A budded rose emerges from the ground in only one place. The bud union.
All canes emerge from that.
When you use the term "suckering" in reference to a BUDDED Hybrid Tea Rose, you are referring to growth sent up by the rootstock.
That is, of course, undesirable.

I've seen Gallicas sucker. I've seen Mosses sucker. They actually COLONIZE.
They will spread roots out further and further, sending up new canes,
and forming an increasingly-large clump, or thicket.
In fact, that's why Gallicas are often sold budded --
to prevent them doing that.

I've never seen a China do that.
An own-root plant sends up multiple canes from the roots.
Most China Roses are grown on their own roots --
so perhaps the poster meant that?

But I would not regard that as suckering.

Jeri

I've grown two china roses ... Cramoisi Superieur and Spice. Neither has ever suckered. This class of OGR is not known to do that.

Randy

I guess I use the term 'sucker' to refer to both
(1) an offshoot from the rootstock: which is obviously not preferred by anyone and

(2) the tendency of some roses to send up multiple canes from the roots.

I apologize for the confusion.

I guess what Jeri is saying is that the 'running' growth habit of the gallicas is a more 'accurate' description of suckering.

I've always thought suckering was sending up shoots from roots (for any plant).

My Old Blush & Archduke Charles send up new shoots from the base. Some other roses (such as Teas) have a few branches coming from the base and most of the new growth comes of the main branches.

Vintage Gardens has some nice drawings of various growth habits of the classes of roses (e.g., Chinas, Teas, Gallicas)

I have a sucker this spring from my Louis Philippe. I kept asking myself if I had planted something next to it and forgot, but it's a sucker, about a foot away.

When you talk of own-root roses sending up multiple canes,
you're pretty much going to see that with any sort of rose.
Even Miniatures.
That's why you can saw the root ball into quarters,
and have four viable plants.

That's not what I'd think of as having "a suckering habit."

Jeri

What some of my Chinas do are the limbs will fall to the ground and air layer themselves. It is a plus as you can get new roses. It is not something that happens often and is certainly not an invasive type of issue. It is all good if you should be lucky enough for this to happen and be able to give a rose to a friend.

Ah so suckering from the rootstock is of course bad. Does it always take over the plant or if you cut it off down low you are clear?

Suckering from own roots: good.

suckering from the rootstock is of course bad. Does it always take over the plant or if you cut it off down low you are clear?

*** Cutting it off "down low" won't do the trick.
You MUST eliminate that whole area where the errant bud eyes are, or it will keep coming back.
Recommended practice is digging down to where it emerges, and RIPPING it off.
Have you ever tried this?
I have! It takes a stronger gardener than I!!!
I've never had it take over a plant, because I've never allowed it to.
Hortico plants, on Multiflora, suckered here constantly.
The only thing that ended it, I think, was the eventual death of the rootstock in our alkaline conditions.

> Suckering from own roots: good.

*** ABSOLUTELY!

Jeri