Carole...Hortico did the same thing to me last month. They sent me SS which was supposed to come next April '09.

The advice I got from folks was to go ahead and plant it deeply outside I dug a deep, deep hole and buried the bud union 6". However, mine wasn't trying to break dormancy and didn't have leaves. They advised against planting it inside since I'm Zone 5 and my spring doesn't come until March or so when I can safely plant bareroots. So this will be an experiment of sorts to see if bareroots can be planted in November here in Illinois, I suppose.

Since Hortico sent it in error at the wrong time, call and complain. They are sending me a free rose in the spring because it was their error. And get it on writing.
-terry

Thanks for you answer....I appreciate it. And I'll be sure to call them today.

It normally does not get real cold until the end of December around here and Spring starts trying to arrive usually in February. This year is different, November has been cold. Of course nothing near what you guys get in Illinois.

I'm wondering if I should put it in a big pot and move it and out.

Carole

I agree with Terry. Plant it where you intend it to be, but I don't think the bud union should be quite that low, since you're in SC. Two inches or so below ground level should be sufficient. Hill up the rest of the plant to protect against dehydration. ... and call and complain.

Connie

P.S. I have one more bare root to plant myself, from the Palatine order I received last month. I must have overlooked it, because I found it sitting in the bucket in the garage yesterday. Can't plant today -- rained overnight and it's too wet. This one is my fault, and there's no one to complain to but myself. :)

About 12 years ago I had an order of roses shipped from Pickering Nurseries to my Mom's house. They arrived in late November, as expected. (more or less!) The day I planted them it was snowing hard and there was a 1" deep crust of frozen soil I had to chop through. The following day it froze so hard it would not have been possible to dig without extraordinary effort. I planted the bud union 4" down and hilled the plants up a foot high with soil. Every one of those roses lived and thrived and is still going strong today. I don't think you will have any trouble with your new plants. However, if Hortico mailed these at the wrong time, I would call and complain.

Thanks to all for the advice. I called Hortico today and they told me to go ahead and plant it....it should be fine. As long as I followed their planting instructions.

I asked what they would do if it died. They told me that they couldn't guarantee it since it was being planted during the winter. What a crock of whoo-ha!

I really wanted Summer Song which is why I ordered from Hortico. But I'm finished with them.

Carole

Carole - since they sent it at the wrong time, tell them to send a "call tag" for it, which means they would have to pay for an inspection fee and postage back to Canada. I talked to Debbie there, and she said it would cost way more than the rose costs, and since it was their error, she told me to keep it and they would send another in the spring. So don't give up....ask to speak to her supervisor. I had my original e-mail and it clearly said when my ship date was, and it wasn't November '08. Good luck and keep insisting that you want satisfaction since you are the customer.
-terry

Bareroots can be planted in late fall/early winter or in very early spring. You want the plant to stay dormant, and not get dehydrated. I'd say now IS the time for 7b/8A bareroot planting and I'm very surprised at this advice about asking Hortico to replace the plant. Failure is much more likely if you plant bareroot too early, when daytime temps are still in 50's. I planted exclusively bareroots for about 25 years and never lost a one--except when I forgot them in a bucket. In the ground, no worries! Yes, hilling up with soil is VERY Important and leave it there all winter.

I second Barbara's advice about planting bareroots. Carol I see you are in zone 8. I just came in from planting several bareroots from Pickering Nurseries. Having planted several hundred roses in the past 10 years, I plant my roses in the winter. Even if the roses have green stems, you want the roses to be dormant so they will concentrate on their roots.

Take it for what it is worth to you, but I believe you are doing the best practice in planting it right now in winter.

A rose collector,

Autumnshowers

Carol

I've had that happen to me several times before. I'd pot up the rose and keep it from drying out, and in filtered
light. I would not plant the rose. By keeping it potted,
you can put it in your garage, when you have a freeze. Then
when winter starts to wane, move the pot outside and let
the plant grow some in the pot before planting it. You'll
have a much healthier bush, when you do plant it, than if
you planted it now. I've done this several times, and it's worked every time.
Ray

I planted my last bareroot Pickering roses two weeks ago. Should do fine in your zone. I've been fall planting for years and have a very high success rate. You will have much more trouble potting it up and worrying about it in your garage or whatever.

I would plant the rose at the depth you want the union and then cover the bush with dirt. When things start thawing out and you see green on other plants you can slowly start uncovering the rose bush. I think you will be surprised how well this plant does next summer with the extra time in the ground to develop roots.