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| Like everyone else, we had a dreadful winter, but it may finally be over. I have about 85% dieback to the mulch covering the bud unions. A few are just plain dead. I am not young. My question is this: is it worth waiting for the tiny new shoots to make rose bushes? How long will it take? Do any of you just plug in new plants? I dunno if someone who doesn't buy green bananas has time to wait this out. |
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| My HT roses often get frozen back to 2-10 inches, depending on the winter. As long as there is lots of healthy, eager red growth coming from the bottom, I wouldn't worry. My HTs are always in full bloom by May. They may not be as tall as those that grow year round in California, but I don't want 7-8 ft wonders anyway. My HTs tend to get to around 3 to 4 ft tall at most--just the right size in my opinion. Oh, one exception: Mr. Lincoln will grow 8-10 ft tall no matter what you do to it. : ) As a means of comparison, if I plant a new rose in a container from my local garden center, I have to wait until all danger of a hard freeze passes--which means I can't plant it until later April or early May. So it won't bloom any earlier than the winter-damaged rose that had to be pruned to 1-2 inches tall. The advantage the winter-damaged rose has is that it has a much better well-developed root system--so it can grow and bloom better than a brand-new undeveloped rose will. On the other hand, if you want new fresh roses, go for it. It's your garden to do with as you please, after all. Enjoying your garden is the main thing and what I, at my age, also believe in. : ) Kate |
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- Posted by prairielaura 6b (My Page) on Thu, Apr 3, 14 at 10:42
| Kate, that's helpful information. Maybe i'll just replace the ones that were Sickly Pitifuls before winter even came around...but still wringing my hands over essentially starting from scratch with so many. |
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| I usually keep them and give them a chance to recover. I figure if they were strong enough to survive winter they may be strong enough to grow back. You can always change your mind later if they don't preform but once they're gone you'll never know what they might have done. |
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