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.

I looked back into my log records and found that trialed the "Rose" variety in 2001,; I was growing for restaurants at the time. My records indicate I got the seed in a trade from SE PA (indeed, that is Amish country). Some of my end of year ratings were as follows: Folliage desease tolerance/resistance 2.3 on a scale topped at 3.0. (Rutgers rated a 2.0) Size typically 3.5 to 4.5 OD X 2.0 to 2.5 deep. Yield 70% to sales, 20% to sauce or juice. Comments--Shows promise, very good tasting attractive fruits. So, I saved seed and then somehow forgot all about the variety. We were involved at the time in negotiations to sell our orchard and home to a developer, and 2001 was not one of my better managed years! Seeds now out of inventory and on deck for a 2010 growout!

I was upset that I canceled my Regan’s order for Scentuous this spring and so I was happy to see Chamblees offer it as a 3 gallon in late summer and ordered it despite the cost. I was impressed when it arrived - it was large and blooming. I would normally wait for spring to order a bareroot that is less than 1/2 that price then but it was worth it to me this time to get to enjoy it immediately this time. I’ve ordered from Cattail Creek before and they send nice 2-3 gallon roses as well but was maybe even a bit more impressed with what Chamblees sent.