The best care for shrub roses 'The Fairy'

What is the best way to care for 'The Fairy' shrub roses?

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**FULL QUESTION** Dear *Gardening Life*, I planted two shrub roses ‘The Fairy’ and, while they are thriving, they are spreading out like groundcovers about three feet in all directions. Should I put cages around them, cut back the “runners,” or just let them be? *—Jane Walters*

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**FULL ANSWER** Jane, These charming, pink-flowered roses do make excellent groundcovers—in fact, this 1932 introduction is considered to be the first groundcover rose—because the branches tend to bend down and root where they touch the ground. However, if you don’t want them to spread, then trim the branches back. That said, if you do let the branches root, you can sever the branch and dig up the rooted plant. Few shrubs propagate themselves that easily! Hope that helps! *—Karen York, Botanical Editor* Other questions recently answered by the GL team: Eliminating earwigs from clematis flowers Beetle damage to spruce trees Removing whiteflies from hibiscus leaves Building a cactus garden Maintaining redbud trees Maintaining Boston ivy growth Using black walnut leaves for mulch Stopping powdery mildew on maples Planting trees near a swale Growing on a septic field How to battle weeds between flagstone and alternative options Mysterious orange powder on the lawn What to do with end-of-season potatoes on the vine How to control Japanese knotweed What to grow in a dry area The proper way to plant astrantia What is the star flower and how do I manage it? How do I eliminate my ant problem? Preventing red beetles from attacking lilies Vine types to grow on a new pergola Maintaining purple fountain grass Keeping bougainvilllea healthy throughout the winer How to rid invasive green goutweed Good garden uses for fireplace ashes Growing grape hyacinth indoors The best way to convert a lawn into a meadow The proper way to grow rhododendrons Eliminating beetle damage to spruce trees Annual resembling Japanese maple Planting ivy near cedar trees In search of the 'Sundance Kid' sunflower Caring for canna bulbs A supplier for barren strawberry ground cover Winter care for roses Cutting back mauna loa The best time to harvest curly-leaf lettuce Eliminating invasive trumpet Caring for double-flowering hibiscus trees Eliminating white aphids from honeysuckle vine Where to purchase Japanese blood grass An alternative to rhododendrons Growing a vegetable garden over a septic field Dividing and replanting daylilies Proper care for oakleaf hydrangea

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