Growing great roses

You can take cuttings in the Fall or Spring, by cutting off a cane growing from the bottom of the rose bush. Stick the cane in transplant hormone overnight, then plant it in good rose soil that's been well dampened. Place the pots in a sheltered shady spot until they start leafing. But it takes much less time to just buy landscape or shrub roses and plant them in front. For this type of hedge I buy on sale, so I can get between 4-6 bushes affordably. Look at these from Jackson Perkins. The ones for $9.95 are lovely. For a small hedge 3-4 will do, planted 3 feet apart. I like JP because they absolutely guarantee their roses. But if you have a K mart, Wal Mart, Target or other nursery, you might find Fall pre-season bargains even better.

Sadly, I can't buy the roses here, They actually sprang up from some roots left by the previous home owner, and look nothing like the plant she had in that spot. In fact, I haven't seen the kind in ages, I think its an old, no longer valued species, just used as roots for less hardy roses.

Judy, Try pruning the roots back, after digging up what may be left of any root ball. Stick the rose in a largish pot with premium rose soil, keep damp and sheltered. DON'T give up on it until next June. You might be surprised at what you get.

Hi Luzamper! I am passionate about roses and really love helping newbies to rose gardening get off on the right foot. I'm amazed by how many new gardeners are afraid of even trying to grow these lovely flowers. It's a shame because they really are easy to care for. Roses make perfect hedges when you select the right type of rose and plant them correctly. They've even developed groundcover roses which can be perfect for awkward bare spots. Me, I grow them for their form, color and above all for their fragrance. I try and buy only highly fragrant roses, so I can harvest them for homemade potpourri every growing season. It's simple and smells like heaven!

wow, how nice of you, thanks a lot. If I'm not yet this old, I may try to take care of rose hedges because of your willingness to help; you're one in a million. May God bless you.

Hiya Bojo!, I'm in Zone 7. First thing... rose labelling is often off by a country mile. And then there are microclimates within major zones that really can impact your roses! There are a few things you can do to help your roses survive harsh winter temps. First and foremost is excellent insect control. Spray your roses Spring and Fall with copper and sulfur. Just before the first frost, clean up your bushes, clearing all debris, leaves and broken canes out. If your winter is very harsh prunre back by a third. I spray my canes with dormant oil thoroughly saturating them. Now getting ready for winter. If you have access to clean dry straw, this is an effective way of putting your babies to sleep. Place the straw all around the bush and cover it over completely. 3-6 inches is good. Place burlap bags over the mounded straw and anchor with bricks or other weights. You can also stake the ends in the ground. I often get freezing temps, so take my delicate Austin roses and pot them up for the winter in a sheltered location. a variation of this, the Minnesota Tip, is to dig an 18" deep trench, place the newly dug up rose inside it on its side, cover with straw, then fill over with earth. Cover the area with burlap that is anchored, and they survive fine until Spring. Frankly, potting seems easier, it doesn't hurt the dormant rose, and you can find tidie ways to insulate them. I simply cluster the pots together and cover them with waterproof plastic on freezing nights, or place them in my garage. Let me know if you need more help with this. I'm so glad you stopped by Bojo!