My better local garden stores have their best selection of potted-up roses
in late March/Early April (zone 6a). But our last frost date is not until
May 15. So every year I play this game where I dig the holes, put new roses
in, pot and all, and watch the weather like a hawk, ready to move all the
new ones into the garage attached to our house (unheated) at night, then
being made somewhat late for work by waiting until the temps are above 30 or
so to put them back out again, sometimes having to leave them in the garage,
just for one day (seems not to have any negative effect).

Questions:

(1) I've read that anything below 28 degrees F will do damage. So I bring
the plants into the garage whenever the forecast is for 34 or lower,
figuring that will cover any local microclimate issues. Am I being too
conservative?

(2) Is there some better solution I'm missing? It's tiring to move a dozen
pots back and forth on a daily basis.

Tim B asked:

(1) I've read that anything below 28 degrees F will do damage. So I bring
the plants into the garage whenever the forecast is for 34 or lower,
figuring that will cover any local microclimate issues. Am I being too
conservative?

I think so, I think that damage occurs at 26 degrees F and below in
my experience.

It is pointless to worry about them at all if it is above freezing.
They will be fine outside.

Keeping them exposed to cooler temperatures will also keep them
dormant and stop them from growing very much until it is the right
time.

The most sensitive part of the rose is the brand new growth, but even
Really small or tiny plants are more susceptible to frost than larger
plants by the way.

(2) Is there some better solution I'm missing? It's tiring to move a dozen
pots back and forth on a daily basis.

Just look at this as good exercise. We all need lots of exercise.
Good for the heart don't ya know..... It sure beats pointlessly
lifting weights in the gym.

Also, now that you know that your roses will be OK at lower
temperatures, you won't have to do so much moving. Especially after
April 1 in zone 6.

In my area, after an all time historical warm January, it is colder
than cold now (9 degrees F two days ago), and a few roses that have
put out small buds have had them frozen dead. But I'm not the
slightest bit worried about that. They will come back just fine.

By the way, I already have 3 new bare root roses potted up for spring,
and I am moving them outside during the day and inside at night, and
will be doing the same for the next month. It's a labor of
love...... heh heh

Bob Bauer
Zone 6 in Salt Lake City
http://www.rose-roses.com/

Hello Tim,

for the first time this year we have planted over 50 roses in
big, big 15 and 20 gallon pots. Moving them? not a chance!
I only brought one rose into the garage because it was acting
as if it was weather challenged and started to put out buds
like this was May in January. Yesterday we took it back outside.
Never again. It threw more green limp things around that for
a moment I thought "verticillium", but not. Just too dry and too
warm (unheated tho) in the garage for Eugene.

To protect your roses there is something we have done before
and that is to cut the corners of the recycle yard debris bags,
you know the brown ones with the waxy interior, and place
it over the rose, put a couple of those U shaped pins you can
buy at the garden center to attach the weed barriers, or set a
couple of heavy rocks so the wind won't blow the bag away.

If the roses get enough air and the wind and the freezing rain
don't get to them, there isn't any reason to bring them inside.
The bag acts as insulation and during the day, the natural
heat from the sun whether it is out or not will create enough
warmth inside the bag to help hardening the plants. We have
excellent results with that, even with the ones on the ground.

Make sure they get enough water -easier on your back anyway
than moving the pots- and other than that if your roses are HT
instead of ogr, then a good 8 to 10-inches of mulch around the
graft is all you can do for them and hopefully they will survive
just fine under their "paper hats"- Good luck and what kind of
roses do you grow?

Allegra

It depends on the variety of rose---some are smarter than others--

The big rose sellers store their bare-roots in warehouses with controlled
temps of 32-34 degrees all winter. Cold enough to maintain dormancy.

Should your roses get fooled by a warm spell and leaf out, only to be zapped
by a hard freeze, prune back to a healthy outward facing bud-eye. If you
don't prune, you'll end up with wasting the prime spring season growing a
stupid "blind shoot".......and that cane will not produce a bloom until
mid-summer. If you're not sure if they got nipped, try pruning half the
canes, leaving the others as is---that way you'll definintely have at least
some blooms...
(of course, if you can see the damage, prune all of the canes.) I would not
be moving the pots unless the low was below 27......


"Tim B" wrote in message
. ..
My better local garden stores have their best selection of potted-up roses
in late March/Early April (zone 6a). But our last frost date is not until
May 15. So every year I play this game where I dig the holes, put new
roses
in, pot and all, and watch the weather like a hawk, ready to move all the
new ones into the garage attached to our house (unheated) at night, then
being made somewhat late for work by waiting until the temps are above 30
or
so to put them back out again, sometimes having to leave them in the
garage,
just for one day (seems not to have any negative effect).

Questions:

(1) I've read that anything below 28 degrees F will do damage. So I bring
the plants into the garage whenever the forecast is for 34 or lower,
figuring that will cover any local microclimate issues. Am I being too
conservative?

(2) Is there some better solution I'm missing? It's tiring to move a
dozen
pots back and forth on a daily basis.

Why don't you just keep the pots
outside some where near the house.

Provided roses experience continous cold they
adapt fairly easily to it. I have 35+ roses in pot in
my concrete patio. They are near the house
but I measured -16 F tempretures this winter there.

I have not lost one yet. Though they have had an extended
acclimitization period and 6"-12" of snow.

If your roses have already leafed out and you are afraid of
frost get those rose cones and plunk them on top when
it seems to get cold.

Your aim is to make the tempreture as even as possible.
not too hot or cold. It is those swings that cause the most damage.

--
Theo in Zone 5
Kansas City

"Tim B" wrote in message
. ..
My better local garden stores have their best selection of potted-up roses
in late March/Early April (zone 6a). But our last frost date is not until
May 15. So every year I play this game where I dig the holes, put new
roses
in, pot and all, and watch the weather like a hawk, ready to move all the
new ones into the garage attached to our house (unheated) at night, then
being made somewhat late for work by waiting until the temps are above 30
or
so to put them back out again, sometimes having to leave them in the
garage,
just for one day (seems not to have any negative effect).

Questions:

(1) I've read that anything below 28 degrees F will do damage. So I bring
the plants into the garage whenever the forecast is for 34 or lower,
figuring that will cover any local microclimate issues. Am I being too
conservative?

(2) Is there some better solution I'm missing? It's tiring to move a
dozen
pots back and forth on a daily basis.

"Tim B" writes:

(2) Is there some better solution I'm missing? It's tiring to move a dozen
pots back and forth on a daily basis.

Who am I to offer advice on low temperatures to someone who has a real winter,
I won't even comment on how much cold they can handle.

But for a an easier solution, use a garden cart that will hold all the roses
and move it back and forth. Sure would be quicker than moving them one by one.
And I wouldn't even bother putting them in their holes, just leave them on the
cart until you're ready to plant 'em.

Thanks.

The holes, in my humble experience, keep the plants from toppling over in
the wind. And of course they are far enough apart that the roses don't
whack against each other and damage each other's leaves with their thorns.

For potted-up roses starting to leaf out nicely (which is what I buy) it
seems to work pretty well except for the daily move.

"Unique Too" wrote in message
...
"Tim B" writes:

(2) Is there some better solution I'm missing? It's tiring to move a
dozen
pots back and forth on a daily basis.

Who am I to offer advice on low temperatures to someone who has a real
winter,
I won't even comment on how much cold they can handle.

But for a an easier solution, use a garden cart that will hold all the
roses
and move it back and forth. Sure would be quicker than moving them one by
one.
And I wouldn't even bother putting them in their holes, just leave them
on the
cart until you're ready to plant 'em.

Hi!
I'm new here to this NG. I have been watching and reading and
learning....but this is my first post. I'm also new to successful rose
growing...it has taken me a lot of trial and error to keep a rose over a
year. I'm at about a year and a nine months with two minis I brought from
Georgia to Arizona. A record for me! I was quite impressed with myself for
pulling that off. I've just planted two large rose bushes in pots...wish me
luck Anyway, being a novice, I feel this is the best I can offer at this
time as far as moving large pots around goes.
I'm living in a rental house and refuse to leave any of my roses behind.
I've put them in large pots and they are almost impossible to move.....but I
put the pots on the little 4 wheeled carts that fit right underneath. I
grabbed them at Home Depot for like 5 bucks. My husband and I were checking
them out and you could easily build them to accommodate your pot size...that
is, if you like to build stuff. But it makes life much easier when I want to
move them around.

Ok, that's all
Thank You
Sarah





"Tim B" wrote in message
. ..
Thanks.

The holes, in my humble experience, keep the plants from toppling over in
the wind. And of course they are far enough apart that the roses don't
whack against each other and damage each other's leaves with their thorns.

For potted-up roses starting to leaf out nicely (which is what I buy) it
seems to work pretty well except for the daily move.

"Unique Too" wrote in message
...
"Tim B" writes:

(2) Is there some better solution I'm missing? It's tiring to move a
dozen
pots back and forth on a daily basis.

Who am I to offer advice on low temperatures to someone who has a real
winter,
I won't even comment on how much cold they can handle.

But for a an easier solution, use a garden cart that will hold all the
roses
and move it back and forth. Sure would be quicker than moving them one
by
one.
And I wouldn't even bother putting them in their holes, just leave them
on the
cart until you're ready to plant 'em.

Welcome, Sarah! What a wild thing to do, to move from GA to AR! I'd love
to hear more about the differences you experience in gardening there.


Hi Shiva,
Thank you for the welcome! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond.
We had a wedding here last month and I've been trying to recover and get the
house back to normal and get thank you notes done.
The moving to Arizona part was easy....I'm from Tucson. Leaving Georgia
was a little difficult for me. I was sooo in love with the green and trees
and having four seasons. Complete opposite of the desert. My plants took
off in Georgia. I couldn't believe my same puny plants were suddenly
thriving and exploding. Now that I'm back in Arizona, I'm being a little
more "motherly" with them. I've had to learn to bring the plants in and out
and move them around. I lost a lot in the moving van when we stopped in New
Mexico overnight and they froze. I was about to start bringing them into the
motel room but we already had a dog, cat and 2 birds in there....I couldn't
save my plants.

The carts?? If so, I need to go to HD soon.
Hmmm ... well, if I could drive a nail or saw a board, maybe I would know
if I liked building things, but I am all thumbs. You might be able to make
a fortune on pre-cut, assemble yourself carts. That I might be able to
handle. Are you using 20-inch (diameter across the top) pots, or what
size?



Yes, I'm using 20 inch pots. They are the same width on the bottom, no
tapering. The pot fits just right on the cart. The carts were at Home
Depot...outside... under the covered area. They were just thrown in a box.
As far as making them, I'm just feeling adventerous because we got a pile of
power tools for our wedding..... and I watch a lot of Changing Rooms/Trading
Spaces and I think I can build anything now. OYE!

Sarah

Nuttshaw wrote:

Hi Shiva,
Thank you for the welcome! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to
respond. We had a wedding here last month and I've been trying to
recover and get the house back to normal and get thank you notes done.

Weddings! They make me insane. I have never had one at my house, though--
and right after you moved, that's a lot to do. Thank you notes? Was it
your wedding?


The moving to Arizona part was easy....I'm from Tucson. Leaving Georgia
was a little difficult for me. I was sooo in love with the green and
trees and having four seasons. Complete opposite of the desert.

Now, see, all we southeasterners usually hear from the desert dwellers is
how great it is and how terrible the muggy southeast is. Now I know the
desert is beautiful in a huge, soaring, otherworldly kind of way.
Beautiful like being on the moon! Maybe? But I am with you about the
lushness of the south, and I adore the seasons. They help me maintain a
grasp on the passing of time. Here is what I grasp: IT PASSES TOO FAST!




I lost a lot in the moving van when we stopped in New
Mexico overnight and they froze.

Oh, man. New MEXICO, eh? I'm not surprised. Sorry you lost your plants,
though.


I was about to start bringing them into the
motel room but we already had a dog, cat and 2 birds in there....I
couldn't save my plants.

You have a menagerie! I once transported a large iguana and a small
African chamaeleon from Maryland to Florida via car in the winter. The
scene at the hotel was wild. The neat thing about reptiles is that you can
slow them down by cooling them down--to a degree, anyway.



The carts?? If so, I need to go to HD soon.

Yes, I'm using 20 inch pots. They are the same width on the bottom,
no tapering. The pot fits just right on the cart. The carts were at Home
Depot...outside... under the covered area.

Yep, I need the 20-inch pots and the cart. Thanks, Sarah, and good luck
with your power tools! I'm worthless at shop type things. Okay at
shopping, though. Give us your list of roses, maybe?