Hi, It's been in front of a window that gets some morning light and I've been watering it about every 10 days. When my friend gave me the plant she said she had put it in a new pot and trimmed the root ball. There used to be 2 stalks coming out of the cane, but it got very brown and all of the leaves started dropping off so I cut that stalk off. The leaves on the new growth at the base of the cane look somewhat healthier, but I'm just not sure what to do next...

When planting, water the soil around the rose as you plant to settle it and fill any voids. Don't tamp or pack the soil. Water morning so any wet leaves can dry. Water draining during the night could be leaving the plants with less moisture than may be desirable. It needs to be available during the heat of the day when evaporation from the leaves is the greatest and loss of feeder roots when planting means moisture cannot be replaced so the foliage wilts. As stated above, losing soil from the roots when planting causes tiny feeder roots to fall away, leaving the plant with no means to take up moisture. These feeder roots grow back quickly but until they do, your plant will show signs of water distress. Fertilizers applied when planting can burn newly emerging feeder roots so fertilizers should not be applied until after the first bloom or the bush is growing well. A little aged horse manure or an organic slow release fertilizer is fine but it should not be in direct contact with the roots. Mix it well with the soil in the bottom of the hole before planting so the roots can grow into it. If these were own root plants they should be planted no more than an inch deeper than they were in the pot. Feeder roots grow in the top six inches of soil. Larger deeper roots are anchor roots. Grafted bare root roses should be planted so the graft knob is 4 inches or more below the soil surface to protect it from winter freeze. E-mail me for instructions on planting a potted bush to avoid soil loss and transplant stress. Overwatering is easy to do if you have poor draing clay and extremely difficult if you have well draining sandy soil. Digging a hole in clay and adding new soil or over amending what's there can create a bathtub that holds water. If this was done, you should make sure you are not overwatering and drowning the roots. Roots need oxygen just as we do. Water pulls it down to the roots but water setting on the roots can prevent them from using it. When I plant I settle the soil around the bush with water and don't tamp or compact the soil. I let it be as loose as possible without leaving voids. Rain and watering will settle the soil as much as it needs to be.

Welcome Karen. I'm not new, but I read and learn mostly. there are lots of good and smart people who post on the forum. My advice is listen very carefully to any advice that you get offered from Tapla, Linda, and Rhizo. They are very good at answering questions and always give sensable advice. I'm sorry if I left some others out because there arwe lots of other good posters here to, but these I always learn new things from. I am also friends with one of the people I mentioned, but don't know if I should mention a name. I have asked about a million questions off the forum & have always got excellent advice. This is a good place to learn. Marti

I am so sorry about your loss. Poor Jane knew that you were doing everything you could for her. I lost my Megan like this in January. For her, though, there we absolutely no signs that she was ill until she had internal bleeding from a liver cancer tumor that burst. At the emergency vet, they took one look at her, said "She's a lab mix, so this is probably cancer. If it is in her liver, we'll call you right during the surgery to euthanize her." Liver cancer seems to be common for labs. Well, they were right, and they put her to sleep while she was still under anesthetic from the surgery. I drove back there and petted her until she was cold. I am so sorry to hear of your Jane. I know how you feel about your Jane's suffering. You did everything you could for her, and she tried her hardest for you. You will remember her wonderful presence in your life forever. She is a part of you by way of the lessons she taught you about love and devotion. You will mourn the lack of her company, but a part of her remains in the person you have become. I will think of you and your Jane girl often and send you thoughts of healing and comfort.