Thank you all. They actually were in dark colored soil (bare root bag) that I kept very moist until they were in the ground and have kept my eye on watering them now that they are in the ground, daily. Around me, I've only seen the saw dust bare root at one place but they were out of Z.D. at the time. I bought them from a very reputable and well know nursery and the guy actually went into a holding area to get me the best ones. I'll snap off the new growth as you all said. Question: Would some alfalfa meal on top of the soil be of help now or just wait? I read someone else's post about this. I wouldn't do the tea but just do the meal on top and water. For my other 19 rose bushes (inherited when we bought this house), when should I do this alfalfa thing? Any BEST time to do this? Since many of the older established roses are of unknown varieties, is there any way to tell what TYPE of rose they are since I noticed that the new leaves in some are dark almost purpleish and in other bushes they are bright green? I was just wondering about them. So far I've taken out some of the bushes that had no smell or where just shrub roses etc. that I didn't like and picked out new ones that I wanted. Just something I noticed and thought you all might have some insight into this. Fun learning all this stuff. I'm soaking up all the knowledge I can right now. I'm a sponge much to my husband's pocket's dismay.... ;D

Native soil with top dressing. The more extensively you can loosen the soil (wide, not too deep) the better. As amendments in the soil break down, that decomposition requires oxygen. Roots require oxygen, not just soil and water. If there is too much amendment decomposing, the roots are robbed of the oxygen they need. Loosening the soil creates tiny air pockets, and the roots can grow more easily (and have the oxygen they need). Ideal soil has only 1-2% organic content!

Thanks for the words of encouragement and photo ideas grannybj65, I have a really nice digital camera and plan to take LOTS of photos all along the way as I develop the garden. The photos linked here were taken by a good friend. I have an eye for good snapshots so once I'm down there I'll be taking dozens of photos from all angles and different weather conditions. The joy of digital photography - you never run out of film. LOL One of the things I like to do is take a series of photos from the same angle all day long on a sunny day to get a general idea of where the shady and sunny spots are. Doing that a few times throughout the year as the Earth changes kilter I'll perfect an image in my mind of where best to place different plants based on their light/shade tolerance. Looking at the photo of the front of the house dead-on, I just got a great idea. Facing the house, the living room is on the right side with the single window and the kitchen is on the left side with the double windows. In front of the double windows inside is the kitchen sink, so it is not a spot that will have tremendous "looking out the window" appeal. So, as the cogs turn in this hard head of mine, I'm visualizing lattice from the center pole on the porch going to the left corner, then around to where the porch meets the house. Then cutting a rectangular window out of the center of the front of the lattice and framing it a bit so there is a clear view out to the road from the kitchen window. And then I can visualize the lattice painted white (or more likely light gray as I'm not too fond of white outside) and covered in Scarlet Runner Bean and Clematis with maybe some "Joseph's Coat" (Amaranthus tricolor) in front and some dwarf Cannas with some "Love lies Bleeding" (Amaranthus sp.) along the side. The scarlet, violet, purple and deep reds and burgundys will all be in harmony with one another, at least until I decide on a totally different look down the road. I can have a nice metal frame rocking deck seat out on the porch hidden away behind the wall of vines where I can sit and enjoy the shade - and a good spray from the gardening hose on all the vines will create a nice cooling breeze. Well, it's a thought anyway. :) I saw on eBay this evening someone in San Diego California is selling several batches of Tillandsias (the common T. ionantha). They are offering them as a box of 50 child fist-sized clumps of them for around $20 if I recall - quite cheap. I immediately thought how neat it would be to buy 50 or 100 clumps and then carefully wire them to a wire-frame wreath for a living, blooming front door wreath, especially once the front porch is semi-latticed in and well shaded. A few sprigs of Spanish Moss draping down from the wreath here and there would further kick off the effect. It would live on the wet air, constantly regenerate itself with new growth, and bloom off and on throughout the year. During the colder months I could bring it inside and hang up it in the living room window where it can get plenty of bright indirect light. Ok, I'll shut up now.

Thanks, Patty, you said it even better than I did! Lily, If you have ever ordered from DA you will know why they charge so much. The canes and roots are long and huge. See my hole that I dug for 2 Evelyns. 22 x 36 and 22 inches deep to bury the graft. In my opinion and experience, they are amazing. I also order from other companies like Northland Rosarium and Roses Unlimited, but I order from DA when I need DA roses that are current stock (ones that aren't discontinued). They come with great canes, great roots and jump up and grow big right out of the shoot. They don't know the meaning of 1st year sleep. Here's my comparison, taking into account the growth rate of each rose is different. Below are 2 DAR A Shropshire Lad... planted last spring from own root gallon pots from Heirloom Roses. Below is DAR Crown Princess Margareta 2 own root from DAR. They had total cane survival after being under a 4 foot snow bank all winter. The snow came in a huge storm that arrived before we had a hard freeze. The leaves were still green when the snow thawed this spring. I included the chair in the photo so you can see size comparison. AMAZING growth for 1st year and FABULOUS blooms. I already pruned it and removed all the leaves so it could start over. Bottom line for me is... If I want David Austin Roses and the ones I want are available at David Austin Roses, I buy from David Austin Roses to get the most for my money. Rebecca