It's strange, to me, how own root roses struggle in one climate and thrive in another. Of course, that's roses. They always do their own thing. I've come to believe that when we plant a rose, it seems to always be more of an experiment to find out how it is going to do in "this" garden.
I don't like to crowd my roses because I have such a hot and arid summer climate, spider mites are a real problem and can become evident within a day and kill a rose by totally defoliating it within a few days. Yes, they have been at work long before I can see their work, but if the roses were crowded, it's even harder to catch and harder to remedy. No, I don't spray miticides. It's too easy to fix just by washing down the plants with just water. Why spend the money ?
This year, I bought four budded roses to replace four own root roses that I thought just were never really going to take off in this climate. The 40 inches of rain we got this winter season was more than enough to turn ther performance around and they are all performing so well, I am reluctant to shovel prune them.
These own root roses were planted the season before the beginning of the drought began. They never had a chance to experience "normal" conditions.
I think I can find spots for three of the four new budded roses without crowding. That fourth rose ... I just don't know where to site it.
Decisions !
