On 17 May 2004 19:46:09 -0700, Patrick Scheible
wrote:
Orchid writes:
Hi all. This is my first time planting roses, and I'm a
little nervous. I live in Northern Virgina (Zone 7/6) and I ordered
three bushes and a climber (Joseph's Coat, Robert Clemens, Laura, and
Compassion) from www.heirloomroses.com, primarily because I am an
organic gardener, and I've been told that the own-root heirloom
varities do not require lots of synthetic sprays.
You can't really generalize -- some new varieties are very disease
resistant, and some old varieties are disease-prone.
Really? Hmmm. Good to know.
Heirloom in Oregon? They're on the other coast. I like them, but I
live in Seattle, where I can visit them or get them shipped in a day.
There's something to be said for using local nurseries so they can
give you advice that's appropriate to your climate and soil, and so
the roses don't dry up in shipping. Heirloom, despite their name,
carries both old varieties and new ones.
I'd kind of thought that.
The benefits of own-root roses are somewhat controversial. If you
live where hard freezes are a problem, it's nice that the roots will
come up the same variety, not rootstock. I'm not at all sure that
they're more disease resistant than grafted roses. Own-root might be
longer lived, but are usually slower to get started. You can grow
nice roses either way.
I'm patient, so I think I'll be fine waiting for them to grow.
Plants don't have to be immediately perfect, IMO. I'm in the DC Metro
area, and hard freezes can be a problem. I also just prefer the idea
of own-root plants to Frankenplants.
Yes! They're not kidding. It's a huge help to the rose to have that
big hole, both young like Heirloom ships and in big pots from
nurseries. Especially important if you've got clay or other poor soil.
Thanks for the advice.
Dig the holes... They might live without them, but they're more
likely to get established and will live healthier lives with big
holes.
Thanks! Advice is noted and taken!
Orchid
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