Rosa Ali Baba (Alibaba)

Charming Klimber Ali Baba deservedly attracts admiring glances. Vigorous growth, excellent health and almost continuous flowering makes the rose a welcome instance in the piggy bank of rose varieties. Gentle overflows of copper-salmon-pink scalloped petals are complemented by a bright fruity pink smell.

Grade characteristics

Alibaba was officially registered in 2007 under the brand name Alibaba rose (CHEwalibaba, Schloss Bad Homburg ®, Sunset Glow, Ali Baba). Breeding work was highly appreciated by professionals:

• 2007 (Gold Standard Rose Trials) the variety was awarded the Gold Standard for testing varieties in England.
• 2008. Winner at the exhibition in Lyon (France) for aroma.
• 2011 Championship in the category of Rattled roses at the exhibition-competition in Italy.
• 2014 bronze award certificate of competition in The Hague (Netherlands); Bronze medal of the rose contest in Japan.

Alibaba rose klaymber

Roses of the British breeder Christopher Warner, the originator of this variety, are characterized by resistance to weather vagaries, original colors and high maintainability.

Alibaba flowers in optimal conditions grow large (10 - 12 cm), not inferior in size to tea-hybrid. The flower is semi-double, airy due to the wavy edge of the petals. The color is complex, changeable throughout the life of the flower brightens. The illusion of glow is created due to the bright color at the base of the petals.

A plant with high growth energy, in the first year after planting, builds up green mass, at the same time produces bud brushes. Flowering is mainly at the ends of shoots. An adult rose, for abundant flowering along the entire length of the shoot, must be laid on a support (horizontal).

Horizontal running of rose shoots

The advantages of the variety include:

• continuous flowering;
• strong pleasant aroma;
• well leafy shoots that do not bare bottom;
• resistance to rain: petals are not damaged by moisture, do not rot;
• self-cleaning: wilted flowers crumble and do not require pruning, do not mummify, reducing the decorativeness of the bush;
• high resistance of the plant to the diseases most common in our latitudes (powdery mildew and black spotting).

Do not expect cascades of fragrant bunches in the first year of a plant's life in the garden. In the first 2 - 3 years after planting, the rose adapts to a new place, gaining strength. Flowering can end quickly, the expected aroma can not be heard.

Cultivation and care

In the description of the variety it is indicated that the shoots of the rose grow up to 200 - 250 cm. The declared width of the bush is up to 120 cm. It should be noted that in the southern regions the rose is able to curl more than 3 m in length, and requires shading at noon. Otherwise, the flowers will fade in the sun and quickly fly around.

Landing rules

A rose is planted taking into account the dimensions of an adult plant, in a well-lit area, protected from wind and drafts. Lowlands should be avoided so that the landing site is protected from excess moisture in the rain or during snowmelt. Groundwater close to the surface will also prevent the rose from fully developing. Jamming of the root system can lead to the death of the plant.

The depth of the landing pit is approximately 70 - 80 cm, with a diameter of up to half a meter. It must be seasoned with a nutritious mixture in order to provide a young plant with comfortable development and rapid rooting. For areas with loamy soil in equal parts mix:

• peat;
• sand;
• turf land;
• vegetable compost.

Landing pattern

It is additionally recommended to fill a 200 g pit:

• ashes;
• phosphate fertilizer;
• bone or dolomite flour.

In the case when the soil on the site is poor, sandy, the pit should be made deeper, and clay should be used instead of sand. Then the moisture and nutrients needed by the roses will stay longer at the roots.

Before planting, shoots and branches are shortened to 30 - 35 cm, so that the rose spends strength on rooting, rather than nourishing many buds. The roots should also be freshened. To do this, shorten each root with a sharp secateurs. The slice reveals white tissue; at the dry roots, the tissue is wood-colored; they are cut to live white. Seedlings purchased with an open root system are previously left in a container of water to the level of the root neck for a period of 1 hour to 1 day. A good sign is the presence of small white water-sucking roots on the roots of the plant.

Watering

In the first weeks, it is necessary to monitor the soil moisture at the roots of a young bush. Drying soil after watering is loosened to avoid cracks when drying. In an arid period, an adult plant needs regular watering. It is enough to moisten the soil around the rose every 7 to 10 days. This requires 10 - 12 liters of water, and so that the liquid does not spread on the surface, a small groove can be made around the bush and watered gradually. Prevent moisture evaporation by mulching the root area. For this, mowed grass that has dried in the sun is suitable.

Fertilizer

In the first year after planting in a properly filled pit, the rose does not need additional fertilizing. Enhanced nutrition is necessary for a plant that blooms fully throughout the summer. The rose fertilizer system is based on three essential elements:

• nitrogen: the need of the plant at the beginning of the growing season, when the plant grows green mass (shoots, foliage);
• phosphorus: a plant that has received the necessary amount of mineral actively develops the root system, produces buds;
• potassium: stimulates growth and flowering, works as an immunostimulant for roses.

It is recommended to feed the rose with organic fertilizers (nitrogenous) until mid-summer. Complex fertilizers containing, in addition to potassium and phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sulfur and other necessary elements are available until autumn.

Top dressing can be:

• root: when fertilizer is scattered in the basal area or the rose is watered with their solution;
• foliar (according to the leaf): in this case, the fertilizer solution is made weaker so as not to cause burns to the leaves and the ground part of the rose is sprayed, wetting the leaf as much as possible.

Fertilize the roses in the early morning or evening after sunset. Foliar top dressing is preferably carried out in cloudy, calm weather.

Top dressing bush

Pruning

There are two main types of trimming: sanitary and shaping. Sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring before the start of the growing season. In a rose, all dry leaves with signs of aging or an infectious burn are removed. Shoots shorten to healthy wood.

Formative pruning is used to enhance decorativeness, as well as to stimulate branching of shoots. The weak lateral and branches growing inside the bush are removed. In an adult, over 5 - year-old growing bush, old lignified shoots should be cut, they bloom less and are heavily stacked under cover.

Sanitary pruning

Disease prevention

Rosa Ali Baba has good immunity against fungal diseases. In order not to give a chance to infections, it is important to regularly feed and prevent bush thickening. An increased level of humidity can also cause the spread of fungus.

Pest control

Young buds and rose leaves attract pests:

• aphids feed on sap at the base of the bud;
• rosette leaflet, small green caterpillar, nibbles leaflets;
• the rosacea sawfly penetrates the upper part of the shoot, where it feeds on juicy tissues, the pest can be identified by the sloping tops of the shoots.

You can get rid of gluttonous insects by spraying roses with an insecticide, some drugs require re-processing.

Rose Ali Baba in the flowerbed

The climbing rose Ali Baba is suitable for growing on arches, supports and pergolas, it can drape an unpresentable corner or wall with it. Blue and white sages, tall bells look charming in companions to her.