Everyone has different opinions. There are people who are successful planting bands in the ground. I've taken to potting bands up in gallon pots and then growing them on in five gallons. These plants have been far more successful for me. The bands that I tried planting directly one winter years ago were all lost. Gallons planted in the ground have been slower to grow, unless the rose is very vigorous. They particularly don't like heavy clay and a rainy cold winter.

I'm in the pot them and greenhouse group. I've had such bad luck with fall/winter planting that I just won't do it anymore. It's too much of a risk that I feel is unnecessary when you sort of know the greenhouse is almost a sure thing for wintering them over. Why take the chance? Just remember to water the stuff in the greenhouse every month and watch that the temps don't get too high in there in the early spring. I've had my greenhouse go up over 100 degrees inside on a 40 degree sunny March day!

I don't normally have much of a winter to speak of, but the last time I planted a band in the ground, a cat who shall not be named sat his expansive bottom on it, broke it off and killed it. That was a SdlM and I'm still sore about it. Now, bands stay in pots until they are big enough to take care of themselves, but I have to be diligent and repot them often. Roses grow surprisingly fast, and even if they aren't doing anything above ground, the roots are probably growing like gangbusters.

I almost always plant them in the ground after a period of slowly moving the bands from shade to morning sun, but I'm of the opinion that a great deal depends on your weather and soil. I have mild winters and soil that drains very quickly. I water and mulch well and put a thorny barrier around the roses (so that fat kitty bottoms won't venture there, nor bunnies or rodents). I should point out that I'm vastly in the minority, and most people here and on the Antique Rose forum pot up their roses into larger containers before planting them in the ground.

Ingrid

I'm still experimenting with which is better. The problem I have in my climate is that potted plants are very difficult to get through the hot hot summer. I nursed some bands bought last winter through the summer and am not sure they are better off than they would've been if I had planted them directly in the ground.

I recently succumbed and bought some roses from Rogue Valley which I won't get until January. I know they will be very small and I've been going back and forth about whether to pot them up or plant them in the ground.

So, it probably depends on your climate and how much you're willing to nurse them along. Either way the bands are pretty much babies and have to be nurtured quite a bit. Of course, I would much prefer buying larger roses like those sold by ARE or Chamblees but I just "had to have" certain ones and only Rogue Valley sells them.

Thanks for the input, everyone. As tempted as I am to just stick them in the ground, I will probably just pot them up and put them in the greenhouse. We've already had a bout of unusually cold weather here in SA, so maybe we will have a few more bouts that might threaten any bands placed in the ground. It's just a matter of a few months, I guess. We prune here at the end of February, so it will probably be safe to plant them in the ground by then..... The larger plants I picked up from ARE at the beginning of the month, though, are going in the ground this week! Thanks again!

I just got in a shipment from Vintage Gardens. Some had nice think canes and really looked like they needed the 3 gallon pots. I potted these up. Others were very small with thin canes and looked like they even needed to stay in their band pots a while longer. These, I put in the greenhouse. They just looked too frail to have to deal with the colder weather we are getting. We are in the low 30's at night, sometimes down to 28. Think I will watch these carefully and let them grow in their band pots until after the holidays are over - then mix up a good potting mix and put them in gallon pots and leave them in the greenhouse, putting them out on any nice warmer days we might have. This is Texas after all - so 70 degree days in January are not out of the question. I got a shipment in a few weeks ago from Vintage - potted them all up in gallons and left them outside and some of those are even putting out a bit of new growth, so think they are fine.

In San Antonio, you all will get warmer weather quicker than I will - I think you are wise to let them stay in the greenhouse until mid/late February. Don't forget to let them acclimate to weather outside the greenhouse but putting them out a few hours a day before you get ready to plant them out. You will enjoy watching them grow in the greenhouse - I also start daylily seeds in the greenhouse during the winter.
Judith