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Old 20-07-2004, 09:02 PM
Karen
 
Posts: n/a
Default In praise of supermarket mini roses.

I bought two mini roses last fall in a sale for about $1.00 each.
There wasn't any tag in the pot. I don't even their name. Actually
there were 4 branches in a pot. I splitted one pot into two parts.
Each part had two canes. I planted one in a sunny spot int the garden,
the other in a half shade area. I planted the other pot in the shade
area too. I put some steak bone leftover from dinner, a handful of
lawn fertilizer in the planting hole, watered and forgot about them.

A few days later, I found a big hole around the root in each rose. I
guessed some wild animal dig out the bone. I covered the holes and
watered.

In the early winter, everything turned into brown and black. These
three mini roses were still green. Unfortunately for them, rabbit eat
the twon in the shade area near woodland. When the snow covered the
ground, the mini in the sunny spot were still glossy green.

Being impressed by their toughness, I bought another one from walmart.
The tag said Parade Rose. I repotted them into a bigger container. I
pushed each one into a corner. In the sunny spot inside house, they
bloomed the whole winter. One flower one each cane. The bloom lasted
for 2 weeks. After I dead head them. Another "wave" of flowers was
coming. I was delighted. That was my first rose. I thought my rose was
doing great.

In the sprint, when other plants were still sleeping dead, the mini
roses came out. Too bad for them, the rabbits got the two in the shade
area. One never recovered. It's still alive but barely. The other
survived and bloomed OK.

The one in the sunny spot in the garden rewarded me with 2" flowers
all summer so far. The inside house one was moved outside in the deck.
It was covered 27 flowers last night, not counting buds!!!

It gave me much confedence about growing roses. I bought magic
carrousel, Oh Canada, Proud Land, Austin Blush, Martin Frobisher,
Morden blush and some yellow roses whithout tag. Of course I got more
yellow and white Parade mini roses.