FIrst, you need to WAIT. If you only planted these roses a month ago, they have not even settled in yet, no matter which roses they are. Make sure they have enough water, and leave them alone. I presume that the new growth you and blooming you are seeing is mostly not terribly long canes that are not terribly big around? When they really decide to climb (which may take many months or a few years), they will suddenly start putting out one or more larger, long canes. Sometimes this frightens people, the canes grow so fast and tall. At that point, yes, to get the most flowers you can GENTLY pull the canes to as horizontal as you can get them without damaging them, and tie the to the lattice. They will put out blooms all along their length that way, instead of just one at the top. Do post pics on here of the bushes and the blooms - someone will probably recognize them. Jackie

Kristen, the reason why "damaging" the end of the cutting allows callusing is you're exposing the cambium layer, the juicy, lighter green layer just beneath the bark. This is the circulatory system of the plant and the tissue that differentiates, either forming more cambium to "knit" a bud to a stock or callus which further differentiates to form roots. Scarifying, or exposing more cambium by scraping off the bark to reveal it; smashing or crushing the ends to expose it or simply slicing through the bark to uncover more of it all have the same effect, though with varying results depending upon a variety of factors. The bottom line is, usually, the more cambium you expose, the greater the callus and number of roots. You might not have had good luck with softer wood cuttings possessing leaves because they transpire too much water, permitting the cutting to dry out. Traditionally, those with foliage work best in more humid conditions where they actually absorb moisture, keeping the cutting hydrated while it calluses and forms roots. Softer wood cuttings with a set or two of leaves are very successful under mist propagation. They continue producing chlorophyll, feeding the plant while absorbing moisture so the cutting continues performing as if it had roots, until it does. Often, this can be accomplished using Mel Hulse's Baggie Method http://paulbardenroses.com/hulse.html It also works rather well under more sophisticated greenhouse conditions. If your climate is humid and mild enough, it may work outdoors without artificial assistance, but I live in a more arid section of Southern California where outdoor propagation isn't successful without assistance. Are leaves necessary for success? If you're using soft wood cuttings during the normal growing season, and you have the right conditions and equipment, they make success easier, faster and more guaranteed. If you can't meet any of those conditions, they'll probably make it easier to fail. If the cuttings you strike with leaves fail with the foliage drying up, your humidity is too low when and where you're doing it. Where I am, they either perform as you've described, or if I put them under plastic, they mold and the cutting fails. That's why I have been so enthusiastic over the wrapping method. When done under the most appropriate temperatures with sufficiently hardened wood, it works like magic. Burying all but the top inch of a cutting has very similar effects and results as the wrapping method. You're keeping the cutting dark, cool and moist, all conditions required to stimulate callusing and rooting. After removing them from the wrapping when they are callused, and often rooted, I plant the cuttings deeply so the majority of the wood remains under soil for that exact reason. Why not? The suggested method of planting a bare root rose is to plant it then mound it with soil, keeping it damp, cool and moist until new foliage appears at the cane tops. At that point, you want to gradually expose more and more cane, permitting it to harden off to the elements rather than just stripping the soil from it and letting it fend for itself. The same is true for cuttings removed from a "close environment" of a baggie or greenhouse. They have to acclimate to the hotter, drier and sunnier conditions just as we do after being inside all winter when we begin spending more time in the hotter, sunnier spring and summer. Once I see growth beginning at the cutting tops, I tilt them out of the pots to check on root activity. If it's filling the bottom of the pot with roots, I'll raise it in the pot, exposing more of the cane by planting it higher, with more soil beneath it. If you can accomplish planting bare roots, uncovering them from the protective soil mounds once grow begins or putting the cuttings out higher just prior to or during a rain, it works excellently! The continual bath of rain helps stabilize them and harden them off very quickly, making your success even more of a sure thing. Kim

There are so many sites to visit and many different places here. In San Diego where it is warm most of the year I just pot the cuttings which I'ce learned that you have a better chance if the cutting is atleast the size of your pinkie. I've always put cuttings in water till they leaved out but sometimes a cutting with root hormone and just a dab can grow right in the ground but they take a long time to root and will not be needing any fertilizer and never too much water or they rot. I use a mixture of Vermiculite, Supersoil potting and a Supersoil cactus mixture with charcoal at the base of the pot. I have my pots which I've washed well and rinsed in Dawn dish soap none of this bleach stuff like I read in the past that kills the cutting before it has a chance. The whole thing is pretty iffy but always worth a try as an experiment. Have fun !

I agree, I don't like version 2 where you alternated. Did you leave those or pull them? Here is a picture of mine to help me explain the situation: So I can't use the technique of having the bullnosed pieces sit across the front of the wall and kill into them. I would like to have the bullnose be on the the long wall and have the tiles on the little wing wall kill into them. Because subway is staggered (not the proper name, but I'm sure you know what I mean), every other piece along the corner will be a half piece. Daltile doesn't make a 3x3 bullnose, so we'll need to cut down 3x6 bullnose. So the top piece will be a 3x6 with a bullnose on the 3 side. The next piece will be a 3x6 bullnose on the 3 side, but cut to 3x3 and set with the bullnose on the corner. So the right side of it will be a cut edge. So should I butt a factory edge up to that cut edge? Won't that look bad? (BTW, when I say "should I", I really mean my GC's very competent tile guys.) As always, my thanks! Anita