Re: Roses for shade - reply
Hal Lanktree wrote:
>
> Lillian, are any of these hardy to Zone 5?
Hal-- Almost any rose is going to be hardy in your area other than moss
roses & damask & bourbons maybe. Hybrid teas, shrubs, grandifloras, old
garden, etc. should do fine. I'm not sure who came up with the idea that
roses are delicate because it just ain't so. Musta been a southerner who
just assumed. :)
I'm in zone 4 & I do lose some roses each year but ONLY because I treat
mine like annuals cuz I don't have time to pamper em. I buy em for $3
bareroot at Walmart first thing in the spring (as soon as you can get a
shovel in the ground), bury em to above the graft, water em like crazy,
and cut all their flowers off when they come. That's it. Come winter it
gets -40 easy and much colder with wind chills & I lose maybe 1 or 2 a
year. This last year killed more because of El Nino and its thawing and
freezing. I do try to kick snow onto them (see, I'm terrible!) so they
have that constant insulating temp instead of fluctuating. I do have to
spray some of them for black spot occasionally or bugs (especially this
year with the goofy weather).
My Therese Bugnet is as tall as the garage now & I bought it at Walmart
on clearance 3 years ago. Anyone who tells you roses don't like the cold
or roses are trouble just has the wrong attitude! Hybrid teas are more
trouble, but you can grow them if you're willing to spend the least
little bit of time with em. I have about a dozen of those & pink peace
is my favorite (and Double Delight, and Tiffany...).
Sorry for rambling. To answer Linda's ?? If you buy from a company with
a guarantee, plant whatever and whenever you want (fall, spring,
bareroot, etc.) & if they die send for a replacement. Most companies
will guarantee the first year or so. Even the $3 bareroot Walmart roses
have a 1 year guarantee if you want to be *really* cheap. :)
Linda, if you post your zone we can help more. If you don't know what it
is, post your general location and we can probably figure it out for you.
--Alicia, zone 4
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