The Seattle Rose Society suggests planting in March. The roses should be stored in a cool dark place if they cannot be planted right away.

Other recommendations include soaking the roots before planting (8-12 hours), and trimming off damaged or diseased roots. Try to maintain 3-5 canes per plant, and prune back to 3-5 buds per cane.

Dig a hole wide and deep enough to accommodate the roots. Make a cone-shaped mound of soil in the center of the hole to support the plant. Fill the hole 2/3 full of soil and add water to make a slurry--this gets between the roots. Do not tamp the soil. When the water drains, add more soil and repeat the water fill process until you reach the original soil surface (ground level).

Season Winter
Date 2007-12-13
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In the Pacific Northwest, most sources recommend pruning in late fall or early spring. Where to cut depends on the type of roses you have (modern, climbers, shrub, etc.).

The Olympia Rose Society has excellent pruning information at:
http://www.olyrose.org/pruning.htm

Season All Season
Date 2008-01-31
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You might want to check out the Seattle Rose Society website, which has lots of good information about roses.

You could also post your information about the roses, or reply to those seeking rose bushes, on the Pacific Northwest Garden Exchange.

Another place that might have an interest in helping to find a new home for your roses is Plant Amnesty.

Season All Season
Date 2006-12-12
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I have listed a few useful webpages about propagating roses from cuttings below.

To answer your question about leaving them under cover, I think you probably should leave them for at least a brief while, given the very cold weather. I don't think you need to apply foliar fertilizer at this stage. The resources below should offer some additional advice on caring for your cuttings.

John Fisher’s book, The Companion to Roses (Salem House Publishers, 1986), says that roses grown from cuttings may take longer to flower than those budded on rootstock, but (if they survive the process) they may live longer and will not sucker. Some roses are easier to propagate from cuttings, such as ramblers and Rosa rugosa, as well as some climbing roses and large-flowered roses.

According to Fisher, cuttings can be taken as early as August. You should choose young shoots with ripened wood that have borne flowers, and lateral shoots rather than leaders. He recommends selecting those shoots growing low on the shady side of the plant, and those with leaf joints that are close together. Make a clean cut just below a leaf joint. The cutting should be about 9 inches long with 2 leaf joints in the top 3 inches. Cut off the tip that has borne the flower and the leaf immediately underneath it. Remove leaves (but not buds) on the lower 2/3 of the cutting, since this is the part that will be planted in the ground. The soil should be a mix of loam and sand mixed down to a depth of about 9 inches, in a pot or V-shaped trench. Before planting the cutting, poke a hole in the soil for it to go into. Moisten the bottom end of the cutting with a cotton ball, and dip it in rooting hormone (or willow water). Put the cutting in the soil and press the soil around it firmly. If you need to protect it from frost, cover it with leaves or sacking during the winter. By summer, it should have formed a root, and should be ready to plant in the fall.

The information below may differ somewhat from these directions, but you may get a general sense of how your methods compare, and whether you want to try any of the methods suggested.

University of California Cooperative Extension
Morrison Gardens
The Southern Garden
University of Rhode Island.

Season All Season
Date 2007-01-16
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Moving your rose out from under the tree is probably a good idea. Roses: 1001 Gardening Questions Answered by the editors of Garden Way Publishing (1989), says that the best time to transplant it to its new location is early spring or late fall. Before moving it, prune it, “leaving three to four canes. Prepare the new hole in the ground (and) give it some extra attention after it is planted.” This resource says that spring transplanting is preferred, because with warm weather on the way, the rose will have a better chance of starting new growth. When digging up your rose, dig a circular trench one foot away from the crown of the plant, removing the soil around the plant with your shovel. Loosen the root ball, and then take hold of the crown and push it back and forth to loosen it. Then lift it out of the hole. Dig a deep hole in the new location. Add two inches of compost, build a mound of soil, and spread the roots over it. Fill in with topsoil, make a ridge of soil around the base of the plant, and water well. Afterwards, water carefully, neither too much nor too little.

Season All Season
Date 2008-01-24
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The reason that clematis and rose make good companions has to do with the rose providing the structure the clematis needs, and the pairing allowing for interesting combinations of color and shape, rather than one providing disease resistance to the other.

Generally, the most disease-resistant roses are species roses, but there are additional choices.

Here is a link to lists of roses and their disease resistance, from Oregon State University's Plant Disease web page (look for "R" which indicates resistance).

This article from Oregon State University Extension lists resistant roses and their other qualities (scent, repeat bloom, color).

This article from Washington State University Extension is entitled "Choosing Good Roses for Puget Sound."

There are several excellent books on growing roses in our area:

North Coast Roses : For the Maritime Northwest Ggardener by Rhonda Massingham Hart (Seattle : Sasquatch Books, c1993)

Jackson & Perkins Beautiful Roses Made Easy : Northwestern Edition by Teri Dunn & Ciscoe Morris. (Nashville, Tenn. : Cool Springs Press, 2004)

Roses for the Pacific Northwest by Christine Allen (Vancouver : Steller Press, 1999)

Roses for Washington and Oregon by Brad Jalbert, Laura Peters (Edmonton : Lone Pine Pub., 2003)

Roses for the Inland Northwest. Washington State University Extension ; [Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, [2004])

This book is a comprehensive guide to combining clematis and roses: The Rose and the Clematis As Good Companions by John Howells ; photographs by the author ; flower arrangements by Ola Howells (Woodbridge : Garden Art Press, 1996)

All of these titles are available in the Miller Library.

Season All Season
Date 2007-02-10
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Below are some general guidelines on spacing for roses. Since you are planting a Grandiflora near a climbing rose which I am assuming has a structure to climb, you could probably get away with planting a bit closer than the 30"-36" spacing recommended between two Grandifloras, but if you plant right up against the other rose, I imagine it would be problematic due to inadequate air circulation, which could lead to diseases. Here is what the publication of the University of Minnesota Master Gardeners has to say:

"A rule of thumb for the common varieties of roses is to space them 18 to 30 inches apart. Foliage that stays moist for extended periods can become infected by disease organisms. Avoid standing water around the base of the plant."

Suggested Spacing for Roses, from Jackson and Perkins:

Hybrid Teas & Grandifloras
Space: 30" -36" apart
Coverage: 6 -10 sq. ft.

Floribunda
Space: 24" -30" apart
Coverage: 4 -6 sq. ft.

English Rose
Space: 36" apart
Coverage: 10 sq. ft.

Climber
Space: 4' -5' apart
Coverage: 12 -15 sq. ft.

Hedge
Space: 24" apart
Coverage: 4 sq. ft.

Shrub
Large
Space: 30" -36" apart
Coverage: 6 -10 sq. ft.

Small
Space: 24" -30" apart
Coverage: 4 -6 sq. ft.

Miniature
Space: 12" -18" apart
Coverage: 1 -2 sq. ft.

Tree Rose
Standard
Space: 3' -5' apart
Coverage: 10 -15 sq. ft.

Patio
Space: 3' -4' apart
Coverage: 10 -12 sq. ft.

Miniature
Space: 2.5' -3.5' apart
Coverage: 6 -11 sq. ft.

Season All Season
Date 2007-03-09
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I am currently growing this rose for the first time, and it is blooming profusely. I have needed to keep on top of the aphids (hand-squishing), and there are a few yellowed leaves which drop (and which I have been picking up and destroying as soon as I see them). Here is what the book Roses for the Pacific Northwest by Christine Allen (Steller Press, 1999) has to say about this rose:

Few old roses flower so continuously--cold weather merely turns the buds a paler hue and, although they don't then open, they remain fresh-looking on the bush for weeks. It hates cold wind, but will take a surprising amount of shade, forming an open, leafy shrub with soft red stems and red-tinged foliage, impervious to disease.

I personally would not go as far as to say it is impervious to disease, but my impression is that it is relatively disease-resistant. I am truly enjoying the look and fragrance of this rose in my garden. Links to additional information:

Rogers Roses
UBC Botanical Garden
From the Seattle Times

Season All Season
Date 2008-02-28
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We have a large selection of books on roses here in the Elisabeth C. Miller Library. You are welcome to come in and browse as well as borrow books.

The Seattle Rose Society says the following about Floribunda roses: Floribunda roses combine the best aspects of their parent plants: the Hybrid Tea rose and Polyantha rose. They receive their flower form and foliage from the Hybrid Tea while taking after the Polyantha in increased hardiness and exuberance of blooms. This link is to their lists of recommended roses for the Puget Sound region, including the best Floribundas.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a book entitled Easy-Care Roses, part of which is available on their website. Here is an additional link to excerpts from this book.

Here are additional links which may be useful.

Roger's Roses

Roses and everything rose & gardening related

American Rose Society

Olympia Rose Society

Most of our books have at least a little information on Floribundas, but none is specifically and exclusively about them. I recommend The Companion to Roses by John Fisher (Salem House, 1987) for history of rose classification, and Jeff Cox's Landscape with Roses (Taunton Press, 2002) for practical ideas on using roses in the garden, and recommendations of specific Floribundas which do well. Cox says that Floribundas are the best of the Modern roses for most landscaping situations because of their hardiness, free-flowering habit, bushy form, and flowering season. They work well both as specimen plants and in combination with other flowers and shrubs in beds and borders. Most grow 2-4 feet tall, and are dense enough to be used as hedge plants. Varieties range from single, semi-double, to double flowers. Some are fragrant. Specific varieties mentioned by Cox are 'Gruss an Aachen,' 'Iceberg,' 'Queen Elizabeth,' 'Marmalade Skies,' 'Showbiz,' 'Betty Prior,' 'Escapade,' 'Nearly Wild,' 'Lilac Charm,' 'Europeana,' 'Sunsprite,' and 'Apricot Nectar.'

Season All Season
Date 2007-09-29
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Your message doesn't mention where you live, so I don't know how cold your winters are. Bringing your roses into the house can be problematic, because we tend to keep our homes too warm for the plant, which wants to go dormant in winter. A cold but sheltered spot may be a better choice. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you can keep your roses outdoors year-round. Christine Allen's Roses for the Pacific Northwest (Steller Press, 1999) says that miniature roses are extremely hardy, hardier than many larger roses. They can survive winter in an unprotected pot unless the soil freezes all the way through.

The following information from New Mexico State University Extension offers similar advice. Excerpt:

The miniature rose is often hardier than the common hybrid tea rose, so it will survive but not bloom through the winter in most parts of New Mexico. It requires a cool, dormant period and will do poorly if brought indoors where it will stay warm. I have also noticed that if it is indoors during the winter, it is often attacked and even killed by spider mites. Other insects also become a problem when plants are indoors.

You have several options. One is to leave it in its pot and keep it outside in a protected location. Plants in pots are more subject to freezing during the winter because the soil in the pot can freeze completely and drop to a lower temperature than soil in the ground unless the pot is kept in a protected location. Plants in the ground may have the soil freeze around the base of the plant, but the roots are often not frozen. A sunny location that allows daily warming and nightly freezing of the soil in the pot is not good. You will also need to make sure that the soil in the pot does not dry completely during the winter. Roses need some moisture in the soil around their roots even in the winter. Soil in flower pots dries more quickly than in the ground.

Another option is to plant the rose in the soil where the soil temperature will remain more moderate and the soil will dry slowly. It is late in the season for this, but it can be done. Don't let it dry after planting, and by applying a layer of organic mulch (bark, straw, etc.) around the base of the plant, you can help maintain moderate temperatures and prevent sudden temperature changes in the root zone.

Finally, you can keep the rose in a protected, cool location, allowing it to become dormant for several months, then prune it and bring it indoors to begin blooming early in the spring. This allows it to have its winter rest, but you can enjoy its flowering earlier than if it stayed outside. Replanting in a large pot may be helpful to allow more root growth. A miniature rose is called miniature not for the size of the plant but for the size of the flowers. Some miniature roses can become fairly large plants and need a large root zone to support growth and flowering. That is why planting outdoors may be the best choice in the long run, but repotting it allows a potentially useful compromise.

Season All Season
Date 2007-10-27
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According to The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control (edited by Barbara Ellis; Rodale Press, 1996), there are several steps to dealing with black spot on your roses. First, avoid wetting the leaves, and do not handle the plants when foliage is wet. Prune the plants to make sure there is good air circulation. Make sure the roses are in sun, and are not shaded by large shrubs or trees. Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizers, and only fertilize based on a soil test's indications. If you expect an appearance of black spot (based on past experience), spray plants weekly with sulfur or fungicidal soap. Once you see symptoms, it is hard to control black spot. Remove and dispose of any affected parts of the plant (don't compost). Make a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda in a quart of water, and spray the infected plants well.

University of California, Davis's Integrated Pest Management website says the following about black spot (Diplocarpon rosae):

The fungus requires free water to reproduce and grow, so leaves should not be allowed to remain wet for more than 7 hours. (When hosing off aphids, do it in the morning so leaves have a chance to dry by midday.) Provide good air circulation around bushes. Remove fallen leaves and other infested material and prune out infected stems during the dormant season. (...) Miniature roses are more susceptible than other types, although a few varieties are reliably resistant to all strains of black spot.(...) A combination of sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate plus horticultural oil (as discussed above under "Powdery mildew") or neem oil has also been shown to be effective in reducing black spot.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden has information on natural disease control, including the following:

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is non-toxic, readily available, and very inexpensive. It can be effective against powdery mildew and somewhat useful against black spot. If you repeatedly spray leaves with bicarbonate, though, it will eventually reach the soil below, where it can accumulate and lead to slower plant growth. Bicarbonate can form insoluble particles with calcium and magnesium ions when it concentrates in the soil, making these important nutrients unavailable to plants. High levels can also prevent plants from absorbing iron and can lead to chlorosis.

Bicarbonate is most likely to build to damaging levels in drought-stressed areas where there is little rain to flush it away. It is also likely to build up when applied in a small area, and when used in conjunction with drip-type irrigation. Garden situations are so complex that it is hard to predict the point at which you will see adverse effects. Stop applying bicarbonate sprays, however, at the first sign of plant damage or lower quality blooms.

About the practice of using banana peels to control black spot on roses, I found the following item on Gardening Folklore from Ohio State University Extension, which suggests the peels might be a good fertilizer, but does not say they will control the fungal problem.
Excerpt:

Placing several banana peels in the planting hole was popular among rose growers in the 18th century, but they had no idea why the peels seemed to yield healthier roses. Today, we know that banana peels contained many useful nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, sulfur, phosphates and sodium. The peels rot quickly which means these nutrients are readily available to the plant.

Some sources recommend using compost tea or milk sprays on black spot-affected leaves, but Washington State University Horticulture Professor Linda Chalker-Scott debunks these methods as ineffective. She also states in an article in Master Gardener magazine (Spring 2009) that baking soda sprays may only be of limited efficacy in combatting black spot. Studies have shown that it works better when combined with horticultural oil.

To sum up, I would pay attention to the cultural practices (not wetting the leaves, etc.). You can try a baking soda spray (always test on a small area of the plant first), but it may not have lasting power as a treatment. Prof. Chalker-Scott mentions that coarse organic mulch (such as wood chips) reduces incidence of black spot, so you may want to adopt this mulching practice.

Season All Season
Date 2008-05-03
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Rose Defense contains Neem, and there is some evidence that Neem is effective against sawfly larvae. As with any pesticide, you should follow the directions on the package carefully. You might want to start out with the least toxic approach first, that is, handpicking and spraying with water. Once larvae are knocked off the roses, they will not climb up again. If this doesn't seem to be helping, then you could choose a Neem-based spray or insecticidal soap, keeping in mind that the Neem product is toxic to bees, and should not be applied when bees are active. Here is a link to information from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply on Rose Defense, and here is the product label.

According to University of Minnesota Extension, sawflies are best controlled when young. You can simply pick them off by hand or dislodge them with a stick or a stream of water. If using water be sure to spray early enough in the day for the foliage to dry by sunset. This will prevent favorable conditions for fungal development. Horticultural oil, insecticidal soap and azadirachtin (sometimes called neem), are among the less toxic insecticides to treat young sawflies. Azadirachtin is slower acting. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is effective on young lepidoptera caterpillars but NOT on larval sawflies.

Cornell University's Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management also discusses the uses of Neem. Here is an excerpt:
"Neem products are generally sold as emulsifiable concentrates. Neem oil soap is sold as a water-soluble liquid concentrate. While Copping (2001) reports no known incompatibilities with other crop protection agents, phytotoxicity may be a problem when combining neem oil or soap products. Read labels for specific application guidelines including determination of re-entry interval and pre-harvest interval. Range of efficacy will depend on the susceptibility of species in question and environmental conditions at time of application. However these are points to follow:
Make multiple applications. Frequent applications are more effective than single sprays because neem does not persist well on plant surfaces. Like most other botanically derived materials, it can be rapidly broken down by sunlight and washed away by rain (Thacker 2002).
Use against immature insects. Azadirachtin-based insecticides act on immature stages of insects more effectively than on eggs or adults. To reduce a build up of populations it is important to make treatments to crops targeting insects in an early stage of their life cycle. For instance, neem would likely have little effect on an infestation of striped cucumber beetle adults; however if applied to potato plants early in the season, it has been shown to greatly reduce larval activity of Colorado potato beetle.
Begin applications before pest levels are high. Antifeedant and egg-laying repellant effects show best results in low to moderate pest populations.
Neem is reported to work best under warm temperature conditions (Schmutterer 1990)."

There are quite a few different species of sawfly, and I would guess that the rose sawfly is so named because rose bushes are its primary feeding ground. If you aren't sure what is eating your roses, you may want to take samples of the affected leaves to your local county extension agent before you begin to treat the problem. You may find the images on the self-described Buggiest Rose Website helpful in comparing with the leaf damage you are seeing.

Season All Season
Date 2008-08-28
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It is possible that your rose has a problem with insects like thrips, which can cause buds not to open. If you see tunneling in the buds (holes in the petals), it could be caused by beetles. There is also a possibility that a disease is causing the problem. Fungal infections like botrytis blight can result in buds which do not open, but you would probably notice signs of the fungus during warmer temperatures, such as gray-brown fuzzy growth, and blotched petals or drooping buds. Here is information describing various rose problems, from Washington State University Extension.

Here is a description of botrytis blight from University of California, Davis Integrated Pest Management. This is a brief excerpt:
"Botrytis blight, caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, is favored by high humidity. Affected plants have spotted flower petals and buds that fail to open, often with woolly gray fungal spores on decaying tissue. Twigs die back and large, diffuse, target-like splotches form on canes. Reduce humidity around plants by modifying irrigation, pruning, and reducing ground cover. Remove and dispose of fallen leaves and petals. Prune out infested canes, buds, and flowers. Botrytis blight is usually a problem only during spring and fall in most of California and during summer along coastal areas when the climate is cool and foggy."

The Olympia Rose Society also has information on these potential causes of failed buds. Below is their description of thrips:
"Buds do not open, or flowers are deformed. Petals have brownish yellow streaks and small dark spots or bumps. White and pastel roses are particularly susceptible. Thrips (are) tiny orange insects with elongated bodies. Thrips feed at the bases of rosebuds and on the petals of open flowers. They seem to be attracted to light-colored blossoms."

The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control edited by Barbara Ellis (Rodale Press, 1996) suggests encouraging natural predators of thrips and, if the infestation is severe, spraying weekly with a safer insectidical soap or pyrethrin-based product. This same resource suggests that if your roses have botrytis blight, you will see the buds turn brown and decay instead of opening, and you should pick off and dispose of any diseased buds. They recommend spraying with sulfur once a week during the growing season.

A few things that are always a good idea when growing rose:

• make sure there is good air circulation around your plants
• don't water from above the plants (keep the leaves dry)
• always clean up around the plants--don't let leaf debris or any diseased buds lie on the ground under the rose bushes

This site has many pictures of rose pests and diseases for you to compare with what you are seeing on your plant. Since I cannot diagnose the problem without seeing the plant, I recommend that you take samples of the affected buds to a Master Gardener Clinic.

Season All Season
Date 2008-11-01
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