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My Roses are not Breaking Dormancy. Help.

12 years ago

This year I bought 6 bare roots from Regan and pick them up and planted them mid January. Three out of 6 have not leafed out. There are very very tiny red leaf buds visible but at this point, I cannot tell if they are dried or still fresh. The canes are green, I cut the top of them last week and they were white, though I am starting to see they are turning darker but not brown yet. I am misting them every day.

Is there any thing else I can do beside pray? I really had my heart set on them.

BTW, they are Rose the Rescht, Janice Kellogg, and George Burns. 90% of my roses were planted bare root so I kind of know what I am doing, I hope.

Thank you for any suggestions,

FJ

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Comments (5)

User
12 years ago
no no - don't fret - those little red things are signs of life(new shoots) - your roses are just being a bit slow. I really don't think you need worry. Just make sure there is enough moisture in the soil and the roses are firmly heeled into the ground without any rocking or movement.
harborrose_pnw
12 years ago
I agree, if they are red, they are fine. They are busy growing roots and will leaf out when they're ready. Make sure they don't dry out.
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In many parts of southern California, we don't really get true dormancy. We get . . . .a "pause" -- naptime for roses, as it were, in late December and January. During that month or so, many of us run around like lunatics doing all the relocating, de-leafing, dormant spraying, pruning, new rose planting, etc. that we intend doing before naptime is over in February. Now in mid-March, the new canes are well advanced. I love the new reddish leaves, all soft and perfect (I try not to think about all the bugs and fungal bad guys who attack them later in the season.) Better yet, I've got buds -- lots of them, even on new plantings that just went in the ground six weeks ago. (Can't wait to see and smell Sugar Moon)!! Just as I was "encouraging" my roses and complimenting them on the progress they'd made so far (don't laugh -- I think they appreciate it. . . The converse also works -- several of them have been scared straight, as it were, by the threat of Mr. Shovel!) I saw something I almost missed. There on a back branch, peeking out from behind a very large (too large) jade plant in a neighboring pot, was my first rose of the season. Ta-Da!! Francis Dubreuil, headily fragrant and dark red marvelous as ever. It begins.
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I can't say as to whether or not this is "Ok". I can say that I received a "Joseph's Coat" bare-root climber from Jackson Perkins that was already putting off a whole new cane. I worried about this, as I thought I heard that this is considered to be "bad". I put the rose in the ground anyway and, as fate would have it, the temps immediately plummeted to 28 degrees for a few days. However, the cane still developed. A few days ago, the temps plummeted again and the rose got snowed on and frozen for a little bit. But, this growth has stayed strong and is still going. So I honestly don't know the real answer to your question. I can just say that I have received bare-root roses in the past, not just this year, that were breaking dormancy and have never experienced an issue with this.
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Wait. Are they potted or in the ground? When did you plant them? I planted some of mine the first week of April and they are just now starting to bud out. If you were caught by the freeze at Easter that could have set them back a bit too. Also, how warm are your day/night temps now? If you're still getting into the 40s at night and not up into the 70s during the day they may just be waiting for warmer weather. I'd give them more time.
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PcnwGrdngirl...It really is too early to be pruning your clematis...if you do prune now..the new growth that will emerge will only be zapped by a winter freeze...I am not sure what time is proper for your zone but here in my Zone 8B I prune mine around Feb. 14th or you can calibrate for you when the Forsynthias are in bloom or at the same time you usually prune your roses...so I would hold off...Clematis "Warsaw Nike" is a pruning group 3 and should be hard pruned to about an inch above the 3rd leaf axil in Late Winter/early Spring as it blooms on the new vines produced during the growing season......Clematis "Carnaby" is a pruning group 2 which isn't pruned till after it is bloomed and only to shape and keep in bounds BUT it won't hurt to hard prune it IF you really feel it's a mess...it will delay the bloom time...Pruning group 2's will bloom in Spring and again in late Summer/early fall...and some intermittently..hope this helps...Jeanne
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harborrose_pnw
12 years ago
I wanted to add that with the bands I usually pot them up for awhile until they get larger and plant later into the garden. But if putting them directly into the garden works for you, then hooray. It's colder up here!
catspa_NoCA_Z9_Sunset14
12 years ago
I'm near you, in Livermore, and my Rose de Rescht, in-the-ground several years now, hasn't leafed out yet either (and Ulrich Brunner, Darlow's Enigma and Rose du Roi have barely started), though all the rest are well on their way. On top of all other factors, each cultivar seems to have its own schedule anyway.
behlgarden
12 years ago
Did you fertilize? I hit my roses with 15-30-15 fertilizer than they all woke up like crazy. Now I will switch to Virgo fertilizer hereon. I am getting some very strong breakout from root/graft areas. my plants are 10-yr old. I also have two bare roots that I planted a week ago, they were very weak when I got them. I hope they breakout too.

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