Dave Weil had asked me to post a follow-up back when I planted my
Redoute, so here it is...

Last May and June I went hog-wild on clearance sales of bare root
roses. Some of the bargains were incredible and absolutely impossible
to resist, never mind that I had no room for more plants.

I planted some, put some in pots, and left some soaking all summer
long. The planted ones were toast in a few weeks. (95 degree
weather isn't exactly ideal for planting bare roots...) The potted
ones had mixed success, but the real treasure was the batch that got
left in the water bath. They broke dormancy, bloomed, and even formed
hips just sitting in various storage bins and wastebaskets filled with
water.

I finally put them into the ground during fall planting season, at
various times from mid-October right up until nearly Thanksgiving,
when I finally set Redoute into soil.

Anyway, here's the update - they all adjusted to dirt quite well, and
even showed signs of new growth up until the recent ice storm. They
still have to make it through the rest of winter, but so far they're
every bit as healthy as any of the other roses in the garden.

So if I see more impossible to pass up bare roots this June, I won't
hesitate. I'll just drop them into plastic storage bins filled with
water and let them sit there until mid fall. The only change is that
this year, I might put them in part shade to help keep the water from
evaporating so quickly. I might even keep them inside if there aren't
that many of them.

So, that's the update. An entire growing season soaking in a water
bath turned out to be the best way to keep new bare roots alive in
absurdly hot summer conditions such as July in central Georgia. Your
mileage may vary...