I am going to change the way I plant roses as well - following Lyn's recommendations. I am going to add more small stones to the planting hole and top dress with nutrients instead of amending the entire planting hole. The only rose that I didn't have to cut to several inches was William Baffin. I need to research and grow more Canadian roses!
I was at home Depot again yesterday. I came home with Chicago Peace, a gardenia (to grow inside) and two more baby tomatoes (Celebrity and San Marzano). In our Home Depot, you have to catch newly arrived plants because they don't care for them well. It gives you a chance to see how the blooms age and how the plants endure environmental stress. The plants were either completely dry or waterlogged. The teenager watering them was too busy chatting up his pals to pay attention to watering. I am glad that I didn't buy any other roses Thursday. They made a sharp decline between Thursday and Monday. At least I got a chance to see the aging blooms. I picked the Chicago Peace from a newly stocked shelf in the back of the outdoor plant department. It wasn't in stock long enough for the workers to kill it.
The knockouts were flying into people's carts - especially the yellow one. I was the only one checking out the potted roses. One other rose shopper bought a climbing yellow rose in a body bag. I understand the appeal of the knockouts, but I don't understand how anyone could walk past a display of hybrid teas, floribundas and grandfloras without a passing glance. To be fair, the non knockout rose display is suffering.
