Shez wrote:
In article , Shez
writes
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.



Oh I forgot to say roses don't like soggy roots so if you have a
clay soil break it up well put in sand and gravel to provide good
runoff, before you put the compost and roots in.

Adding sand and gravel to clay makes cement. Add lots of organic matter
to your clay soil.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5