I think it's personal preference. For some it's a great deal and works out well. For people like me, I don't have the room, patience or need for bands. I'd rather pay more for a 2 year bareroot that will take off growing and blooming this season, not coddle babies along for 2-3 years. I also prefer grafted for my climate.

Yours look great despite their move and seems like multiples is exactly what you needed!

Chamblees is still my 'go to first,' mail order nursery. Like you, Teka, I almost always divide the rooted cuttings and am delighted to get the multiple roses.

What bugs me is that when I plant multiple cutting bushes as they arrived from Chamblees, they just do not thrive. When repeatedly questioned, Chamblees' personnel insisted that the multiple cutting bushes do just as well as ones separated out. This has not been my experience. I am led to believe I am not being given factual information from Chamblees.

Although the multiple cutting bushes are welcome because of the additional plants, I believe the truth is that if only one cutting is potted in a gallon container and it dies, then production of saleable plants is diminished. One cutting is sure to survive in a multiple cutting bush, therefore a marketable bush is the result. Also a larger, more lush looking bush is the result with multiple cuttings, making the bush look more appealing to the customer.

Hi all,

To piggyback off of this topic: I bought 2 “gallon sized” roses from Chamblees last fall (Quietness and Cream Veranda). They were small but healthy. As a beginner I did not know about this multiple cutting per container issue. Both plants overwintered fine and made it through the last nor’easter with minimal damage. Both sprouted 2 new basal breaks right before the snow and those seem to have survived as well (yay!!). My question is: should I separate the cuttings? Is there a better time to do that (e.g. spring when they are growing or winter when they are dormant)? Here are pix of what they currently look like. Thank you!

Q:

CV:

Multiple cuttings in a pot has been a common industry practice since long before I began growing anything. Sequoia did it for decades until Mr. Moore's advanced age prevented him from being able to actually produce anything, leaving him time to "quality control" and drive everyone nuts. Look at all the "retail ready" potted plants in all the grocery stores and other venues. Potted and wrapped minis, azaleas, hydrangeas...all ready for Easter and probably the vast majority (if not all) are multiple rooted cuttings. I would much rather buy a pot with several decently rooted cuttings of the variety I want than a gallon of dirt with a four inch (or smaller) root ball in it as I have received complaints from several people recently.

I love Chamblees!!!

Moses, I have the same question as Jabubaoski, should we separate a rose that we planted last year? Thanks for your insight.

I'm not Moses, nor do I intend this as answering for him, but, for your consideration. Austin suggests planting his weaker growers together to make fuller plants. How are yours performing? Are they growing acceptably, as you expected? Is it still safe with your weather and what you should normally expect in the next six to eight weeks to dig up, probably bare root and transplant roses? If they are performing as they should, and please you; if it is late for your conditions and the condition of the plants to bare root and transplant, what would it hurt to leave them alone until next season when you should be able to accomplish it at the appropriate time? If it worries you to leave them together and you just want to separate them, and if it's still safe to do it now where you are, and they aren't leafed out, flowering, go for it. If not, leave them alone. Cuttings vary quite a bit, just as plants do, one to the next. I have several hundred out back which were all harvested from the same two plants in the same garden, at the same time, processed, treated and grown side by side on the same table. Some are rooted through the bottoms of their bands, while others are just sitting there. Why? Sometimes they just DO that. It is entirely possible the ones not flourishing when planted together were weaker or smaller to begin with and may have required more time to develop as the more vigorous ones did. Performance of each cutting is going to depend upon the climate, conditions, resources stored within that particular cutting and the genetics of the particular rose. I've had roses grow perfectly for years as multiple cuttings planted together, only to finally pay attention there were multiple plants together when I moved and separated them when transplanting them.

Jabubaoski,

I recommend separating them, and now is the best time to do it. The shock will be minimal because of the colder temps we will still have for a number of weeks. They are still young plants, but the longer you wait to separate them, the greater the stress to them.

Tease them apart as gently as you can, and perhaps prune back to fewer growing shoots per plant to balance the tops to the stressed roots. They need a little babying, but they should take off quite well. Whether put directly into the ground or potted up, give them some bright shade, no direct sunlight for a while, graduating them into full sun slowly, otherwise the full sun will severely wilt the new growth possibly burning up. Prop a piece of plywood to shade the in ground bushes. It takes about 10-14 days to get them light acclimated. Water them well. No fertilizer just yet.

Quietness and Cream Veranda are very vigorous, beautiful, workhorse roses.

In your zone 7 garden expect Quietness to reach 6+ feet by fall when it is mature in about three years. I suggest pruning Quietness like it is a hybrid tea, actually a grandiflora like Queen Elizabeth, only much ncer. It really is not a shrub rose as it is listed. It was introduced into commerce after Dr. Buck, its breeder, died, so I believe his family classed it as a shrub to keep in line with his many other roses which are primarily classed as shrubs.

You will get 2'+ stems for cutting with huge blooms. Grown as a shrub like the Knockout roses are, Quietness will grow into a sloppy, weak stemmed, small flowered mess.

Thanks Roseseek and Moses for your advise on this.

I love Chamblees! I planted two Quiteness from them 3 years ago and honestly I didn't pay attention if there was more than one plant in the pot. Quiteness is one of my best roses and I prune it just like Moses said and it is a blooming machine with the most beautiful big blooms that smell divine.

I love it when you get more than one plant for the money!! Burling often does that as well. I got two each of JOANNA HILL and JOCELYN last fall from her. They are still rather small plants, but having two is great, in case I lose one (again).

Thank you Roseseek and Moses for the advice. This is my first full season with them so any helpful tips are welcome!

I don't think I have enough room for Q to get to 7'! I garden in containers (drawback of urban gardening, pots or no roses at all), the biggest size I can fit are 2' tall and 16" across, so her growth may be limited.

I'm looking forward to more roses!

You're welcome. I hope it helps.

I have to check on mine, I planted 6-7 roses from Chamblees last summer, didn't pay attention if they were multiples. I'd love Chamblees more if I find any multiples tomorrow!!

I know what you mean Summersrhythm. If they told customers about the multiples, it might put some people off, but overall I think they would get a lot more business. Most of us love free stuff.

I had a rose with multiple cuttings that I planted together. It later got spider mites, common with hot weather and water restrictions and I was too inexperienced to recognize the signs immediately. In order to improve air circulation, I decided to separate the cuttings, using the method sultry_jasmine_nights described. It worked well in combination with giving the leaves a daily shower for nearly a week to clear up the spider might infestation. It was the rose forum that helped me through that battle, so thank you gardenweb.

Thanks for educating me on the concept of multiples. I just moved Pink Enchantment from Chamblees and realized I had a multiple. Hopefully the one that was not doing as well as the other will have a chance to thrive now.

I hope so too Totoro.

I love Chamblees. I wish they had more variety in their catalog, but that's my only complaint. I've always gotten great quality roses from them.

SoFL Rose, when I lived in FL (Delray Beach) only old roses and those on fortuniana really lasted there. I didn't experience Chamblees until I moved here last year. I'm glad that they work for you.

Well, we'll see. I do have many roses that die after a few years. I've had lots of luck with the newer, healthy kordes roses and with putting them in raised beds filled with store bought manure and compost (no native soil in the top 10 inches or so). I do have many roses on Fortuninana and many of mine are not hybrid teas so they are closer to their OGR counter parts, but its all very trail and error.

The only ones I really plant in the ground are the Kordes roses and the Earth Kind roses obtained from Chambless. Others I grow in containers. But not all roses last regardless of where I get them. Even ones on Fortuniana have failed for me in the past.

Wish me luck :)

Chamblees is upfront and honest about their method of selling roses. They put in 2 or 3 small plants together so that at least one will grow well. Their price is good, and they are honest about their policy. Some of my best and strongest roses have come from Chamblees. They are not sold to be separated, and I hope none of you ask for a refund if you separate them, and they do not grow.

I do believe that they had older roses that they sell in their nursery, but they do not ship them. Many people from around here drive to Tyler to purchase the older roses.

Sammy, I agree that they have good quality and prices. The ones I have separated have done well for me. I have limited experience with Chamblees and multiples in a pot. The only one I had left that wasn't separated was doing poorly. I split them up this morning and there were 4 in there, yeah. Where I disagree with you is the fact that they are upfront about putting more than one rose in a pot. I searched their entire website and didn't see a word about it. I think it would improve their business if they were upfront about it. I would certainly buy more from them if I can get 2, 3 or 4 for the price of 1.

I have ordered from them many times and the roses were healthy and still doing well after 6 years. I never separated them but if they were in the ground for a year I'm not sure I would separate them. I'd probably kill one or both.

I get barefoot roses from Chamblees and fall plant. I got quite a few and planted them in October last year. They were from 6" to a foot tall. Some had flowers on them. All survived the winter. Some, depending on variety, are almost 2 feet tall now. Cheaper and easier if you ask me. Just a thought.