I'm learning in stages.

Last year I began populating my garden with roses. I had a short season of life back in the early '90's when I started a rose garden; but we moved from that house shortly after that. This was before the internet and message boards, so I was blissfully ignorant!

This time I come here every day to get guidance on purchasing and planting as I go. I've been paying attention to very basic things like .. my zone... rose varieties... keeping the deer away... pruning... fertilizing .... (keeping the deer away)...soil amendments - yes, no and otherwise.... spraying, or not... watering, etc. And, oh yeah - keeping the deer away.

Okay ---- now a new topic has broken through into my consciousness - root stock! Own root.... Dr. Huey, Fortuiana. Hmmm.... this hadn't made any impression on me at all up until now.

When I was planting roses 20 years ago I knew that in my zone 7 (which is now 7a) I should plant "the graft" at soil level. I never once thought about what that meant - a "graft". I just followed the instructions - "plant the graft at soil level"; not above, not below. As I've been planting this time I've continued to do that - plant the graft at soil level. However, I have noticed that many of my roses don't seem to have a graft. As I've planted them I've wondered "well, where's the graft?" - as if that was a natural part of a rose plant.

Now this issue of grafting and root stock has just captured my attention. The advantages, disadvantages, dangers, etc. as to the particular root stock of my roses. I had no idea! Now I'm wondering if I need to go back and familiarize myself with that fact about each of my roses? This for future issues that could possibly arise?

I just bought and planted a Climbing Don Juan from a local nursery - it's a Week's Rose, and has a big graft. I buried it sorta right at/a bit below soil level b/c I'd recently read about the effects of the wind on a grafted rose if it's not a bit under the soil.

Most/Many of my roses I bought last year from online nurseries as bands. Does that mean they are all "own root"....??

Very few of my roses are Hybrid Teas; mostly they are shrubs, grandifloras, floribundas, OGR.

All my roses are doing splendidly - but they are all young, and I have no idea what will come. Especially if I've done something wrong graft-wise.

Thanks for your input --- for this and for all the things I learn here everyday.

Miss Mary