WEll, it doesn't sound good, but what do the canes look like?
Are they plump and green? If you cut off a small amount at the top of a cane, is the pith clean and bright white?

Or do they just look brown and dead?

If they are dead, having never broken dormancy, I would most certainly take them back to the nursery from which they came (or contact the mailorder vendor, if that was the case).

If they came from a local retail establishment, once they are dead for sure, I would pull them up and take them back to the retailer to demonstrate why you need a refund.

Jeri

if you say there is no green CANES not leaves than sorry to say they're dead. brown canes for bareroot is baaaad news. did you cover over the bottom of the rose with dirt up a few inches and mulch right after you planted? if you didn't it will still dryout even with the watering. the wind does it...sorry.

There are roses that are slow to break dormancy but if the canes are brown and if you cut off the end of canes and you don't see healthy white or apple green pit, I am afraid your roses are gone. Hope you kept the receipt and you can request credit for them.

I agree with the above posters about the canes having to be green. I did the same as you before I knew I should soak first. I just plopped Cherry Parfait right in the ground. The canes stayed green but it didn't break dormancy for almost 2 months! I thought sure it was a gonner but it finally started leafing out. Again if the canes are brown or black it's more then likely a goner.

Tammy

I have Rosa Mundi and it is green in the cane but still faaasst asleep. It seems to like sleeping, much like my husband.

I had the same problem with a gold celebration that I received and potted it. Since it was too early to take it outside I kept it watered and by the window where it received good sunlight. 8-12 weeks later no growth or change watsoever. I just took it out last weekend. I planted it in the garden but in the process I saw the roots and they looked healthy. The top of the canes were dry so I cut a piece and saw life below. I hope it does something now that its in the ground. I fertilized and it was also my weekend to start on the tea on my older roses so I did the same for this one. I will update in a couple weeks.

Carolina

If these were body bag plants, they most likely were dead,or on there way to being dead, when you planted them.

As Dan Keil notes -- 6 weeks ago was in mid-February. That's getting late for body-bagged roses in Southern California.
To add to the problem, we have had weeks of below normal temperatures, interspersed with two spells of several days each, when the temperatures approached 100 degrees.

It's not an easy combination for a rose that was dug from the fields in November.

I think it's not possible to weigh-in on your problem 'til we know the answer to these questions:

1. What varieties are the roses?

2. From whom did you buy them?

Consulting rosarian, consulting rosarian, consulting rosarian.

Here are pictures of my Golden Celebration after i removed it from the pot and planted it on the ground.

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Carolina

I kind of have the same problem. I did soak my Social Climbers and Scent from Aboves for about 18 hours then planted, mulched. I planted 6 roses, 4 of which are FINAllY now starting to leaf out a little bit. But, 2 are still not showing much signs of life. I planted them about 3 weeks ago so not quite the six weeks you were talking about. The canes are a healthy green though, so I have hope still. I quess I am just too impatient! I have been keeping them watered about every 2 days and misting the canes to keep them moist. How long should it take for them to fully leaf out?

As the foliage grows it promotes feeder root growth... since there is no foliage net, it's up to the canes to send out feeder roots on their own... this can take awhile as it is using only stored energy in the canes...

As long as they are green and the pith is fresh (I cut them everyone once in a while just to make sure) they are trying to grow roots...

When they break dormancy depends on the variety AND depands on the plant. You can have two plants of the same variety from the same source break dormance at different times. Some can sit there for 8 weeks, I have seen it. Patience, folks, patience. As long as the canes are still green and firm, they sre doing things underground.

Thanks everyone. I'm afraid the canes are brown. I haven't snipped any yet to look at the inside but it's good to know that for next time. These were Tamora roses from Wayside. They shipped very late because even they had a tough time getting them going.

I never have any luck with David Austin roses. They usually don't even break dormancy for me. Quite the opposite from a good bareroot hybrid tea, floribunda, or mini. They will do just fine.
If the canes are not green they are probably dead so get your money back.
I have a rose that has green plump canes that has been sitting in a pot waiting to break dormancy since the second week of April.
I am just trying to be patient and wait it out but it is hard to do!!
John

I recd about 10 bareroots in early April which I soaked and potted up. 9 of them broke dormancy within a month. There was 1 however that did nothing. The canes turned brown. I snipped a few inches off the canes and it was brown inside. Figuring it was a goner I decided I could use the pot for something else. As I grabbed the canes to yank the thing out of the pot, lo and behold there were lots of white feeder roots! I shoved the thing back in the pot, cut the canes down to about 2 inches above the bud union and just let it sit. Amazingly it now has 7 basal breaks coming from the bud union! I was very surprised but you really just ever know what's going on underground! It was a good lesson for me in having patiece with bareroots.

I keep telling myself about Rosa Mundi: The cane is still green, the cane is still green, the cane is still green.

Same with Baronne Prevost... the canes (2) have been green for 2 years now... still no leaves... it's so strange...

Now that IS strange.

I just gave Rosa Mundi a good shot of alfalfa tea today. Hopefully it will be akin to a shot of espresso. Wakey wakey! (hey, it works for ME. Coffee that is, not alfalfa tea >_