Anne, are you really SURE you want to grow these thorny things? There are those Kevlar gloves they make for oven mitts that I've heard of people using for such tasks . . . welding gloves are very thick and strong, too.
I've had some of the sharper thorns even penetrate the rose gloves with the thick gauntlets.
I think it's a great idea for you to plant them out in your garden in the spring - any neighbors with wandering dogs? They'll sure learn their lesson if they get tangled up in those spiky devils! Be sure to put a "caution" flag up near them so they don't bite you if you forget where they are.
I'm contemplating planting a bunch of pineapple tops around and under the edges of my Lychee tree to keep the squirrels away. Once pineapples have 'naturalized' they get very thorny edges along the leaves too.
