21,400 Garden Web Discussions | Roses



Grass fertilizer would be much cheaper than bloodmeal but bloodmeal will give a slower release which is ideal for Gary's bareroots. I would be concerned about using large quantities of bloodmeal if he has a dog or if his garden is visited by raccoons.

I did have a soil test done. It said to:
a. add nitrogen (but not phosphorous or potassium).
b. decrease the pH from 7.1 to 6.5
Should I incorporate blood meal (12-0-0) and/or Ammonium Sulfate (21-0-0) in the soil?


I received Firefighter last May and it didn't make it through my southern California summer. I replaced it with Oklahoma, because I saw that it did well in my friend's garden. It's doing great for me so far and we are having a heat wave this week. I've read that Oklahoma does well in dry heat, not humid. I'm sure the Firefighter would have been a great rose, if it could have made it through until it matured. I think the Firefighter should get the cooler spot.

I forgot that 'Marie Pavie' was mentioned. It's bullet-proof for me -- was the first to bloom in Spring 2014, and among the last in Autumn. Also, it maintained relatively clean foliage without fungicides. I say "relatively" because in my area, virtually every rose will get at least a little by late Summer into Autumn.
:-)
~Christopher

Congratulations! Sounds like you did a terrific job. Give Peace a chance (lol, pun intended)!. Not all roses grow at the same rate. It might just be a slower grower than the others. Once it settles in and grows some more roots it will take off.



Steve, just out of curiosity, does your RdV have red stipules? Is it lightly prickly? And do you remember where you got yours? It resembles the version I got from Heirloom, but Jeri's pic resembles the version I got from Vintage Gardens.
:-)
~Christopher

I got mine about 25 years ago. Most of my roses were from Hortico or Pickering and I bought some old garden roses at the A celebration of old roses show in El Cerrito. I also bought a few from Northern California nurseries that sold old garden roses. My rose looks like the picture. I don't remember red, but I have a few buds that I can check again when they open.
I was very serious about roses until I planted so many that I got the deer's attention. RDV got eaten every year but survived. Three years ago I made an attempt to protect it using deer repellant and that worked for a year. I banished it from what I call my A garden which is small, gets lots of sun and is close to the house. That garden is for roses that have good shape, foliage and repeat. My RDV lacked that.

Roses will withstand temps to about 28 degrees without much damage. When it dips below that there can be cell damage. The longer time below 28 the more damage done. As well as the further below 28 that you get too. A few hours between 28 and 32 shouldn't do a great deal of harm.


I grow Amethyst Falls :) It has blooms that look more like the shape of a grape cluster, not as long and pointed as the 'bad' kinds. Mine has been very mannerly, although it did spread one tendril under the mulch (years ago, apparently) that made a new one about 8 feet away! In my case that works perfectly, be still beware :D It does not have a pleasant scent to my nose. A little pungent, actually, like a weed or non-tasty herb. But it's still gorgeous! It re-blooms some, too.

e596423, a pot that doesn't touch the soil might work, but you'd still want it to be the Japanese or American kind and not Chinese. I'd be happy to send you a rooted Amethyst Falls for postage, actually :) Then you wouldn't have to worry about that at all and you could still enjoy your wisteria practically wherever you'd like to put it!





Your question reminds me of the time and effort I put into working with body bag roses. In the past I would just write off a rose if it was a one cane "wonder" (as in I wonder when it will decided to grow). This year I put everything I've learned over the years into my small collection and I have to tell you that I'm almost at a 100% success rate (damn Double Delight just sits there mocking me with it's green bare cane). So how does this apply to your situation? Treat your Firefighter like you would a bodybag rose. Give it plenty of water, trim it back a bit, and apply alfalfa tea and KMag. Give the roots your primary attention, not the plant, and it'll begin to grow. You may also want to consider applying a root promoting liquid soluble fertilizer.
I appreciate all this good advice, thanks everyone. I like the idea of planting another similar or same variety rose close to it, Kublakan, thanks so much for your suggestions.