I plant my bands directly in the garden when they arrive. I order them with a delivery time after my normal last freeze and have never has a problem. I would rather have them developing their root system in their permanent home unless you have a greenhouse and can give them a good head start.

Scott

I am in northern VA, and I bought two band size hybrid musk from west coast in April. Being my first time buying band size roses, I was a bit shocked by how tiny they were when they arrived. Basically I got two tiny twigs with a small amount of roots. I planted them in the ground right away, in partial shade, and they have grown leaps and bounds. Each now has a couple long big canes. I am expecting great things from them next year. I would say that if you can give them good soil in the ground, just plant them right away.

For the past few years I've bought bands from Vintage during their summer sale in July. I transferred them to one-gallon pots for a few months before transferring them to the garden in September.

So far, this has worked well for me, as these bands have been larger than some of the gallon plants I've received from other vendors.

I have only four teas, as they are marginally hardy here. I am waiting to see how they fare before buying any more. I do plan to provide some winter protection for them, especially two that are still very small.

I have thought about placing an order for Spring delivery and would most likely plant them directly in the garden, depending on the size of the band.

Maureen

It seems that many (if not most) people who post here plant bands immediately in their permanent garden locations. For reasons I've never been able to understand, that approach hasn't worked for me.

It's important to assess each band upon delivery. Some arrive with very puny root systems; others -- even others in the same shipment -- may have roots that almost fill the band pot. Most are somewhere between those 2 extremes. I grow most bands in their shipping pots for an additional 6 to 8 wks after I receive them, especially those that need further root development. Then I pot them into gallon containers. In late fall, I sink the containers to their rims -- sometimes in a protected location, but often not. I usually transfer the plants to their garden locations sometime during their second season here.

I order bands only when the variety isn't available in a larger size, and I've learned to order them only when I can get delivery in the spring or very early summer. Also, I'm fiendish about disbudding my bands until they are planted.

I know my system sounds fussy & runs counter to that of most gardeners, but it's simply what works best for me.

I used to plant bands directly in the garden (here on the West Coast). Sometimes that worked very well. However, sometimes the rose would just sit there and eventually be overwhelmed by who knows what. I now pot them up in gallons and wait until they are a bit more sizable. Also, until I have figured out where to plant them and furthermore until I am at leisure to plant them there. Sometimes it is several months before all the planets align.

Rosefolly

I buy bands in spring and pot them up for a couple of months before putting them in the ground so they will receive special attention -- perfect soil, constant watering, etc. I have had poor results planting them directly in the ground, and if ordered in later summer or fall very few have overwintered in the ground (just the most hardy varieties or largest bands).

I buy roses in band pot all times of the year. I repot all of them into 1 or 2 gal pots to let them grow on before putting them into the ground or a bigger pot.

The ones I receive in the fall and early in the year, once repotted, I keep them in my small cold frame until the spring. This way I know they will be protected from the freezing cold wind/rain we get here when the nor'easter blow in. I have had great success and lost only one very small China rose last winter.

Liz

Depends on what the twig looks like when it arrives. I still have some bands from 2 years ago in pots I just burry the pot in the soil for the winter and take it back out in Spring. I've lost far too many tiny twigs planting them right away.