It was a long, hard winter in the Pocono Mountains! We had snow cover from the end of November until April! I thought spring would never arrive!
The only roses with blooms are the new ones I bought! that is alright, everything I planted survived the winter! Even the new divas aka grafted hybrid teas.
I LOVE own root roses (assuming the variety performs well on its own roots). However, I wanted some classic, fragrant blooms for cutting. You may remember my difficulties growing hybrid teas and other grafted plants.
Each spring greeted me with "dead sticks". Said sticks generally had split grafts. Both the root stock and the grafted stalks were completely dead. I suspected either the root stock (probably Dr,. Huey) wasn't hardy or the grafts split from the freeze/thaw cycle or both. Some years, the heavy, clay soil freezes and thaws daily as temperatures hover around freezing. Daytime features cold, ankle deep mud, night time solid ice. I suspect such weather is more stressful to plants than solid snow cover.
Rose experts recommend planting the graft 2 - 6" below the soil surface. Some recommend planting them below the frost line. It is physically impossible for me to dig a deep enough hole to plant the graft below the frost line - nearly 2 feet! I struggle to remove enough huge rocks to plant a roses at all! I tried something new with last year's divas - I planted the graft at or just below (in raised bed plantings) the soil surface. As usual, I mulched heavily with peat moss, mulch and leaves.
All my planted roses survived - even the divas! I am planting another circle of red hybrid tea roses this year. First, I have to get back outside and remove the weeds and rocks from the future rose circle. Hope I don't run into any boulders!
It is too soon to tell if my new method is reliable, but I am encouraged by this year's results.
I still love own root roses. When neighbors ask about growing roses, I recommend starting with own root shrubs and floribundas like the knockouts (zzzsz....) and the groundcover roses. I have given people names for won root nurseries, but they prefer to buy potted plants already blooming in the local big box stores. This year, I found a greater variety of own root roses in the local big box stores (no rose nurseries in the chilly Pocono mountains). I even found Pink Groodendorst (probably mispelled in my rush to get back outside) own root in a budget body bag!!! One advantage to the knockout phenomenon is stores are stocking more roses.
Time to pile on the sunblock and get back outside! I will remember to take plenty of before pictures of my lush green weeds!
So I get to dig out a couple.
