I have been growing roses for over 25 years and have over 100 in my rosebeds. I'm 75 years old (retired physican). I'm in ihe southern tier of Western NY, directly below Buffalo on the PA border. My children ordered roses from JP which will be suipped in the fall. I have never planted in the fall. I will be using 3 cu yds of hardwood mulch on the established roses. I use Osmocote on the establisted roses.( it's suposed to work for 4 monthd, but that's BULL. I end up fertilizing three times during the growing season ). I also have a 10/10/10 granular. Should I use any fertilizer when I plant them? One is a floribunda, the other a grandiflora

Hello dalez, There is a very good book on minis which came out about 2 to 3 years ago. The author is very well known. Just go to google book search. Here more details : "Secrets of the Miniature Rose by Abler, Elizabeth Secrets of the Miniature Rose is one of the first books devoted exclusively to miniature roses. This updated edition, which includes more than 75 color photographs of all colors and varieties, is a complete planting guide for these lovely and popular household and garden adornments. Written with the influence of the author's renowned expertise and..." I know the book well because there are a number of photos of my own hybridized minis in the book. Any good bookstore can get it for you, but make sure you get the latest addition. The first one came out in the nineties. Good luck George Mander Here is a link that might be useful: Roses of Excellence

In zone 7 your best bet is to find a nice sunny spot in the garden and plant it. It will do fine for you with little or no protection during the winter if it's in the ground. If you leave it in a pot you'll have to winter protect it or garage it for winter. If you can't get it outside and plant it yet just keep it evenly moist but not soggy wet and in a sunny window until you can take it outside. When the the weather warms up start taking it outside during the day and back inside at night for a while to get it used to being outside. When you can start digging in the ground go ahead and plant it out.

Thanks for taking time to respond, Ken. Your phrase about loving my plants to death made me giggle. I used to groom dogs, and that's the phrase we would use when referring to morbidly obese pets lol! It makes total sense to apply it to plants too. I appreciate you letting me know that I had latched onto incorrect information. I had planned to fertilize the roses every two weeks because that was what several websites said that they needed when I was searching for care instructions. It didn't quite make sense to me, but I wasn't sure if the minis needed extra attention since they are in pots for the time being. I have a full sized rose in the garden that is doing exceptionally well with minimal time investment on my part. I water it, prune it, deadhead when I remember, and put new mulch down every year but that's the extent of its care unless I see it's having an issue. I live in southeastern Louisiana, so blackspot and powdery mildew are common issues for some gardeners down here. These little ones will go into large containers when it's time for them to move outdoors. I am originally from Georgia, and am planning to move back home this fall to be able to spend more time with my dad. He's in the early stages of liver failure and has RA, so he'll probably be needing some help managing his home before too long. I am planning to take my little roses and some gardenias I've grown from cuttings with me to plant at my new house. Thank you for the link to the "shrubbery" (sorry, total Monty Python fan here lol) instructions. Summer down here is no joke, the sun can and will bake plants to a crisp in no time if I'm not careful. As for your new addition: I'm sorry for not being sorry lol! I was cruising through minis on the Heirloom Roses site and was in awe over the many different colors they have to offer. I saw striped ones like the one you picked up and they do look quite glorious! I signed up to be notified when Cafe Ole becomes available again, I thought it was such a beautiful color and am excited about the prospect of it being somewhat fragrant. There were others that I added to my wish list as well, I'm a sucker for the apricot, orange, and coral colored varieties. Innocence and Violet Mist really grabbed my attention as well. I'm glad to hear you'll enjoy your new plant, when I got mine they were also discounted. I got them a couple of days after Valentine's Day from Wal-Mart for around $2.75 as well. Chris had asked me if he could treat me for the occasion and I had told him no, but when I saw the roses I changed my tune lol! Their roots were also not very long, but that may have been because 2-3 plants were crammed into each 3 inch pot. Only time will tell how well they develop, but in the meantime they're bringing me a lot of joy! Thanks again for your time and knowledge!