I remove the hazel around it? - yes, try and pull out what you can and keep chopping back any new hazel growth
• Why do so many suckers keep popping up from the roots? - some old roses, if the graft is buried below ground or it was grown directly from a cutting, naturally sucker madly on their own roots - so the ‘suckers’ are not unwanted root stock, but the true rose’s way of spreading and eating your garden!  Pull out any unwanted ones.

Nature_Serendipity

Thank you Nollie. It had a lot more hazel in spring but I took out most of it but then the roses started to flop over so I thought maybe the hazel was put there to support the rose structure.
I'm not 100% on the rose but it looked like a pink Damask rose and smelt very fragrant, I'm not that familiar with roses.
I got a smaller version with hazel too, could it be intentional or just coincidence?

Nollie

I wonder if there were hazels planted there originally and not dug out properly before planting the roses? Or they used hazel pea sticks for a bit of support and they’ve rooted! I can’t see anyone in their right minds planting a hazel and a rose in the same hole, but stranger things have happened. If it seems they are inseparable and you are losing the battle with the hazel probably better to dig the whole lot up, very thoroughly, then plant something else of your choice. I’m not sure either it’s a damask rose tbh, there are many other very fragrant roses, but having only got one little portland damask I’m no expert on that class. 

Nature_Serendipity

Nollie said:

I wonder if there were hazels planted there originally and not dug out properly before planting the roses? Or they used hazel pea sticks for a bit of support and they’ve rooted! I can’t see anyone in their right minds planting a hazel and a rose in the same hole, but stranger things have happened. If it seems they are inseparable and you are losing the battle with the hazel probably better to dig the whole lot up, very thoroughly, then plant something else of your choice. I’m not sure either it’s a damask rose tbh, there are many other very fragrant roses, but having only got one little portland damask I’m no expert on that class. 

Thanks Nollie, I wasn't too keen on the locations on these so have no problem digging them up. The small one actually dug up with little effort, took less than 5 mins to dig it all out!

Found this when digging around the root...haha

Nollie

Ah ha! The Gallica rose Charles de Mills is lovely, but notorious for suckering. You did the right thing, would’ve been a nightmare battling that as well as the hazel!