The difference between a rose and rose bush?

[ProfessorDent]

Was all set to buy a single rose stem from local garden centre, then happened upon one of these big rose bushes in a neighbour's garden. One doesn't turn into the other does it? You can't just buy a rose and hope it grows and turns into a bush, so do you have to buy a 'rose bush'? Pardon my ignorance, but I never saw any rose bushes in the garden centre so it didn't occur to me, they were all single rose plants, very nice but maybe a bit limited.

Eh?

Double eh? When you say 'single rose stem' you mean a rose In a pot with roots? So did it have a long strong stalk and a sort of pompom of bushy rose leaves and flowers at the top? Or was it a plant with just one or two long stems with leaves and some bids?

Single flowers on stems = florists
Plants with roots that will grow in the garden = garden centre or nursery.

I am not sure what your question is, but I am assuming that you are looking at things in soil, in pots in the garden centre and not at cut flowers.

Basically, there are different kinds of roses, and all of them will grow bigger than the pot you buy at the garden centre. (This is the miracle of growing things!). There are:

• climbing roses, which scramble up walls and through other bushes and often flower delicately several times a year.
• rambling roses, which also climb, but often flower only once - so you get a big BOOM! of roses but for a shorter time.
• shrub roses, which grow more neatly in a kind of, er, bush shape - these require different care depending on the sub-type (you can get tea roses and floribunda roses and all sorts).
• hedging roses which are kind of like shrub roses that thicken up so you can make a hedge with them

You can buy all these kinds of roses as single stems with a few leaves on them growing out of a pot. (Often cheaper places like Aldi and Poundland sell them like this, as a small single or perhaps double stem with a plastic surround and cardboard insert). So you need to look up the variety on the internet to see whether it's a climber, rambler or shrub rose. Some will grow into medium sized plants, others will become HUGE given half a chance.

Roses sold this way can be a good bargain, though they can vary a bit in terms of how well they are cared for, so be careful to get one that looks nice and green and not all shrivelled up and about to die.

Do check back and let us know what you bought and how it's doing!

It seems to me that it depends whether this 'single rose stem' was set in a pot in soil, or was it a cut flower which you put in a vase.
If the latter, it will not grow into a rose bush.

If you mean a single rose stem already in a pot in soil it can probably grow into a rose bush. If planted nicely with compost and manure to start it off.
www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=191

You can take cuttings from the neighbour's rose bush and grow them into another bush. A little skill and good labelling is involved.
www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/propagating/how-to-take-rose-cuttings/285.html

Hi, I spoke to the fellow at the garden centre and he said they mainly sell single stem roses, but you could also get multi stemmed roses, or bush roses, that become a big thing. The single stem do grow out and become a sort of canopy.

I've attached pics of one of each.

I realise I wasn't exactly clear in my first question, but it had never really occurred to me before. Thanks for the responses!

Ah yes
Your rose 'stem' is a baby standard rose. The idea being that you support the stem and let the rose flower at the top, pruning off any side branches further down. These are good in pots in the patio or in multiples of two framing your front drive/doorway.
It will grow into a bush if you simply let the side branches grow after planting.