Bob,
Thanks for your great answer about planting bagged roses....to say "you
learn something new every day" would be an understatement for me today...
:Þ Anyway, now that you're on a roll......

The boxed J&P roses I buy at Costco say to plant the entire box and the
cardboard will decompose in the ground. The box is definitely full of dirt,
not sawdust. Is it better to take the rose out of the box anyway and soak
it, then plant it? Or is it better to plant the entire box, like they tell
you to?

Thanks a lot for your great insight

JimS.
Seattle

Jim S. asked:

The boxed J&P roses I buy at Costco say to plant the entire box and the
cardboard will decompose in the ground. The box is definitely full of dirt,
not sawdust. Is it better to take the rose out of the box anyway and soak
it, then plant it? Or is it better to plant the entire box, like they tell
you to?

If the bare root is dormant, I would just yank it out of the box and
proceed as with the bare root bagged ones. Most of these roses have
dry soil in the box after about a week at the store (unless you are in
a humid climate). The rose can benefit from a good 24 hour soaking.
The soil in those boxes is cheap bad stuff anyway.

If however the rose bush has started to sprout and/or leaf out, I
would just plant the box in a pot that is bigger than the box, or
directly in the ground if that is your style. MAKE SURE that you cut
the top off of the box. Some of these boxes have a 'zip strip' around
the top. ALL of the box must be under the soil in order for the box
to dissolve. Keep it moist.

The end. heh heh

Thanks a lot for your great insight

Pour it on! I love it....

Bob Bauer
Zone way above six this month! we had an ALL TIME record temperature
for this date today. ... 73 degrees F These are May temperatures for
this climate.

My roses are starting to leaf out and that is a BAD thing. Because I
know there are at least a couple of 20 degree nights ahead in the next
month and a half. That means a bad spring flush....... sniffffffff...