April 2nd, 2003
Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’


Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’. 2003-04-02. Austin TX (zone 8)

This week the Lady Banks rose is doing a perfect job of hiding my neighbor’s clothesline from view. I bought this rose in a gallon pot three years ago for $8.95 at Barton Springs Nursery. It’s doubled in size each year and is now about eight feet tall and twice as wide. I planted it about five feet from a chain link fence to give it plenty of room, which it’s going to need. The thornless canes are very flexible and easy to train.

The leaves are small, glossy and bright green. The small double flowers bloom in bunches like bridesmaid’s nosegays. They are warm buttery yellow. Flowers on this variety, ‘Lutea’, which is common in Austin, are scentless. The Lady Banks rose blooms but once a year, but then so do azaleas and pear trees and no one faults them for that.

Update: 2005

I’m very sad to report that this beautiful rose died in the hard freeze we had in December 2004. None of the other roses was affected.

by M Sinclair Stevens

55 Responses to post “Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’”

  1. From Don Oickle:

    I purchased two Rosa Banksiae Lutea because they are thornless. Nursery said they would go good using them to crawl up and over a trellis in the back yard. Now I’m begining to worry that I may have made a bad choice. The trellis (arbor) is about four foot wide and probably eight foot tall.

    Any opinion will be a great help.

    Don, the Lady Banksia roses will cover your trellis with no problem. According to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest rose in the world is a Lady Banksia rose in Tombstone, Arizona. It covers a space of 8600 feet. Or is that your worry? that they will get too big? Of course, the Tombstone rose was planted in 1885, so it’s had more than 100 years to get that big. — mss

  2. From Jo:

    How would Lady Banks do in a large pot on a good size patio with morning to noon sun sun. I could add a trellis as it grows.

    Jo, Lady Banks is a monster rambling rose, a fence-crushing, house-smothering rose. She blooms only once a year (spectacularly for about six weeks) and has no scent. So, although she’s a great rose for the back fence, she’s not a good candidate for a patio. — mss

  3. From Gillian:

    Can anyone give me advice on taking cuttings? My lutea is always spectacular but cuttings always fail!

  4. From Sharon:

    Hi, can this be pruned and stay between 5 and 8 feet or is this just the wrong plant.

    It responds well to pruning, but at it’s heart it is a rambling rose. — mss

  5. From Judy Ingels:

    I have three (3) yellow Banksia bushes. Your Banksia will outgrow a trellis quickly and also break a wooden trellis. Two of my Banksias are planted along a 6 foot wooden fence with a 2 foot high lattice top and one is planted next to my house. We had to support the Banksia that is planted next to our house with cable connected to the house. The two Banksias that are next to our fence have broken the fence. I’ve had them fo. 9-10 years and planted them when they were very small. They are huge and a spectacular bloomer in the spring. They will grow up into the top of a tree that is near by. The sky is the limit! They also leave a mess when the petals fall off. . have to maintain them with pruning throughout the summer. I only wish they would bloom all summer long. My husband wants to cut them down, but I can’t part with them. They really are beautiful roses, but get massive in size. I would recommend planting a Banksia like you would Wisteria. They won’t twist and turn around a post, but they have the strength of Wisteria and can pull down a fence or trellis. Hope this information will be of help.

    Judy, great comment! I hope it discourages these people who want to grow Lady Banksia as a patio plant. I think your comparison to wisteria is very apt. Thanks for writing. — mss

  6. From Audrey Ray:

    I have just purchased 2 purple lady banks and was wondering if anyone can tell me if they are any different in their growing habits from the yellow variety. Thank goodness I have planned on planting them on the side of a building supported with very heavy galvanized wire panels. After reading Judy’s comments it makes me realize what strong growth habits these roses have.

  7. From Veronica Molnar (Australia):

    I live in brisbane and bought a Lady Banksia in Toowoomba a year ago. We have it growing on a metal arch but we have had minimal growth and no flowers. Does it have to be a certain age to flower for the first time and do I just feed it with regular rose fertilizers.

  8. From Linda:

    I have a Lady Banksia rose I planted a year ago. It has not flowered this year. Please tell me how old should a plant be that it will bloom again.

    Roses, like many perennials, take several years to get settled before they bloom profusely. Mine took about three years, and then died the fourth year. –mss

  9. From Don Bryan:

    I have a Lady Banks Rose bush that I have had for several years. It blooms in the spring and is magnificent. I know that the rose is a climber but the arching canes are reaching areas I would they rather not. When can I prune them. Can I take the cuttings and start new bushes. If so, do I need to do anything special with the cuttings to get them propagated?

    Like all spring-flowering perennials, Lady Banksia should be pruned after it flowers. However, you can prune canes that are old, diseased, or rubbing up other canes at any time. I have never tried propagating this rose although I’ve been successful with others. Make a cutting of healthy semi-hardwood with 4 bud eyes. Put two eyes above ground and two eyes below ground. Keep the ground moist, but not soggy and see what happens. — mss

  10. From Cal Thogersen:

    I am looking for an online source to purchase a Lady Banksia climbing rose. Any help would be appreciated.

    Sorry. I’ve never bought any roses online or through a catalog; therefore, I cannot make recommendation from my own experience. –mss

  11. From Estelle (France):

    Please, what can I do to save my banksiaes (the yellow one and the white one). Both are planted in the same plastic pot (70cmx70cm) ; They receive sun in the morning from 8h to 13h pm. I’ve just found their “roots” are not developped.I bought them last spring and I’ve just add “AGROSIL” there is a “stimulateur de racines”. I live in the south of france, my plants are in my veranda.

    Excuse my mistakes, thanks.

    Estelle

  12. From Tash (Australia):

    An answer to Cal’s question from October 13, 2005: where can she purchase a banksia rose online? there is a great web site based in Australia http://www.gardenexpress.com.au they have a great selection and if they dont have it in stock they can tell you when they will and really cheap also.

  13. From Brandi (Arizona):

    Is it possible to plant Tombstone Roses in an enclosed area that receives only brief afternoon sun. If not, what else would probably work in southern Arizona, USDA zone 8?

    Thanks!

  14. From Annie in Austin:

    M, this may be pure luck, not skill, but my Lady Banks has been living and blooming in a series of larger & larger containers for almost 6 years. Originally the rose grew on a deck, now is on a patio. The containers were all plastic, and at each repotting the soil had a good amount of perlite mixed in for free drainage & plenty of compost. I used organic liquid fertilizer once in awhile, diluted more than the container recommended.

    Lady Banks grew on a trellis when we had the deck and is now draped over a metal garden arch separating the patio from the lawn. There is a white-bloooming clematis planted in the container, that sometimes pops out a flower or two while the rose is in bloom. Although this rose is not spectacular in captivity, the pot is just a few feet from our table, and it looks very satisfying at close range.

    Annie/AKA “Glinda” from Divas of the Dirt

  15. From Susan (Pearce, AZ):

    As to the Lady Banksia having no scent, I beg to differ. While visiting nearby Tombstone last April for the Tombstone Rose Festival, the scent of “The World’s Largest Rose” was detectable throughout the town – a lovely soft scent, certainly not overpowering, but delightful nevertheless.

  16. From JM:

    I have a small garden. My sister gave me a lady banks rose that gets too large for my space. I want t. keep it but I have to prune it to keep it in bounds. It has never had the kind of blooms you read about. Am I pruning at the wrong time or too much. It is about 6′ by 6′ and had one bloom this spring.

    You didn’t mention when you prune it or how old it is. You should prune after it blooms in the spring. If you can’t tell because it’s never bloomed, then prune it in late summer. Roses take two or three years to settle in and really start blooming. If this rose is more than three years old, has never bloomed, and requires a lot of maintenance from you because it does fit in the spot you have, ask yourself if it is worth the trouble. If not, replace it with something more productive. — mss

  17. From MaryAnne:

    I moved out to the country 2 years ago to a home on 8 glorious acres of Land, most of which is landscaped. There are many many fruit trees, shrubs,rose bushes, etc.. There is a huge magnificent yellow Lady Banksia Rose bush, planted between Juniper’s in a garden in the backyard against a chain link fence that borders/separates the immediate yard from the rest of property. Even though its bloom period may seem too short lived for others, I feel it’s beauty is well worth the time and effort.

    This particular rose bush has truly enhanced our backyard, with its spectacular showing of Yellow Spring time color ! I delight in it’s elegance and I especially love the gracefulness it portrays, as it’s tiny abundant blossoms trail delicately along the fence,and at the center of the bush, the focal point, it gracefully arches it’s long slender branches upward,over the fence, delicately spilling it’s tiny blooms over on to my old wooden bird feeder. What a cozy old rustic picture it paints!

    Thus far, we have been very fortunate, especially considering we have not done much to it, or had even a clue as to the proper care this giant, yet gentle graceful rose bush needs. Even under neglect, it has delighted us The past 2 springs with a magnificent spring time performance and bloomed beautifully both years. I Have no idea the age of this rose bush…

    (Previous owners lived here 12 years)

    Overall, the rose seems to be doing great,however,this year I noticed some of the green foliage was starting to look pale and some, a little yellow. How do I care for this wonderful rose. Do I have to prune it? Should I? if so, How many inches do you prune a climber? I had a Lady Banks Rose, once before where I use to live and I must have pruned it to much, because I never saw it bloom. After reading the comments above, Perhaps it was just to young. Is the Lady Banksia Rose bush like a regular climbing rose bush,in that it needs old growth to bloom on, as climbers bloom only on old wood? when /how often should I fertilize it?

    What is recommended to use, does it need mulching..etc…Please advise, I want to keep my special rose bush Happy!

    Thanks!

    Mary Anne, a Nature lover in South Carolina.

  18. From miluska alvarado:

    hi …I live in LIMA AND I NEED TO KNOW HOW CAN I GET THIS ROSE OR IF YOU CAN SEND MY THE SEEDS.

    THANKS A LOT SALUDOS MILUSKA

  19. From margaret:

    I bought four bluebells. When I planted them, I noticed that the one looked different, and had about six, flattish things attached to the root system.

    It finally bloomed, and the flowers look like the Lady Banks Rose, but the two common varieties bloom earlier.

    Is it possible that someone at the nursery put a rare variety of the Lady Banks rose in the package? I know that it is not a bluebell. It looks almost exactly like the Lady Banks roses that I have seen pictures of, with the duoble yellowish blooms, but the flowers do not cluster and they are blooming now.

    I am glad that they made the mistake, but I would love to know what this evergreen-like or evergreen plant is if it something that just looks like the Lady Banks Rose.

    I am glad that they say that they are good for my area if it is one. I planted it this spring, and it is fast growing like the information I got on it suggested.

    The winters are usually mild in tempature here, even if it gets cold. I have actually had Canna Lilies that have lasted through it during the mild ones.

    I think that this plant, whatever it is, is going to really make my yard look good. Along with the Hardy Hibisicis that is now ten years old, with the red dinner plate size blooms, it is really going to make my yard look good.

    I am going to have to get a trellis for it, since it turned out to be a plant different then what it was supposed to be.

    Thanks for any info you may have on this plant. I really would like to know if it is a variety of Lady Banks rose or not. Of course, we have had mild weather lately, and it could have been confused by that, and bloomed when they normally don’t, too.

    Without knowing where you garden or having a photograph of the plant, I’m afraid I have no idea what the plant you are talking about might be. The best thing to do is take a sample of the flower back to the nursery and have them identify it for you. — mss

  20. From val:

    We planted 3 banskia roses on a trellis approx 16 years ago and have been rewarded with some magnificent displays. This spring they were quite spectacular.It grows in full sunlight. Unfortunately after flowering the centre plant has lost all its leaves, and appears to be dying and the plant next to it seems to be going the same way. We have pruned it back to the height of the trellis (approx 7feet) and fed it seasol. Am I doing the right thing? should we prune it back further to only a small plant. Can you tell me the lifespan of this rose please.

  21. From Linda Westphal (Alabama):

    From what I have read on your website about Lady Banks, sounds like this beautiful climbing rose will not survive a freeze. We have several hard freezes during the winter although the temp soars to close to 70 during the day. Is there any way to protect them. I am desperate to cover an ugly metal barn. Newton, AL

    Lot’s of other people in Austin grow Lady Banksia successfully. I see big ones on the privacy fences along the highway that are never covered up. I don’t know why mine died–it might have already been stressed before it froze. If I were you, I’d go ahead and try it. — mss

  22. From Keli:

    I had good luck propogating Lady Banks. After the plant finished blooming, I cut young cane, about 3-4 feet long. I dipped them into rooting compound (the liquid stuff, I get for transplanting). I then pushed the cut ends into the dirt, so that several bud eyes (horizontal markings on cane) were beneath the dirt. Then I watered frequently with the rooting compound. About 50% of the canes survived and are still growning.

  23. From Lil:

    Lady Banksia rose really doesn’t need any special care(fertilizers, mulch, etc). My mom’s yard has one planted next to an oak tree (no flower bed, just plant it next to the tree). It has been there for all of my 50 years. She whacks it down to stubs about every 5 years. It is a shady spot, as it’s under a canopy of oak trees. If you are concerned about it crushing your fence, try putting it next to a tree. It will climb the tree and shower down blossoms in the spring.

  24. From Craig Travis:

    I am starting a lawn care business and I have a lady that wants me to trim her Lady Banks rose bush. It is in bllom right now and from what I have read I need to wait until after it finishes blooming to trim it back. The bush is about 15 feet wide and just as tall. What is the recommended height and width for this rose bush.

  25. From Mary:

    I’m in Augusta, GA. Have had 2 lady banks roses growing for 5-6 years now. They are a spectacular show right now, full of yellow roses. But, just the other day we had some 15-20 mph winds and they blew one of my roses back over the privacy fence. The canes are getting quite long and heavy, I have never done any heavy pruning. They were originally planted on a wooden trellis which they quickly outgrew. Guess my only option is to cut it back (when blooms fade) and try to find some nice strong trellis, I think metal might work best. I ge. many compliments on these roses and I’m thinking of trying to propagate and put on areas with cyclone fencing. I’ve seen them up a tree in a garden here, but I also noticed some heavy chain wrapped around that tree, to hold those heavy old canes. It was a beautiful sight though.

  26. From Jane:

    Your discussion list is one of the few places I’ve found a reference to lavender Lady Banks. We have one that blooms wonderfully every year here in Arkansas from mid-April to mid-May. We also have a white one and they are both on the same side of the yard and make a spectacular display. I can’t find much written about the lavender variety and would like to know more about it. It seems to behave much as the others, just with a wonderful cool pale purple to fuschia colors. I can send photos if appropriate.

  27. From linda:

    While I know that growing these beautiful roses in containers on a deck is not recommended, it is all I have. They are on a raised deck and are spilling beautifully over the railing onto the pathway.

    Any recommendations for watering/fertilizing to keep them beautiful and growing.

    Sounds nice. I’ve never tried to grow them in pots, so I can’t offer any advice. Readers, any suggestions. — mss

  28. From karen:

    My Lady Banks rose is now 7 years old. I planted it the spring that I bought my house after I saw and fell in love with it at a hardware store.

    At the time there was not that much information on this rose and it was still a curiousity. I think really it is more common in southern states, but it is doing great here in Seattle. I also had no idea it was this vigorous, this big or quite so beautiful. I look forward to it blooming every spring, and the rest of the year it shades my back gate.

    I think my lady lucked out that I put it in a sheltered location. We have had a few hard frosts but this has not dampened its enthusiasm. People on the sidewalk love this plant, little kids pluck off the flowers dangling down…and there are so many that I don’t care.

    I do not have to care for this plant so much as I have to bridle in its growth. I trim it pretty hard and despite this it does well and has taken over an adjoining street tree (the tree is sick and the rose makes it look good again) to create an archway over the sidewalk.

  29. From Anita:

    I just found out today that my nightmare is called the Lady Banks Rose. It was already in full growth when we bought our home almost 14 years ago. There are two plants along a 4 foot high, 8 foot wide chain link fence between our yard and the driveway. Those plants cover the entire fence. These plants make the fence look taller by 2 feet. They are gorgeous when in bloom for about three weeks in the spring and a nightmare the rest of the year. The canes reach out for anything and everything it can. We are constantly having to cut it back in order to get to our cars. It attacks the garage roof, the cars and the other standard rose bush. There is a white ash that has “weeping” style branches approx. 6 feet away that it reaches for the limbs of. In the last 14 years my husband has cut it back to stubs in the summer about three times. It thrives and comes back stronger than ever by the next blooming season just as the other person said her mother’s 50 year old plants has done. And as hers, ours is in a shady spot. It gets early morning sun light and setting sun light late in the afternoon. It gets no sun in fall and winter. We do not get freezes here in N. California very often. It gets residual watering when we water the lawn on that side of hte house. We have never fed it. As I said, we didn’t know waht it was until today.

    Anita in W. Sacramento, CA

  30. From Pam (Placentia, CA):

    We bought a potted cutting from the Tombstone Arizona white Lady Banksia rose. We kept it in the gallon container and tried to get it to grow, but nothing much happend for a year or so. We then planted it in the ground, and it took off! We have it climbing over pvc pipe to create a divider between our patio and yard. It blooms at least once a year, if not twice; yes, the fallout is messy but worth it. The canes do love to grow like weeds and must be cut often, especially in the spring and summer. Ours also has a soft fragrance. We live in Southern California, and have not had any problem with frost damage, even though several other plants suffered in the frost of 01/07. All in all, a wonderful rose!

    I loved mine too and after looking at old photos of it I’m thinking of trying it again. — mss

  31. From Barbara:

    does anyone know WHERE I can get a rose arbor trellis – about 48″ wide & 8′ tall?? I’m in Austin, Texas.

    Thanks!

  32. From Patty , No. Calif:

    How fun to be reading all the comments from Austinites! I grew up in Austin and we had an enormous and sprawling Lady Banks growing up the house wall onto an upper deck and its fencing. All my new Easter-outfit pictures were taken in front of our “lady” and I loved her delicate bloom.

    I’ve been wanting an enormous, sprawling, and tall privacy plant and have been enjoying seeing all the banksias in bloom this spring. After reading all the previous comments I’m going to relive my childhood and plant eight or more of these beauties in a row in front of very sturdy fencing.

  33. From Mike Catullo Wilmington,NC:

    My lady banks has covered a trellis in the front of our garage. It comes up from behind a hedge and the bottom section above the hedge for about 3′ is just stem with no foliage. Can I prune the top to generate some growth at the bottom?

    Yes, but it would be better to select some old canes and prune them all the way back encouraging new canes to sprout from the base. Do this a slowly over several years after the rose blooms. Don’t take out more than 1/3 of the canes. — mss

  34. From Adora Raleigh, NC:

    Is a white Lady Banks as hearty as a yellow one? Does it bloom as well?

    I’ve never grown a white one and I’ve killed three yellow ones so I can’t speak from experience. The yellow one is supposed to be hardier; the white one more fragrant with slight larger flowers. I do not know which is more floriferous.– mss

  35. From Janet, Humboldt, TN:

    We have two Lady Banks that we purchased in 1 gallon pots last summer. We planted them in full sun on either side of a metal arch. This year they are in FULL bloom and are so lovely. We started with one little pot 4-5 years ago and I decided to plant it by a utility pole at the end of our driveway. We now have to trim it to get in the driveway. It is now 12′ tall. They are in full bloom this month! I have beautiful pics but do not know where to post them!! We have now planted 20 in our backyard to make a natural hedge.

    Sounds lovely. — mss

  36. From MamaPat Hinely (Georgia, home of the Masters):

    Granddaddy or Dodaddy, as the great grands call him, has had a yellow Lady Banksia a long time. He planted it originally over 50 years ago. When the family built a new home he took a rooting and planted again. It grows about 12+ feet a year. He always has it growing up a large pine so it cascades all over it. What a beautiful addition to the garden. All the granddaughters try to take cuttings from time to time with varying degrees of success. Its thornless characteristic makes it wonderful for the play area.

    That Lady Banks is thornless certainly recommends it to families with small children. — mss

  37. From Carolyn Smith:

    I planted a lady banks rose last summer and it has hardly grown at all tho it did have lots of blooms this spring..does anyone know what kind of soil it prefers..our soil is very acid…should I put some lime on it. thanks.

    Roses prefer neutral to slightly acid soil. If yours is VERY acid, you might put some lime on it…take it a little at a time. — mss

  38. From Paula Dudley Flower Mound, TX:

    I bought a Lady Banksia several years ago. It was a stick about 2 feet tall and I put a trellis behind it so it could climb. Now the “bush” is about 15 feet tall, you can’t begin to see a trellis or the 6 foot fence next to it. I also found out you can’t hurt it cutting it back. It just keeps growing. When it blooms it looks like a giant snowball.

  39. From Cheryl Elliott, Nipomo, CA:

    I want to buy several dozen yellow Lady Banksia roses.

  40. From Lorette Lacher, Albuquerque, NM:

    My Lady Banks rose has been in the ground for a year now and has grown and multiplied to 4 times its original size. All in all I’m very happy with it, however I’ve noticed powdery mildew on the leaves, primarily on the new growth which tends to distort the leaves and give them a dull washed out appearance. It is spreading rapidly. Any suggestions on how to treat this problem? I feel discouraged because I’ve been told that this is an almost disease free plant which requires very little care.

    Lorette

  41. From Claudia Peace England:

    Our yellow rosae is 5 years old and has bloomed brilliantly for 3 years but this spring we only had a few blooms.The foliage however is luxuriant. Can anyone suggest why this may be. Is it because it was pruned at the wrong time of year and do you think it will be alright next spring?

  42. From Margaret McGrory, Sevierville TN:

    I live in the Great Smoky Mountains. I believe we are zone 7. Will the Lady Bank Rose survive the winters here? I was in Charleston, SC and saw this rose in all her splendor. I would love to grow them here. Please let me know.

  43. From Pat Rousseau, Fountain Hills, AZ:

    The landscaper planted 4 Lady Banks roses along our driveway, up against a very high retaining wall made of concrete blocks. The current roses are the second planting. The first round died and was replaced with healthy, beautiful specimens. Now, one year later, the roses are looking unhappy with long, bare canes with leaves only at the end of the canes. Most of the leaves on the plants are yellow. They are on our drip irrigation system. Is this behavior natural and should we wait for them to come to glory, or just give up on the roses I was so longing to see? HELP!!

  44. From heather, sahuarita, arizona:

    I have a white lady banks trained against the southern wall of my office in a space roughly 10 feet by 10 feet. It’s mine to take care of and I’m not ashamed to say I treat it abysmally. I keep it under control by treating it like a grape vine and pruning it back hard every two to three years. I take it all the back to it’s “bones” which are just canes I chose to satify my own aesthetic. It stays pretty tight against the wall this way and creates a lovely waterfall effect of blooms on the new growth that I allow to grow out into the planter. It also helps to keep it from growing too tall and taking the roof off. I usually prune it back sometime in the early summer, which is probably all wrong, but I just whack at it when I have the time and inclination. So it’s possible to contain a lady banks, but it’s most beautiful when it’s given some height and width to give you the beautiful weeping canes full of blooms. Mine is planted in unamended desert soil and now that it’s ten years old and well established, I water it deeply once in the winter months and once in June and I almost never fertilize it. Otherwise, it survives on rainfall. It’s in a corner that receives late afternoon shade on the soil, but the plant is in full sun all day.

  45. From Delia Caracappa:

    My husband and I purchased a Lady Banks about 10-years ago, after seeing one in bloom in Los Olivos CA. She’s a beauty and makes a great showing by our bank fence. Here’s my question:
    When is the best time of year to do a radical pruning to bring back the lower foliage and keep her under control? Up ’til now our gardener (mow, blow & go, as my husband calls them) just hack the Lady Banksia when she starts grabbing the branches of our orange tree. I think this treatment just makes her wilder! Help me tame my Lady Banksia. We love her all year round, but most especially right now, while she is in full bloom.

    Because Lady Banksia blooms only once a year, the best time to prune her is right after she is finished blooming. — mss

  46. From rita dowling Ireland:

    Lady even grows here in cold Ireland. have one that came from a cutting from Queen Mother’s British garden. Has taken 9 years to reach blooming size but is set to be glorious if no frost soon but she is taking over small garden.

  47. From Marie in Abq, NM:

    I live in Albuq. NM(zone7), and thinking of planting a Lady Banks Rose as a pergola roof. I need something that is not heavy, or overly invasive and most importantly evergreen. One of my main objectives is to use it as a privacy screen from my ngighbor’s two story house. I was also wondering if after blooming does this vine create a mess with its spent flowers? I’m also considering other vines such as: silver lace and clematis. I’ve been doing lots of internet research, but keep coming up with conflicting answers. HELP!

    I don’t remember the flowers being messy…but it’s been a long time since mine died so I might be wrong. Why don’t you ask your local nursery? –mss

  48. From Jaime, San Marcos, TX:

    Thank goodness y’all are here. We recently moved into my mom-in-law’s house where she has kept great gardens, but she’s been moved away for a couple years now and the gardens have gone to pot.
    There is a giant, unruly green bush-type plant growing by the house at the front door that she said is Lady Banksia, however there is no sign of a bud, let alone a flower. The leaves are sparse and it is just a jumbled mess.
    Looks like she tried to trellis is at one point, but like many others have said, the trellis lost that fight long ago and now the plant is holding it up, not vice versa!
    Any advice? I was this close to just pulling it up and putting in honeysuckle until mom-in-law said it’s a rosebush.

  49. From Hannah Violet (22) Australia:

    this is a response for Lorette Lacher, of Albuquerque, NM: in regards to the powdery mildew on new growth…

    I tend to my grandmothers garden and I must say please don’t be discouraged 🙂 I too have experienced the powdery mildew on my grandmothers 3 y.o Lady Banksia… It is caused by very humid weather…which can be fixed by pruning back the canes/new growth that is affected..and remember to give her a little extra water in the dryer conditions…also in the growing months add a slow release fertiliser. 🙂

    I planted my grandmothers banksia next to a wall made of besa bricks…added a wooden trellis and she is growing beautifully…It’s not required but I do prune her annually just to keep her in check.

    Hope this helps, Hannah Violet

  50. From Mary B. upstate New York:

    I recently brought a cutting back from Tombstone AZ. After reading all the reviews I didn’t notice any from Zone4 -upstate New York. What type of exposure does it need and what protection should I provide in the winter especially while it small.

  51. From Jere S., League City, TX:

    Oh my…this is a little frightening….my husband is planting 6 Lady Banks Rose bushes along our 7′ wooden fence as I type. I hate to admit we purchased these plants without doing any research on them. We were looking for a climbing vine to give our garden some height and enhance our fence, and these plants caught our eye. After reading these posts, I think we may have gotten more than we bargained for. Our fence is new, having been replaced after Hurricane Ike. I don’t think I’ll tell the hubby just yet. But, I’ll keep my trimming shears at the ready!

  52. From Nancy in Anthem, Arizona:

    I have planted 6 Lady Banks along a cinder block wall. Do I need a trellis for them or will they cling to the wall by themselves? I want them to cover the wall and I see from these posts that they will do that. I worry that if I put a trellis, they will pull it down. I worry that if I don’t put a trellis they will fall from lack of support unless they cling to the wall itself. Please advise.

    No. They won’t cling to the wall by themselves. They won’t even cling to a trellis by itself. You will have to tied them to the trellis. Lady Banks has very long canes with a lovely arching form if not tied to anything. — mss

  53. From CarolynD./N.Texas:

    I’ve had no problems from my Lady Banks which is 13 yrs. old – until now. This a.m. I noticed, on the new growth, 2″ pieces of what looked like wet cotton. On examination, there were collections of many-legged white insects about 1/4″ long. What are they and what do do about them?

    Do you mean whitefly? Spray them off with water or water with some insecticidal soap (like Safer-Soap) in it. — mss

  54. From Judith Gilbreath NC:

    I have a white Lady Banks which is three years old. We’ve had only five roses this year, however, the buds fall off. Can you give me any information on why this happens?

  55. From Camilla, Leesburg,VA:

    Preparing for winter in Northern Virginia (zone 7), I wonder if I need to bring my potted Lady Banks inside or if I can insulate her well with leaves packed inside of a burlap tube next to the house. In other words, what kind of low temperatures can this plant stand?