They are all own root and supposedly Michigan winter hardy. Some have very little cane left (3-4 inches) but the others have 9-12+ inches. One I'm worried about has very few buds and looks browinsh red (but was heavily mulched). It doesn't look dead but the others look more promising. It had rose hips still attached so didn't suffer from browsing... It's a floribunda. Any ideas? Will it survive? (It was a favorite) Thanks! Also, if I transfer to pots (I'm moving this summer) before the end of dormancy should I wait until the chance of frost is gone? We regularily frost into May here...Can anyone tell it's my first year with roses?

I'm sure some of our found roses are self seedlings which volunteered somewhere. Rose seeds have long been available commercially, and particularly Chinas and "Fairy Roses" were distributed as seeds. R. Xanthina was brought to the US by Meyer (of Meyer Lemon fame) as seeds and raised once here. He found both single and double forms from those seeds. Slater's Crimson China, among others, was sent out as seed. It is very successful as a self seeder, too. Any wonder why there are so many variations, all identified as Slater's Crimson China? If "grandma" planted some seeds, or some came up in her garden, of course only the most vigorous, healthiest would have been selected to maintain. Those would likely have been the ones relatives passed around and even planted in the family plots. Often, selfs resemble the parents quite closely. Not exactly, but close enough for someone to look at them and proclaim they are this, or that variety. Grow them side by side and you'll see differences. Micro sports also occur all the time, altering basic traits just enough to change the rose so it's no longer the original. You might find a less, or more, double mutation. Take a look at Awakening and New Dawn. They COULD be mistaken for the same rose if you didn't know one or the other well enough, but they aren't the SAME rose. Kim

It's OK, Harborose, I did chuckle at your jest and I have been victimized by thieves. Let's not lose our sense of humor here, please. After all if we can't laugh surely we'll be crying. And I hate when that happens! My brother wants to get security cameras for the yard. For several years now, besides the roses being stolen, we've had our apple trees stripped clean of fruit either at night sometime or when we weren't at home for some reason. We use those apples for cooking all winter long and were very upset by the thought that someone climbed, and we think shook, the trees to get every last one down. The shaking is bad for the trees and my fear is some idiot will fall and then have the gall to sue us! We're pretty sure they went as deer bait no less because we've had several guys stop and ask if they could have them for that purpose. I really missed my applesauce, baked and apple pies the first year. Since then we've been trying to pick them earlier. They're not as sweet but at least we get some.

I never thought about an "official" season beginning any time. I seem to remember rushing to order from Palatine in early September one year (and still getting there too late to get that rose). And it seems to me that Austin rather lags a bit behind others which are taking orders in the fall and early winter (for next spring), with Austin being more toward the early winter. Some place that I do not remember once informed me they don't take orders until after the first of the year. With own root roses growing in a pot (like Roses Unlimited), early ordering isn't as essential since they won't mail out their orders to my region until May 15, even though I keep telling them that all danger of frost has passed by late April. If I want a rose very badly and/or worry that it will get sold out, I begin haunting their online site in September, all fall and early winters if necessary--but then I order just as soon as they open for the coming season. Most years I'd guess I do most of my ordering between Xmas and New Years, with an occasional order being put in later, but I know there are a number of forum posters who already or very shortly will have their order put in. Don't think there are any hard and fast rules--unless I've just missed them somehow. : ( My two orders for next spring were made this year during late Sept. and early Oct. Good luck. Kate