Own root roses often die from nematodes after a few years in the ground in my conditions. I'm sure in better soil and cooler wetter climates they would do just fine.

A lot of folks in my rose society graft their roses onto fortunia rootstalk. They have huge, beautiful bushes. I have a small garden, so I will be content with small plants. I do like blooms though.

Actually, Bonnie, that saying mainly refers to climbing roses, whether they are budded or not. Large plants require large roots under them to support and stabilize them, so they sleep, creep and leap. Own root roses do what they will, when they will. It all depends upon their genetics, vigor, suitability to the conditions/soil/climate in which they are growing. Some are going to explode immediately. Others never will, with many falling in between the two extremes.

Thanks, Kim. I have five climbing roses, so that's something to look forward to.

You're welcome, Bonnie. Good luck!

Like Roseseek said, it really depends on the particular cultivar, your climate, and the soil. I planted most of the roses here in late Summer 2013. They arrived as own-root bands in Spring of the same year. I wanted to push growth, so I kept them potted in a nutrient-rich potting mix. Since the "soil" here is really just hard red clay subsoil, I kept throwing organic matter on the beds, as well as plenty of organic fertilizer. This year was the first "proper flush" I experienced, though virtually all bloomed the previous year, and many in their first year. But keep in mind that I've been adding all that good stuff to the beds, and very few of the roses were modern HTs or Floribundas. It's kinda not fair to compare them to the mostly antiques I selected -- especially those which don't repeat-bloom, since they had more growing time.

If you want to see one of my fastest growers, look at "Nouveau Monde -- In Commerce As" on HelpMeFind. The pics there are all of my plant. You can see it more recently in the pic below, taken a couple weeks ago mostly to show "Bermuda Spice" in the foreground. If you look back at all the green shoots swallowing the raised deck railing, that's my "Nouveau Monde -- In Commerce As". The top of that railing is about six feet above the ground. This came as a band from Vintage Gardens in 2013. You can see its baby pic, in a 2-gal nursery liner, on HelpMeFind.

I realize if you're asking about bands you planted two years ago, this bit of advice is too late for them. But for me, without fail, anything I planted directly into the ground as a band has lagged far behind anything I potted up first. I think those baby band roots are just not tough enough to deal with root competition and the density of my native soil. Giving them a few months in my "magic mix" gives them a definite advantage. In my area, Winter is the "tough season", so I aim to get bands in Spring and baby them until planting out in late Summer or early Autumn, giving them bulk to get through Winter. For you, the "tough season" may very well be Summer, so you may be better off getting bands in Autumn, keeping them potted until planting out in Spring.

:-)

~Christopher

Yeah, I have a LOT of little bitty o/r's, mostly HTs and FLs that just sit there and sit there... or die. It can get frustrating. But then, sometimes they suddenly, after several yrs will take off like weeds. I find that the best way to get them going is to pot them up and to not plant them in the ground until they're at least triple the size of when I got them. Or larger in some cases. And every variety is different.

It depends on the rose and condition. Bands can take 3 years since they are so small to begin with. Potted own roots that are larger 1-3 gallon will of course grow quicker. Also, if the soil is good and you water and fertilize regularly, they can grow faster. I planted two Mrs BR Cants early this spring. One was a 3 gallon potted and the other was barely larger than a band. They have both double in size and put on a lot of canes. Not great as far as number of blooms, but they have bloomed (unfortunately we've had very wet weather so a lot of the blooms never opened). I'm very excited for next years spring flush.

I have traditionally started own root and bare root plants in cans to push them. Warmer roots (not hot to the point of cooking, but warmer than the average sub soil temperatures) push growth. That's why the Ancients and modern florists ran steam pipes under potted roses to push growth and bloom out of season and why heat cables under propagation pots are used. Add to the warmer roots, feeding "weakly, weekly" and dis budding, preventing them from flowering, and you can force any plant to mature, develop surprisingly faster. Once you have that momentum and foliage/wood mass, planting them in the ground can easily result in the success you expect.

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I pot up my bands first, but sometimes haven't waited long enough before planting them in the ground and sometimes I've waited too long (the roots left the pot and got stuck in the ground). Right now, my latest climber is in a one gallon pot that is placed within a 5 gallon pot, so it is well insulated. I've never tried that before, but it was a tip from a friend. Yes, summer is our toughest season and is when I have lost a few roses. Because of water restrictions, last summer, on my non-water days in triple digit heat, I misted my roses lightly with a pump sprayer. I don't know if that helped, but I felt I was doing all I could. I planted my latest miniature rose with lots of organic meals and fertilizer, but it lost all its leaves. I think I burnt the roots. I'm still learning, but looking forward to next spring to see what it has in store. Best wishes to all of you.

As stated above, that saying is primarily for climbers. However, most roses do take about 3 years to mature in the ground. Even fairly well grown out bare roots planted in the spring can take a few years to really get established. I like to give all my roses at least 3 years before I decide if they're duds or not. Some I've even kept longer because there was a particular reason why I liked them or wanted them. I kept a Cl. Peace 6 years before I finally dug it out. It grew like a weed but it NEVER (and I mean never ever) bloomed in six years so I finally threw it away. Every rose is different and sometimes you just have to be patient with them. But there are limits.

Wow, 6 years. You are far more patient than I, Seil. You have lovely roses.

Being impatient and rather lazy, I plant bands into the ground roughly ten days after I receive them. My soil is light and not very fertile but I amend it and mulch with organics, and make sure the little guys have plenty of water. I invariably disbud my bands the first year. Roses like Mlle. de Sombreuil, a tea rose, grow very quickly while others, La France for instance, the first hybrid tea rose, grow much more slowly. I imagine the roses would do better if potted on for a year or two, but I wouldn't, so the roses have to take their chances. Other than Annie Laurie McDowell, which ironically I did keep in a pot for close to a year, the others have usually done well by their second year. Some do refuse to grow for a while, but I've almost never had one die because it was planted in the ground right away. There are many factors to consider, and most people would be safer with potting on a band rather than planting it immediately like I do.

Thanks, Ingrid. I hope you will see your leap with ALMD this spring.

Keeping my fingers crossed, jasminerose. I do think it's a rose worth waiting for. I really love the fact that it's completely thornless and without prickles under the leaves.

I too think it depends on the variety of rose and your growing conditions. My Lady Alexandra of Kent, I got from DA on its own root. When I received it I put it in a pot for a month or two until I could plant it in the ground. That rose took off and was over 7 feet tall the first year. In comparison, my own root Sister Elizabeth has stayed about a foot tall all year. Depends on the variety. All of my own root roses have done well and I have only lost one due to the excessive heat this last summer. Speakin of heat, I am in So. Cal. visiting my folks for the holidays and it was 88 degrees yesterday and it is supposed to be the same today. What is up with that? Meanwhile, we will be getting our first freezing Temps at home this week. Ugh! Time to cover the citrus.

That being said, I do love my own root roses and am happy I won'the lose tem too rootstock again.

I am typing from a tablet, so hopefully I don't have too many mistakes on this thing.

Thanks, mustbnuts. Yes, it's that time of year to check the weather report daily, because it can go from being warm during the day to having a cold snap in a night. Last year I sadly lost my succulent collection. My lime tree suffered, but it was helped out by some flannel sheets. The roses did suprisingly well. I hope when the roses mature, that they will be able to take the summers a bit better. I think that depends on the variety too. The roses with lots of folliage do much better than roses with bare legged canes.