It's amazing how different zone 6 is in different parts of the country. It's 75 degrees here today and we're still mowing. Any leaves that do blow in get mowed. I grow my roses in full sun, meaning there are no trees around to drop leaves on them. When I mulch, it's with shredded tree limbs, and the way I do it is use the tractor to dump a whole bucketload on the rose bed, then rake to smooth it out. The rose beds are scattered over 10 acres, and hopefully I'll get 2 dump truck loads of mulch delivered and will use it all. We don't get much snow here, and when we do, it only lasts for a day or so. Our ground doesn't usually freeze until January, and some years not at all. We get low temperatures, below zero, but it isn't unusual to have temps in the 40s that same week. Or 60s. I'm mulching to keep the roses cold.
I don't use leaves as mulch because winter rain mats them down and it stinks. The big issue with hardiness here has more to do with wind rock, dry soil, and temperature fluctuations. My biggest issue is I have so many roses and so little time. And a knee that still hurts. And I'm working 60 hours a week now. Just not smart enough to stop adding more....
The roses I have purchased from Palatine have grown much better than the ones I have purchased other places that are on Huey or bare root. I don't know if they are just better varieties to begin with, (Kordes) or the fact that they came here with better roots, or what. Lyn, after thinking about it for a while, i think I will go ahead and dig out at least 1 of the one-cane wonders, do the experiment.
So thanks for suggesting I try. I can keep it in the garage with the potted roses I'm hopefully getting from the rare rose auction in Carlsbad this weekend. My reasoning is, the one cane wonder isn't going to get better over the winter outdoors, and most likely will get worse. Indoors, it has a chance at regular water and protection. If it doesn't make it, then I learned something and I have a space for one of the new roses.
Palatine and the So Cali auction roses will come in November, and Edmunds, Regan, and WI Roses will get here in March and April. Some will go into pots, some in the ground. It all depends on how good they look when they get here, what our crazy weather is doing, and how capable I am physically.
From year to year, we never know if we are going to have an early cold snap or late, and how early it is going to warm up in the spring, how late the last freak freeze will be. By placing orders for delivery in November, March and April, hopefully I get a chance.
Our local Rose Society topic this month is winter protection. We cover this every year, then in the spring, we all compare notes on what worked, and which roses failed. We then compile a list of roses that did well for everyone. The club mainly grows HTs, organically, while I mainly grow floribundas, also organically. Our club sales have focused on hardier roses that can be grown organically, so it's a definite trend here.
