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| Peace is everyone's favorite. |
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| Chicago Peace |
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| Pink Peace |
When bare roses came from California after a long journey, they looked pretty bad. Wrapped in plastic and wearing rose didies, they were moist but also looked a bit moldy on the ends of the canes. Regan Nursery strongly advises soaking the whole bare root rose for 24 hours. The 24 hour soak was too long during Holy Week, so I did three things:
- I soaked them in the rain barrels, many of them immersed for a long time.
- I pruned a lot of roots to fit them in holes quickly.
- I pruned many canes that looked bad on the end.
Mr. Lincoln popped the new green leaves within 24 hours, and the rest of the Regan roses followed. They were the last planted but the first to pop real growth.
Regan Nursery has the largest selection of roses and good prices. It is the best way to study groups of roses and make some choices.
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| Summer Nights |
This are my conclusions.
First of all, the extreme pruning spurred new growth.
Secondly, I began to see the new roses as dry sponges in the soil. People water roses after planting the bare root versions, but the canes are also somewhat dried when they arrive. If the entire plant is watered well, plenty of water will move into it but leave the soil relatively dry. Daily watering definitely helps but is not the same as starting with hydrated canes and roots.
I mist plants often and mist the rose canes, especially newly planted ones.
The real pumping action begins when the leaves give up moisture and the root hairs absorb it. That moves water into the bottom of the plant, up and out the new leaves. Until then it is a waiting game for the rose to leave dormancy and start growing.
Therefore, a total immersion--at least for several hours--will give the roses a chance to recover from dehydration in the move. Pruning the roots and canes will also provoke fast growth.
Having a very large barrel from Rubbermaid is handy for capturing rain off the roof or for storing water long enough to let it de-chlorinate. I used two barrels to soak the roses and to sort them out. I had a definite plan that was being thwarted by the tangle of canes and roots. In the barrels I could fish out the ones I wanted, since the Peace Rose trifecta belonged together and I wanted Mr. Lincoln to alternate with Pope John Paul II.
The barrels reminded me of the aquariums at Red Lobster, each floating rose a far more delectible item than a shellfish.
