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Re: Rose transplant

lowery@teamzeon.com wrote:
> 
> Valerie Lowery@ZEON
> 03/02/98 09:10 AM
> 
> Hello to all!
> 
> I'm the person who transplanted a piece of an old rose bush with long
> canes.  I ended up following the advice of a list member and cut the canes
> back to almost ground level (about 6" of canes are showing above ground).
> The new leaves had shriveled (sob!) and I couldn't bear to see the bush
> suffer much longer.  I'm afraid the root knob wasn't enough to support
> those long canes.  In any case, the remaining portion of the canes are
> still firm and greenish and I am watering it about every other day with a
> gallon of water.
> 
> While I was out there in the border, I noticed that my Bonica is looking
> rather spindly.  This will be its third year in the garden and I have yet
> to prune it, hoping it would get a little bigger.  The first two years were
> rather sparse, although the bush did bloom practically all summer, it was
> small.  I chalked it up to "new plant syndrome", looking forward to later
> years.  In the spring, I sprinkle about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of epsom salts around
> each rose and also dig in some once-a-year fertilizer which I would hope
> would be enough for these roses since they are not the finicky hybrid teas.
> Last year I also used some horse manure.  The rose is in full sun and gets
> water from a soaker hose.  I should tell you that right beside it is a
> Therese Bugnet rose bush (it was planted at the same time) that is getting
> to be monstrous, throwing shoots in the opposite direction from the Bonica;
> however, this rose does not block the sun  or air circulation from the
> Bonica.  What gives?  Is this slow growth typical for a Bonica?
> 
> Valerie
> Zone 6a, Kentucky
Dear Valerie,
I had a little Bonica for a couple of years. I'm in zone 6a. I thought
she was so cute and well-mannered that I recommended her to someone for
a small, round rose bush. Must've been the next year Bonica made it
clear she was the queen of the garden! She hates to be pruned, but I do
it anyway, just to keep her from invading the house, too. She is
probably five feet tall and easily six feet in diameter. She blooms
profusely all summer and forms beautiful hips. Therese Bugnet is also
doing well, but not as well as Bonica. Go figure. Hang in there. And
have your soil tested to make sure there's not something wrong with that
particular spot.
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