I can't imagine that this late in the spring the cuttings aren't already sprouting leaves. Use your thumbnail to scratch the stem to make sure the cuttings are still very green under the bark. I just sold 50 pots of rooted cuttings at a craft show and everyone had quarter size or larger leaves. If they don't have leaves, put them in the sun, fertilize them with 1/2 strength blue-type 20-20-20 fertilizer and give them a shot of SuperThrive. Keep them watered daily. I believe you are planning to come to the swap. Be sure to see me. I'm bringing rooted Conf. rose cuttings.

I scratched the bark it is still green, will have to get the 20-20-20 fertilizer this weekend. All I have is the kind for blooming flowers and shrubs\trees.
Jill

Did Birmingham area Confederate Roses die back to the ground this year in general? Mine did, and I was kind of surprised. I didn't think it got cold enough, although I did have one single night in February when the winds were whippin' and we dipped down into the upper teens. It's already back out of the ground and a couple of feet high, so no big deal... I was just curious!

Bamadave, I did not mulch my plants on the southeast side of the house. They are protected from the cold north and northwest winter winter winds. I did not cut down all of the 2005 stems until late February. About 10 inches above the ground some of the stems were still green. Higher than that and the stems were dead. I believe the coldest it ever got here was three nights arounds 19* and about 10 nights around 23*. Amazingly, the uncovered CRs were sprouting earlier that the mulched ones.

Terry, I never have covered mine. LOL! I guess I need to do that when we finally do have a brutal Winter low again. For some reason, I thought the stems would survive upper teens, but obviously not!

I cut mine back to about 6 inches in the fall, put 20 or so stems in a 5 gal. bucket of water in my little green house and keep them all winter. Once they have roots, I pot them to sell or share. After it warms up I set them out in the sun.
A question;, does any know if pink is the only color?

lois68 in Cullman County

Lois, pink is not the only color. There is also the variety which blooms white and changes to pink by the end of the day. About 2-3 p.m. it looks like a variegated camellia. By late afternoon it is completely pink like the pink variety. I have both varieties and I have the single variety which blooms a hot pink color.