Hurray.
Palatine rocks.
My order has been in the ground for over a week and several of the roses are making leaves. The Palatine order from last year is pretty well on its way to being leafed-out by now.
I will admit that I did not soak the whole plant quite as Palatine recommends. After all, the canes and the roots were still moist: I had paid for three day delivery. Instead, I did what J&P used to advocate: Put the plant in the hole, fill it half with soil. Fill it the rest of the way with water. Then I kept it filled with water for about two hours. I left it overnight, then refilled the next morning. Twenty four hours after setting it in the hole I put the second half of the soil in the hole and watered it in. I know this worked perfectly for at least three roses. And all of the (pretty many) Palatine roses in my recent order look really good with deep green bark.
Only one cultivar out of more than a dozen looked a bit underdeveloped, and that may be because it doesn't get very big in the first place: Europeana. Fortunately I ordered six and it's a vigorous rose. So maybe in two years or so I won't know the difference.
