Does not like Chicago.

Ken, it is fine here and in SE PA. It is tender in northern PA.

I've had it for 5 or 6 years, on Multiflora rootstock planted deep, & it has always come back just fine. Most of the above ground cane dies back, but cut it back to ground level, give it some high N lawn fertilizer for the first feeding & it always does well.

This post was edited by wirosarian on Fri, Feb 14, 14 at 0:16

My Moonstone has done fairly well for me here in the Kansas City area, but its flower quality is highly inconsistent. As for your situation, it may depend on what rootstock you have. If you have a multiflora or Dr. Huey you may be okay. If yours is on fortuniana, it might be a different story depending on how cold it has been, and from the weather reports I have seen, it has been a mess down there in Georgia. I have a number of roses whose canes turn rather dark to black, but they seem to come out of it okay unless the canes are dry and brittle. Then they are gone.

I think there are better in that color. It usually had split centers for me, perfect form was rare. Flower-wise, 'Louise Estes' was much better, or 'Mavrik'.

Wirosarium - what does a high nitrogen lawn fertilizer do for the rose? I was just wondering because my roses die back to the ground over winter.

Susanne27.....In my z4 area, the above ground canes of tender roses like HT's, Gr', Fl's, etc. are usually completely winter killed. As a result I prune these roses back to 3 to 6" tall in late Apr. Before these roses can produce flowers, they have to grow some new canes & leaves (green stuff) & what grows green stuff?... nitrogen. I use a heaping 1/4C on a HT size bush & half that amount on a smaller Fl size bush. The lawn fertilizer has a "N" number around 28-30, & remember to check that it is NOT a 'weed & feed" type lawn fertilizer.

Wirosarium. Thank you for the information. I am actually a zone 4 according to the US zone map. I will make note of this information and put it to good use in the spring.
Sue

It was a Weeks potted rose I bought at a nursery in another town 25 miles down the road. On Dr. Huey. It must have been a weak bush. It grew OK the first season (nothing to write home about) then kinda just sat there. It was planted between Peace (on Dr. Huey) and Crystalline (on fortuniana), both big healthy bush's. I'm going to give it another try. Hoovb---I already grow Louise Estes. 6 huge bush's of Louise Estes. My favorite rose. I'll be getting 4 bush's of Mavrik this season. I grew it in Fl. and loved it. the bustopher---It's been cold but no dry, windy type of cold. Very rarely anything below 10, with most of the low temps in the 20's. Believe it or not, fortuniana root stock seems to do very well in my area. I've got about 30 bush's on fortuniana and have never lost a rose to the cold. When I plant, the bud union is at or below ground level. During the winter everything is buried under about 18" of oak leaf's. As far as root stocks go (huey, fort., multiflora), I haven't found any that don't do well in my area. This makes for enjoyable gardening.

I think I purchased Moonstone from Edmund's the first year that they offered it. It is winter tender some...not as much as Falling in Love and St. Patrick. Each spring I prune Falling in Love close to the ground. It amazes me how it will grow back....if it ever dies I probably won't replace it because of the thorns...love the bloom. Moonstone is a more vigorous bush in my garden and lots more blooms. You probably just got a not-so-good bush. I think that happens to me sometimes. Definitely bury the graft/bud union a couple of inches deep. I'm anxiously awaiting to see what makes it in my garden. I did NO winter protection!

Cajun Moon might be better. My Moonstone always has split centers too, and I'm hoping it dies under the snow (I know that it won't, but I'm digging it out as soon as the bed thaws).