You'd be surprised how little we need to do in the way of winter protection
here in south east Michigan. We are quite near the lake Eire, so we do get
some warming effect. In addition, snow does a lot to protect the roses from
the wind, which is our real enemy. I usually cut my roses back to about 2.5
to 3 feet to reduce the risk of wind damage and then mound them with some
well cured horse manure to about 6 to 10 inches. This works out well, as I
live down the road from a horse farm, so I can get as much as I need, and
living on a couple of acres, I can store it in the back of my property until
its rip. In the spring, I spread the manure around and presto, compose.
The big trick to get grafted roses to survive; bury the knuckle 2 to 4
inches below the soil. It increases the risk of suckers, but it is a small
problem.

Its funny, up here we're forever trying to come up with ways of having
tender roses hang in there for us. I know a lot of rose-heads who sing the
song "only northern hardy for me" but they all has a couple of Kordes
Perfecta, Chrysler Imperials, and Mr. Lincolns in the garden. Those who
don't, often refer to them as "blooms on a stick". For me, they are all
wonderful, and I try to has a few of whatever has a chance of growing in
these area. I'm luck enough to have the space to grow everything from
spices to teas and try to have some of all.

I propagate here by starting my softwood cuttings in the middle to end of
summer, then I winter them under lights in my basement. (I have about 100
starts down there right now.) That way they have a pretty good root system
when I plant them, and the whole summer to dig in before the winter comes
around again. Own root roses seem to work best, as they can freeze back to
the ground and still come back.

Raised beds are nice for areas of clay, which is a problem in the suburbs,
where the builders steal the top soil. The problem is they require more
water and have a little more of a risk of freezing.

Nice to chat with ya. I always look forward to new postings. Its nice to
see what going on in the world of roses outside of the frozen north. (Its 26
degrees right now)

Best Regards
jk South East Michigan, Zone 5


"Gail Futoran" wrote in message
...
"Jeffrey L. Kline" wrote in message
...
Greeting to the warm-blooded

You guys and your warm weather! Up in the frozen north we are in the
process of putting ear muffs on our roses. Well not really, I still have
a few blooms, but there is nothing developing and there is talk of snow
by the end of the week. I'm afraid I don't have much to tell about your
conditions, although I've heard that soil pH is a deal in your area. I
keep a close eye on mine (the soil, not my own), trying to have it range
between 6 and 6.5. I've read that the south west trends toward alkaline
soil. Is this the case for you? If so, it could affect the release of
nutrients from the soil.

Good luck with your roses. I just renewed my membership in the American
Rose Society. Always a good place to start for info.

Best Regards

jk

My soil is very alkaline. Most of my roses grow in raised beds to which I
added a great deal of a local "rose soil" concoction, which is more acidic
than the surrounding soil. Really hardy roses don't care and send their
canes out into the alkaline soil and thrive.

I'm not sure I would have gotten into roses so much if I'd been up north
where winter protection is a real concern. I tend to be a lazy gardener.
My biggest problem here - besides watering during hot, droughty
summers - is weeds. But I guess everyone has that problem.

Interesting that some roses developed for more northern parts of the USA
do well in the south. One of my favorite roses is a Buck rose, Distant
Drums. I have three copies and all are doing well, even thriving in the
summer heat. Weird.

Gail
near San Antoino TX Zone 8