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Oklahoma Gardening

Bare-root Roses

11 years ago

Hello,

Me and my wife just got married a few months ago and moved into a rental house with a horrible yard that hasn't been kept up with in years. I have been working hard to get everything cleared out and encouraging the desirable plants that sprout up. I have never gardened before, but have really enjoyed the process so far and have gotten very excited about growing roses. It's a relatively small house so I have chosen some miniature varieties that won't outgrow the front beds. I also plan to do a nice blaze climbing rose over the front porch. However despite all of my research and preparation I was enticed today into buying a bare root rose at a bargain store just for the heck of it. It was only $5 and I think it will be a fun experiment for my backyard. It is a Mister Lincoln. It is not in great shape (again only 5 dollars) but is reasonably moist. Obviously I can not plant it right now because we are having a random week of thunder storms and hail, so I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on how to store it for the next few days. Do I need to open it and moisten the roots again, or just leave it till I am ready to plant next week? I also would not turn down any advice on planting it. Very excited but nervous for my first growing season!

Thanks

Featured Answer

Lisa_H OK

11 years ago

Maggie rose: (and iris)

Archduke Charles

Cramoisi Superieur (with passionvine in the background)

{{gwi:465470}}

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Comments (7)

OklaMoni
11 years ago
When I was working at Home Depot, we didn't open them, but did water them... well, as much as you could in a bag.

Moni... who really doesn't do much with roses.... besides pruning ever so often.
Lisa_H OK
11 years ago
:) We all fall victim to those! Congrats on your marriage and the new house!

Do you have soil and a big enough pot where you could pot up the rose?

I haven't seen you before, Welcome! What part of OK are you in?
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Quite often, bare roots dry out before they have a chance to develop the feeder roots so they can absorb sufficient water. Grab a bag of planting mix and dump it over the rose so you bury the green canes almost their entire length. Keep that mound of soil over the plant damp when you water until new growth begins showing, when you can gradually uncover the plant. You can make cylinders of card board or many layers of news paper stapled into the size cylinder necessary to permit filling it with soil so only the top two or so inches of the canes are exposed. Water into the cylinder so the contained soil remains damp. It isn't necessary every time to mound newly planted bare roots like this, but where it's likely to be windy, arid, warm, brilliantly sunny where the plant is going to have to battle being pushed into growth too early before it can generate roots, it helps greatly. It's the same theory as planting the callused, wrapped cuttings deeply in pots or cups to prevent them from drying out or being pushed into too early growth before they can grow roots. Bare root body bags used to have those instructions on them. It's been so long since I've even looked at rose a body bag, I don't know if they're still there or not. The main causes of bare root failure are receiving or buying dried out, nearly dead plants and exposing them to desiccating conditions without proper protection against drying out before they can grow roots. Trevor Griffiths, the nurseryman from New Zealand, wrote in one of his books of people who would bring back "dead" bare roots. He would bury them under soil to rehydrate them then pot them to take to speaking engagements to show how "dead" they were. I frequently bought "dead" returned bare roots for fifty cents from work years ago because I knew I could bury them a few weeks, then plant and nearly every one of them lived to become decent plants. It honestly IS hard to kill a rose...as long as you know what you're doing. Kim
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dchezbot
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks lisa_h. I do not have soil or a big enough pot on hand. I have been doing some more research and based on pictures the bare-root rose I got is a pretty bad specimen. I probably should have done the google search while I was in the store. lol. I have cut it down to the parts that are green and have it soaking in water with a hand full of fertilizer. I am going to let it soak for a few days and plant it once things warm up this weekend. I will plant it nice and low and hope for the best. My five dollar rose will probably get a 20 hole considering I am going to plant it next to a few other plants I purchased. This might be a failed experiment from the start, but I guess no matter what it's a learning experience. I am in Bethany in the OKC metro.

Thanks!
OklaMoni
11 years ago
Oh, you are not to far from me... I am near 16th and Villa.

What area did you move from?

Moni
dchezbot
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Moni,

I have actually lived in OKC for five years now. I moved up here for college and just recently got married. So this is my first time to have a yard. Excited and terrified.
Lisa_H OK
11 years ago
Ahhh! Soaking the rose sounds like a good idea.

You should check out the "needs a home" shelf at your local Lowes. You can find a lot of good plants there for super cheap. I picked up two reblooming azaleas for 6.25 a piece last weekend. This is a good time to find stuff because the plants get bit back a little with the cold weather. Still good, but not pretty enough for the normal price.

I probably shouldn't point you in the direction of the rose forum and the antique rose forum, but they can fan your excitement into a complete obsession! Ask me how I know. :) Look into own root roses and antique roses. The roses we all think of as "roses" can struggle here in OK. The link I attached below is for Chamblee Roses. They are in Tyler, TX, so they have similar weather conditions to us. I have some great roses that came from there.

OHHHH, you and your wife ought to take a stroll through Will Rogers Park in a month. They have a gorgeous rose garden, plus irises and peonies.

(Archduke Charles rose)

Here is a link that might be useful: Chamblee Roses

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