Update on the strangling root:
I planted the rose after trying to unwind the root and placing a rock in the middle to keep it from winding back. I planted the replacement rose in another bed. i should have planted them next to one another if I really wanted to be scientific about it, I know...
This year, both are blooming. Both are undersized, but that's par for hybrid teas in my garden. I don't add more than a few inches of mulch year round, so there's quite a bit of winterkill on HT's.
We did have an awful summer last year, so everything I planted last spring is undersized. We'll see how it does this summer.
