Or you can leave the soil hilled up over the canes after planting and let Mom Nature wash it off. The new canes and leaveswill grow through the hill of soil. To protect the bud union during unexpected (in your area) bitter cold, plant the graft 2-4 inches below the soil surface then hill the soil over the canes above that. I'm one who advises planting as soon as you can work the soil. Your dormant rose will stay dormant in the cold ground until the sun warms the soil, promoting roots and leaf out. Better to store it there than potted in a garage. Even though it's cold, water it well. This settles the soil and prevents the canes from drying out. I soak mine in diluted fish emulsion, then pour it in the hole and on the bush when I plant. Although the wax is suppose to prevent the canes from losing moisture, it's often colored green to make the bush look fresh and blemish free. Either way it'll melt off in the sun as the weather warms. You'll probably have some dieback due to harvest damage. A grade 1 1/2 is suppose to have at least two canes 3/8 inch in diameter or larger. It can have more. Because you bought yours so early it sounds as if you may have gotten a pretty nice grade 1 1/2, depending on how the roots look. Most bagged roses I've ever got had roots no more than a couple of inches long. That's one reason it's a 1 1/2 grade and hidden in a bag.

Here's what I found Apples are Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Rosales Family: Rosaceae Subfamily: Maloideae Genus: Malus Species: Malus domestica - domestic apple. Roses are Same except Subfamily = Rosoideae Genus = Rosa Species = Rosa speciosa. Plants of the same botanical genus and species can usually be grafted even if different varieties. Plants of the same genus but different species often can be grafted but the result may be weak or short-lived, or they may not unite at all. Plants of different genera are less successfully grafted, although there are some cases where this is possible. For example, quince, genus Cydonia, may be used as a dwarfing rootstock for pear, genus Pyrus. So I guess I answered my own question. Seemed like a good idea though. I'd like to have a rose hanging from the top of an apple tree.

My memory is they grew their own roses back then. There would be specific comments in their catalog about things the did in their growing fields (For example, one year they grafted something mistakenly and Winnie said that variety kept ‘turning up like a bad penny’). It may have been that some varieties may have been purchased from Weeks et al, but primarily they grew their own. I miss their old catalog and Winnie’s blunt sense of humor.

Chamblee's is a family business. Mark Chamblee, the original owner had his nursery in Tyler, TX. He sold the business upon retiring to another family who moved it to Winona, TX. They retained the Chamblee name for their nursery...name recognition evidently. I was a Tyler location mail order customer for years, and am a Winona location customer these days. The quality has been about the same. Very good to average. The new owners discontinued their free shipping for orders over about 5 roses. Right now they are neck and neck, final order bill total, with Roses Unlimited and Antique Rose Emporium. Although ARE sells 2 gal. roses, their roses in two gallon pots can really be 1 gal. size plants, or smaller. 2 gal. does not always mean a bush that has reached its potential 2 gal. size. I have received less than gallon size plants growing in gallon size pots from both old and new Chamblee's. When de-potted, the potting soil would fall away revealing a quart or less sized root system bush, but upon in ground planting, I can't recall a failed bush. They usually kicked in and thrived. Texas has its generous helping of catastrophic weather events. A tornado can level a building in just a flash while the building across the street barely had its American flag hanging outside even flutter during the twister. Considering that Chamblee's survived the Corona Virus is a wonder. So many mom and pop businesses around me closed and did not reopen that it is a heart breaking sight to walk up and down my little old Italian neighborhood. Generational mom and pop businesses are gone forever. I advise all you Chambee's customers that have late orders to be as patient as possible. Texans are a cut above, character wise, and either roses or refunds will be forthcoming. Please, give them time to fulfill their obligations. The delays indicate dire straits being experienced. Moses