In article , Aunty Kreist Aunty_Kreist@
satanickittens.net writes
Hey Shez-
Have a quick question.....

The #$%$@* nursey I order from has just shipped my climbing roses. They
arrived today.

What the heck? They are supposed to ship at the planting times of the zones
you live in....Dangit!

There's 6 inches of snow currently on the ground.
Will the roses be OK? They are bare root, and in very good shape. Stems are
nice and green, and the roots are very moist ( wrapped in moss).

Will they be OK if I store them for about a month? What should I do- keep
roots moist with the moss and store in a cool, dark place?

Don't put the moss in water simply put a bowl of water in the place your
storing them in so the that moss will keep damp from the water vapour in
the room. Cool but not freezing, and of course dark..
You got it. Keep an eye on them, if they start to sprout, which is
possible now they are in moss and have been watered then pop them into
pots on a well lit windowsill or near a glass door. It doesn't need to
be a warm place.. In fact its better if its cool it will slow down the
growth and make planting easier if they are not to far advanced.

Don't worry roses will keep well just as bare roots with a bit of
newspaper around them for weeks. The are pretty hardy.

Once the ground is no longer frozen, it doesn't matter if its cold or
wet, as long as the ground isn't soggy, dig a hole big enough to take
the root system... a bit of compost with well rotted horse manure helps,
and a bit of bone meal. Put them into the hole, then the rose roots, so
that the join at the root and the stem where the modern rose has been
grafted on are above the earth, and doesn't get to wet. Shovel your soil
back in and press it down hard with your boots, don't be to gentle, firm
the roots in and then water it well.. After that go away and ignore
it... the more you ignore it the better it will do.



--
Shez
Shez's Garden at http://www.oldcity.f2s.com/shez/