It does sound like a good idea for roses that aren't very vigorous. :)

Not in the same hole, but I have planted several groups of three grafted roses about a foot apart to form one larger shrub. This worked well for about five years or so, but one of my Munstead Wood trio was always a weakling and eventually dwindled so I reduced it to the single, strongest one. In a different trio, all three plants equally vigorous to begin with, one died off last year, so I am left with lopsided growth. I might end up reducing that to one plant in the end. A third trio is still going strong, but is the smallest variety of the three.

As Carole says, it could be a good idea for less vigorous own root roses, but I would be interested to hear how either own root or grafted roses planted either in the same hole or closely grouped do long-term for others? I’m wondering if I have just been unlucky or if such close planting means they will eventually outcompete themselves for space and nutrients and thus have a finite lifespan?

Moses, I always remembered getting my Quietness from Roses Unlimited, but I just checked my database, and I actually got it from (the real) Chamblees in 2005. Mine is definitely one plant. When I order from Burlington Roses, she almost always sends two rooted plants in the pot, but I separate them shortly after arrival. I personally wouldn't want to grow two together, but I'm in a year-round growing climate.

Jen, wow!! What a glorious scene that is!!!

Yes Carol, Jen makes a paradise with her roses wherever she lives, Tennessee or California.

Moses.

Is two or more roses with the same genetics fusing together a thing? If so, I’m not sure why more growers wouldn’t do it in order to sell more well shaped bushes.

Like Susan, I have also received sets of 2-3 rooted cuttings of the same variety in a gallon pot. I imagine that there could be competition, but I wonder… if they were taken from the same mother plant, perhaps there could be some more synergy among the rooted cuttings to coordinate their growth (as extensions of the same self). I write this knowing it sounds like anthropomorphizing. However, I recently had to re-evaluate my conceptions of what plants might know after reading Zoë Schlanger’s, ”The Light Eaters”.

Perhaps, planting in the same hole might depend upon more than environmental limitations and available nutrient resources. Perhaps some varieties do just fine as a tribe in the same hole if they have the same origin and grow from small starts, while other varieties, and those that are heterogeneous (grafts) might be more, ”There can only be one” in behavior.

@Moses, Pitt PA, cold W & hot-humid S, z6, thanks for an interesting discussion topic!

I think that's a great idea jjk about them possibly being from the same mother plant, then allelopathy wouldn't kick in. Love that idea!

It certainly sounds as if it might work better for own root roses and I like your theory JJK. If both root stock and scion of a grafted rose are very vigorous, perhaps it’s inevitable they have a more limited lifespan, even discounting allelopathy. I couldn’t imagine two grafted Flamenco Rositas planted close together doing half as well as Jen’s spectacular one/two, they would probably kill each other!

I put two knock out roses together in a pot around 13 years ago because I wanted 1 big lush bush for a season, didn't expect them to survive. Still going strong all these years later. They've ended up kind of fusing together, I don't think you'd be able to separate them at all. But they're both own root I believe, and they're both the same variety

Elestrial,

My favorite Knock Out is Double Pink. It takes care of itself, doing its own thing unfailingly. I think Rainbow Knock Out needs to go back to the drawing board.

Orange Glow Knock Out's booms are just too small. I was awed by it at first, but now, it's getting replaced. I actually have two of them. Brindabella Purple Prince and Double Easy Orange are their replacements, planned.

Moses.

I saw your post about Double Easy Orange, good to know that Orange Glow Knock out wasn't impressive. To be perfectly honest I've been trying to find a good solid orange rose that doesn't fade too dramatically since Summer Song got discontinued and was looking at the Orange Glow rose and mulling over it, nixed it after I read your post. Contemplating Double Easy Orange now. I kind of want one that doesn't fade since I intend to put it next to Versigny which has similar coloring and I want some contrast there

Last night I stumbled across Select Rose's Summer Heat rose which looks closer in color to what I had in mind, and I'm thinking the name was intentional - hinting it'll handle heat better than SS. But I'm sure that's several years out before we'll see it here (if we ever do).

Didn't mean for the subject change though. Back to roses sharing a hole. I think you could probably do two grafted roses in a hole, depending on what else is around and what the rootstock is. Dr Huey would probably be too aggressive and dense to share, but it'd be a fun experiment. There's a video on Youtube where someone visited Tantau's HQ and was looking at their roses and they plant them in groups of 3 - 5 VERY close together to create one big dense bush. I think all of the roses over there are grafted and they all seemed pretty happy

In my old garden most roses were planted in groups of threes. They were planted a foot or so apart not in the same hole and they did great. I can see how this method would benefit the less vigorous varieties, but it works well for anything I have grown. Unfortunately most of the new roses in my garden are from palatine and I only have 1 of each. It was also easier to do when they were half the price they are now.

Define 'one rose' and define 'hole'.

Of course you can plant more than one rose in a hole without any problems whatsoever if the hole is big enough. Having dealt with 'holes' that measure about 20' x 20', been there, done that.

Regarding 'one rose', living somewhere that graft unions MUST be buried, I've seen more than one rose go own-root, and cast off the rootstock. More often than not, this results in the scion rooting in more than one place, and producing more than one plant.

This has been my experience as well, mad-gallica. Although it’s not necessary here to bury the graft union,
I always plant my grafted roses that way. In my opinion, they look better that way and I have never had a rootstock sucker when planted this way. However, I have had numerous plants produce secondary plants within a foot or so of the original plant and I let them grow together, unless I really wanted a second plant elsewhere. In that case, I carefully dig down and cut them loose and pot them up. This spring while pruning, I realized that my Young Lycidas has produced a second plant about ten inches away from the center of the original bush. I plan to let it right where it is. Princess Charlene de Monaco did the same thing last year and I am happy for more blooms and a fuller bush, so why not?