"I have no experience with roses,"...and you started with a hybid tea?!, lol.

Sounds like a girl who likes a challenge. :) They are among the hardest to grow. Along with whatever rose spray you bought, make sure you have a fungicide, also.

Honestly, your place of purchase should know what zones they belong in, unless you purchased from a big box-then all bets are off.

Sorry, just reread your post and you said you bought at a nursery. They aren't going to sell you something you can't grow. Just give it plenty of winter protection.

Main thing- dig a hole twice as big as the pot and back fill around the plant. Place the plant so the level of the soil is the same as it was in the pot-don't have it deeper. Or google planting a rose instructions. The tab should say where the graft should be in relation to the soil. Plant in a spot that gets a great deal of sun, they need full sun. And yes, make sure you have a fungicide- you will need it. Just because it may be more complicated than sticking it in the ground- doesnt mean that you can't be successful!

I'd say if you haven't planted it, I'd exchange it for another more hardy rose. Otherwise, you probably are taking a chance that it will not make it through the winter. If it does it might only be a few canes.

I live in central OH which is zone 5 predominately, but there are some zone 6 areas - and it hasn't been all that cold for the last few winters. That said, I still lose parts of my roses.

I've found the easiest roses to grow are the grandiflora roses. They bloom all summer and are pretty hardy. Hybrid Tea's are hard to grow and keep alive each year. Sometimes I just buy a new rose every year.

Goodluck! I've also fallen in love with the shrub roses - Nearly Wild is an indestructible one as are all of the knockout series roses.

I looked at Dave's site & saw that someone from Michigan had experienced a year of success with it!

*Usually* your local nursery will not stock plants that won't grow in your area. It's not like you randomly ordered it from Jackson Perkins.

I'd say go for it! When I buy a risky plant I tell myself,"This is the price of a lunch (or dinner, or o.k., maybe a nice dinner) out with my dh. If it doesn't work, is it really that big of a deal?"

In fact I just gave myself this talk the other day over a rose! I know it will survive here, I live in VA, but would I like it where I want to plant it, would it get too big, are the thorns to large? I wondered.

I bought it. I can move it if it gets to big, or pot it, or give it away.

If you keep it, it may turn out to be one of your favorites. It may also be dead as a door nail in a year's time! You'll never know unless you try. Experimenting is one of the joys of gardening.

P.S.

Rosetone is fabulous stuff! Good investment.

Give it a try - why not? My garden is all about tries! I'd suggest maybe looking for a sheltered area on your property where the temp may not dip as low as an open area. Sometimes even w/in one's own property there are micro zones. I have one between my house and my neighbors. I can get away w/ growing things that may not require a slightly warmer zone than what I'm in.

Well, the rose is still sitting in the driveway. I could take it back and I probably should. Then again, I am an optimist by nature. For the twenty some bucks it cost me, I suppose I could treat it as an annual. It does say "Everblooming" on the tag. Could I reasonably expect it to keep blooming?

Parma, you're right....it just figures this is the rose I would fall for, the trickiest lot in the bunch. I managed to pull a $20 hosta off the $7.99 shelf today, too. Deliver me...

So, what is this "winter protection" of which we speak? Can i wrap it in burlap and stuff it with hay? I know that sounds crazy, but heck, its just one rose bush. I could baby it.

Carol, I really know nothing about roses. Are grandifloras suitable for cutting and bringing indoors? I think the shrub roses are not. I am primarily after beautiful smelly things to put in vases. ;-)

Cooper, I thought I read somewhere that if you plant the graft below the soil, it would add to the winter protection. I will dig a big hole....do that for all my perennials. We do get tons of sun on the south side of the house, but less air circulation. Of course, where the breezes blow, so do the north winter winds.

Do you know of a fungicide I could use? The guy at the store sold me Bayer 3 in 1. I thought that after I got this thing established, maybe I could wean it off the chemicals and go organic. He just shook his head...

Thanks S-G and TTodd for the encouragement. As I was writing the reply above (we cross-posted) I became more attached with every paragraph! I think I will go out and cut those blooms and bring them in right now. (I wasn't going to cut them if I decided to return it.)

I'll post a pic when I get it planted. :-)

If anyone has any additional thoughts on winter protection, I am all ears!

One of the best things I've used on roses is Bayers 3 in one. Fungacide/insecticide/fertilizer. It's not a spray, you mix it with water (concentrate) and pour at the base of the rose. I have had better luck with that product than any other - plus it's only one thing you use instead of three different products.

Don't feel bad, roses call my name too LOL. Next year I'm going to throw caution to the wind and try a David Austin english rose.

tina

Go for it!! The main thing will be to protect the rose during the winter time. You will want to prune it back, pile mulch up around the roots and maybe even cover the plant with the styrofoam covers sold for roses in the colder regions. I used to live in northern IL and in WI. Roses grow there also. Here in AZ they grow and bloom like crazy almost all year round as long as they have enough water.

I just bought the same rose -Heirloom - and it's sitting in my driveway waiting for me to plant it too! It smells sooooo good! I just have to find a spot that gets enough sun. Good luck with it!

I bought Cherish last year (don't think it's a hybrid tea though), mulched around it, put a bucket over it then took it off when I read on Roses Forum that could do more harm. It got really frostbitten, I had to cut a lot of canes off this spring b/c I didn't prune it last fall/winter but this past month it has really gotten a lot of new ones! no buds yet but I think it may bloom this year! Those flowers you could put in a vase, they are big, long stemmed, smell wonderful.

I found the miniature roses are hardier - I rescued a 4" Kordana from the $1 rack at grocery store, planted it outside last year and it didn't get as damaged as the Cherish - I have blooms already! Bought 4 more minis at 2 for 1 sale at grocery last week, putting them in less sheltered spot (but full sun), we'll see how they do. Not for cut flowers, but I need something besides evergreens. For $14 for 4, I won't be too upset if they don't survive the winter.

Go to the Roses forum. Yes there are pros, (thank goodness!) and they've been of great help to me. Lots of pics, lots of help. Go for it :>)

Place the plant so the level of the soil is the same as it was in the pot-don't have it deeper. Or google planting a rose instructions. The tab should say where the graft should be in relation to the soil.

I am in zone 6b and I bury my HT's about an inch or 2, you would want 2-3 I think.

If the plant ends up dying back to "the ground" it's fine because what's underground is protected.

As far as nurseries selling only what you can grow.. not so. I can't count the number of plants that shouldn't have been planted in my zone.

The main thing will be to protect the rose during the winter time. You will want to prune it back, pile mulch up around the roots and maybe even cover the plant with the styrofoam covers sold for roses in the colder regions. I used to live in northern IL and in WI. Roses grow there also. Here in AZ they grow and bloom like crazy almost all year round as long as they have enough water.

They actually say not to prune them any more because that's where the winter food is. What I did with my larger roses last year was tied them up with some rope.

Help me find roses says zone 7b through 10b. What do you have to lose $20? Go for it. If you buy roses next year, do it right and research what grows in your zone, then order online

Here is a link that might be useful: Heirloom

Oops, I meant I can get away w/ planting things that are hardy to a slightly warmer zone than the one I'm in.

I agree with the NOT pruning late fall/winter. Pruning encourages new growth and you don't want that happening during the winter. The new growth is very tender, open to frostbite, etc.

I don't have to cover roses in our area, not sure what to tell you on that. If you don't want to go to the roses forum, I'd search on-line or call a dependable nursery in your area for some answers for your zone.

tina

We used to mound with decent bagged soil or mulch. What I've found that works is to save the pot, cut the bottom out, then slip it over the rose when the leaves are gone, that will hold anything you use to winterize.

The links below are roses grown in Montana. I'm not sure how much winter protecting they actually do. He has Heirloom on his list.

Link 1

He used to go to the rose forum but does not regularly any more. If you scroll to the bottom of link one, you will see a link. You will have to join to read more then 5 posts but it's a decent place. Especially when you have other people growing in colder zones. You can also sign up to get emails when someone replies to a post you're following.

Here is a link that might be useful: Digger & Deb's roses - Montana

Roselvr has the advice I would follow. Of course, with her name, would you expect anything else? :)

Problem with rose cones is you have to be very careful with them in late winter. Any day that gets sunny and warmer than normal, you have to run out and take them off. It can get hot in there. Then, you have to put them back on when it cools off again. You may have to do that many times.

Give it a try. You will have to cover (mulch) it in the winter but I think it would do okay.

Maybe next year you'll try Austin roses -- they smell like heaven & quite easy to grow (very floriferous too!)

Here is a link that might be useful: david austin roses

Amy, I haven't read all the replies, but this is my first year of growing roses. I'm starting with the easy one's, Carpet and Knockout.

If it were me, I'd keep the rose, you never know, you may end up having "beginner's luck." :) I'd also put it on the south side of the house to keep it safe from north winds in the winter, and mulch it very well for winter.

I love talking roses here because I too am such a novice and would feel like an idiot with the pro's. lol

Thanks Parma. lol

Since burying my roses as far down as I do, I'm not able to buy any more because I haven't lost any.

Marilyn Monroe is a rose I have winter issues with, every year she dies down to the soil but comes back up. I also do not winter protect any more due to my back. If it doesn't survive I don't usually buy that rose again.

I think looking at posts by Digger at the place I mentioned would be worth it. His rose pictures speak for themselves. lol

Roselvr, me too. Burying the graft deep seems to have been the trick for me. I buried them deep last year, didn't do a think in the fall, and pruned late this spring. This is the first winter I haven't lost a rose. I'm somewhere between zones 4 - 5, east cost of Canada. In my garden, they are basically starting at ground level every year so they're obviously not going to get as big as say, zone 7, but they're still beautiful. One perfect, fragrant bloom makes it worth it. :)

amysrg- sorry to have steered you wrong about the graft. it had been several years since I planted our New dawn climbers and back then I googled planting roses or the tag said how to place the graft. My mistake in speaking with out remembering my facts clearly.

Here's a link to one of Patricia's favorite gardeners. His blog is linked. Apparently he has a website, too, with a section on roses:

Phillip Oliver - Southern Gardener

Here is a link that might be useful: Phillip Oliver's Blogspot - Roses Issue

Step away from the tea's. LOL! If you want to save your sanity, you will.

I'm in the same zone as you. Same state, although I am coastal, right next to Boston and you are in the western part of the state, right?

Anyway, about 10 years ago I went crazy for roses.. picked them solely on looks. This can get very expensive. There are many, many beautiful roses and the teas are especially beautiful. I googled images of Heirloom, I can see why you want it. That said...

I planted 9 roses in my side garden and 5 in the other side garden, both sides are in the front of my house. My house has a weird setup. With the exception of 2, all of them were a PIA, some were bigger PIA's than others. All of them bit the dust. Ooh, sorry..it was 3 not 2. Sort of. One of the survivors reverted back to Dr. Huey....it is amazing, huge. Only blooms once a year but it looks spectacular right now sharing a Rose of Sharon tree with 2 blooming clematis's. I don't remember what rose it was when I bought it.
Blackspot, fungus, bugs, etc. I had a gorgeous rose in the front side garden with 5. It is a lovely, pale pink with a slightly silver tinge. Very slight.. not that icky silver. This rose was in the middle of 2 others that were covered with blackspot, constant spraying, etc. Not only did this rose not suffer from anything, it grew to 3 to 4 times it's original size and it bloomed just about non stop. And talk about pretty! Oh my! Every stage of bloom was fabulous and the blooms lasted, too.
This rose is called Our Lady of Guadalupe. After the first year I planted nothing but her in the front side garden. And I never did anything special, at all, to help them.
I am what you'd call a "good enough" gardner. I have a bad back and terribly rocky soil. Carefully thought out garden beds did not happen here. I would try and dig a hole and run into concrete sometimes. Lots of my plants/flowers went where it was easiest. I don't do anything to my roses, not in season, nor in the winter. They've been through Nor Easters and frigid temps.

It wasn't until this past winter that I lost all of my LOG's. We had gas problems and the gas company dug up the whole front side garden. I was amazed that anything came back. But I need to go out and get at least 3 OLG'S.

The other rose is a lovely striped rose. I have 2 of them. Very pretty. No complaints except for the thorns. It has to be the thorniest rose ever! Oh, and forgot to mention that in addition to all of Our Lady's charms, she is almost thorn less, to boot! Anyway, the striped rose is George Burns. Both GB and OLG are floribundas. If you love the height of the teas, try a couple of grandiflora's.

Roses are wonderful... but they can be a madness, too.

Anyway, here are a few pics.

a href="http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f267/EileenMc/Garden/?action=view&current=OurLadyinBud.jpg"; target="_blank">

Oops! I don't know why the pics are so big, sorry. Don't know how I got doubles, either. But I typed this yesterday and it went poof! Ain't gonna happen again ;)

Whatever you choose, good luck!

Silly

Silly, your OLG is beautiful. I love the shape & color of the blooms. I've always been intrigued by this rose, & it's nice to hear that is has minimal thorns. I may have to find a place for her one day, though my dh claims he's "rosed out" from our previous home. Now we have lots of camellias!

It's also nice that buying OLG supports college scholarships, & of course, the significance of the symbolism is something to treasure.

Your striped roses are adorable. At my previous house I planted a dozen roses plus 3 climbers, all of which were antique roses. "Othello" had thorns that were unbelievably long, sharp & pointy. They were like daggers!! Ouch! SO, I hear ya! Would never plant that one again though it had large, striking magenta blooms that were quite fragrant.

Happy gardening!

Gee, I never realized how difficult roses could be. I must have the right touch...I do not baby my roses at all. They don't all live in full (6-8 hr sun); I don't winter protect; I am an 'at best' waterer when I think about it...and yet they thrive. More than thrive, they go bonkers!!

I have almost 30 different rose bushes, everything from minis to climbers, expensive hybrids to #2 that I paid $1 for on the clearance rack. I even bought a left over Mothers Day mini-rose for 2 cents and it's doing well in a terra cotta pot.

This spring I planted 8 new roses...all hybrids (and expensive) and I worried that a couple weren't going to make it, but suddenly they've exploded into new growth. I've got to pinch off the new buds today, I heard that encourages hardier canes if you don't let them bloom the 1st year.

My wonderful n'bor pruned all my front yard roses for me in March...I didn't prune them in the fall, and we had a HORRIBLE ice storm this winter. They were lying on the ground and I was sure the canes would break off. I worried that they'd die, but they've come back better than ever this year.

Maybe the secret to good roses is to neglect them?? ;>

Just when you get the most lovely, fragrant, beautiful blossoms in existence, these show up:

Not just covering the blooms and shredding the leaves, but performing reproductive acts that make this Lutheran blush!

So there you are, once each morning and once each afternoon, with a bucket of soapy water, encouraging the evil spotted ones to take one last jump, and cursing they day you ever tried to grow anything other than Peonies, Iris, or Daylilies.

-Lena

I have mostly 'antique' (like me) roses but I have around 10 'Veteran's Honor' HTs in one bed. I don't know how many roses I have, over 50 anyways. I don't spray or water, (and I'm in Texas) once a year I trim all that need trimming. I do add mulch and fertilizer when I get around to it.
I did spend years building the beds and soil, so even through my current neglect due to time issues, they bloom and seem happy. I'm grateful I have no Japanese Beetles though I've heard they are horrible.
I have one (Mermaid) that I fight to keep 15-20 feet across, she guards a section of back fence and is farther than the hose will reach even if I did water which I don't, she makes it on her own and is one of my favorites.