Lisa, here is more info. One has to do with how roses are sold, the other with how they are propagated. How they are sold: Bare root vs potted: Roses are sold to the public either as a dormant bare root (looks like bare sticks, no dirt) or actively growing in a pot with dirt. How they are propagated: Grafted vs own root: Roses can be grafted onto a more vigorous rootstock (a different rose) or grown on their own roots. You can buy grafted bare roots (bagged, boxed or sold through the mail), own root bare roots (not common, but there are some out there, usually mail order), grafted potted (you'll find this at your local garden center) or own root potted (usually sold through the mail, but you might be lucky enough to find a local nursery). Head spinning yet? :-) What you decide depends on how the rose is available and the growing conditions in your garden. Depending on where you live, the hardiness of the variety may be the most important factor. Many of the old garden roses are only available as potted on their own roots. Other roses are available in many forms. Zack mentions some of the other reasons. Online/mail order vendors will tell you if their roses are grafted or own root and if they are sold potted or bare root.

See, my problem with a "loose" mix is that i feel it needs more attention. Where a heavier mix can be aloud to dry out. I worry about having to constantly water when they are outside in spring and summer and it is very hot. The mix it is in now is about 1 part perlite to 3 parts miracle grow. The pachyclada i got from gardinos is in a loose mix and it also has clay balls. I will probably keep that one inside at all times. I just have to be careful in the winter timewith watering in a heavier mix. And it is definitely top heavy for that small solo cup.

I'm not sure what you are seeing that I'm not seeing. The roots look fine. Why did you unpot it? Was something going on above the soil line that didn't seem right? The plant looks ok to me as well, so I'm curious. It looks like a very healthy root system... You know, one of the earliest things I read about Hoyas was to not disturb their root system unnecessarily. I've grown a lot of succulents over the years as well, and when you repot a succulent, you can whack away at the roots and do no harm. But I was always told when you repot a Hoya, it's best to disturb the rootball as little as possible - just plop it in a bigger pot and add soil and let it settle in. It takes a LOT of messing to get every bit of soil off a rootball, so I would expect it to go dormant for awhile now. Of course, that may have already happened just because of the change in environment... Denise in Omaha

Pam knows which zone I'm in and JC is marketed for zone 5. I sent her an email and asked her which root stock JC has. I don't believe she does the grafting. She gets these from the Austin nursery in Texas already grafted. I'll let you know what root stock it has when she replies. Here is what she said about all this in an email yesterday after I first told her I didn't want JC because it was grafted, then I changed my mind and said I would give it a try and sent that email out to her.. She grows all own root herself and preaches that own root is much better, she is also completely organic. So, here is her reply to me about grafting. " Well, that's funny as I was just going to send you a "lecture" on the benefits of grafted roses in SOME cases. Many roses are too weak and too slow and too hard to root from cuttings. Jubilee Celebration is a case in point. Although All rose societies say the opposite of what I am going to tell you, David Austin and ALL of EUROPE plants their budded (grafted) roses UNDER the soil with the intention that the SCION, the one on top WILL put down roots of it's own because it is allowed to be under the soil. We're talking 3-5 inches below the graft in cold climates (where the bud union tends to freeze and die) and 2-3 inches deep in warmer climates like mine. Within a year or two the graft will die away and the rose shoots out a whole new bunch of basal roots and Vualla! You now have an own root rose that started out large instead of puny! The best of both worlds. All of Europe and DA are not crazy. You even get less suckers and less disease. I have not tuned into Fraser's talks (maybe once) but Very few rosarians even know about this. It's really amazing. So that being said, feel good that all will be well and I will leave your name on one."