I know that many people pot them up. I plant straight in the ground as soon as they are acclimated to sun again. Have never lost one. Band roses use to scare me. Their quick to grow. Just watch their water.

Thanks, Patty. I think I have good spots picked out for CPM and BB, so maybe they'll go right in the ground. I'm not as sure about the space I have in mind for The Shepherdess, and she'll be in the front yard (other two are going in back), so she'd get less attention. I guess I'll have to see what kind of shape they're in when they arrive and go from there.

I generally pot them so that I can baby them better. In the ground they may not get the extra water and attention they need to grow. And being a total klutz, I've stepped on a few that were very tiny. OUCH! In the early fall when they're a bigger plant you can move them to the ground as long as you're very careful not to disturb the roots. They should have at least 6 to 8 weeks to settle in before the ground freezes.

One problem I've had with planting rose bands directly into the ground is them getting dug up by what I assume are squirrels? So I've started putting up a ring of chicken wire around them to protect them while they are little. It's also worked to keep rabbits from munching on my young clematis. The babies in my garden always get picked on.

I'm not patient enough to keep them in pots, I like to get stuff right into the ground! :)

Good luck & enjoy your new roses!

Michaela

if you pot ... find Als gritty mix... here on GW ....

i am not sure you will find anyone.. on all of GW ... who will recommend MG potting soil ....

properly potted ... and properly tended all summer long ... there is no issue of planting them at the proper planting time in fall ...

i would never leave a BLACK pot... in full sun ... if you can work it.. the pot in shade.. the plant in sun ... the pots might heat too much .... all you need do.. is hide the pot ...

do you have that famous.. horrible clay in cleveland????? ... amending a planting hole.. in non draining clay .. can be a real big problem ....

ken

I'm another one that plants bands straight in the ground since I'm perfectly hopeless at keeping plants alive in pots. I just killed my last surviving houseplant last summer - a long-suffering philodendron that far outlasted most of my pots. The catch about bands into the ground directly (other than stepping on them or watering them enough as others have said) is giving them plenty of time to set down a root system before the cold winter hits. Getting them in April is good regardless of whether you do pots or ground. Given that these are Austin roses, you should have some rapid growth and success with whichever method you use. In my experience these kinds of shrub roses grow more quickly from bands than your average hybrid tea.

I also advocate for pinching off the buds before they bloom in their first year to make them put their energy into roots, at least until they're waist-high plants. Kim Rupert on GW has been an advocate of this and I'm a fan given my experiments with this in cold zones to help them prepare for winter, though in warmer zones it doesn't seem to be particularly necessary.

Cynthia

Thanks, everyone for the super helpful information! I've concluded that I must order a few more bands and try a few different methods for the sake of experimentation. For science and all.

seil, I can see myself stepping on one too. I had a Dr. Huey thorn embedded in my palm for about 5 weeks and do not want to experience a thorn in the foot anytime soon.

Michaela, The squirrels around here are thugs. Any that go in the ground are getting a protective fence.

ken, Thank you for pointing me to Al's gritty mix. I'm going to try it! Do not have the horrible clay here, thankfully probably in part to being close to the lake and in part because my DB claims that one of his exes trucked in a load of good top soil years ago. Lot of sand here; the clay is more prevalent about 30 miles inland.

Cynthia, That is great to know about Austin roses. I was so impressed with my first year Mayflowers last summer. It will be hard to pinch the buds, but I will do it (at least most of them).

I received several orders of bands in Spring 2013, totaling about 70 roses. I repotted them into nursery liners -- some in 1gal, some in 2gal, depending on initial size and anticipated vigor. My potting mix was equal parts peat moss, Bovung dehydrated manure, and shredded hardwood mulch. I mixed Jobe's Organic Knock Out Rose Food as I potted the bands -- 1/2 cup per 1gal, 1 cup per 2gal. I soaked them with fish/seaweed emulsion diluted to half the recommended rate, then set the pots out where they got full sun for most of the day. I did this in April and May, when the temperatures here were still cool (with some frosts at night) and we were getting frequent rains. While they grew, I was getting their planting sites ready. They finally went into the ground by August.

That year, I was taking pictures to document the surprising rates of growth many were experiencing. I can't say what of what I did was most responsible, but whatever it was, it worked. This year, I planted a few bands directly in the ground, but they didn't grow nearly as much as the ones that had a few months of babying in pots last year.

:-)

~Christopher

Here is a link that might be useful: Some before and after showing growth so far

This post was edited by AquaEyes on Tue, Jan 20, 15 at 22:07

If you have the spot ready, go ahead and put them in the ground. I also put a little fence around them so I don't step on them. I have a bunch of ones in pots that I ordered last fall and more coming this spring. If I have the bed ready, they will go right in.

I have much better luck going in the ground than potting in the fall. Seems mine have more growth and acclimation to their environment if planted in the spring. Gives them a four month jump on surviving my winters. Protect and baby as noted above. I actually build a little teepee of pruned branches to keep the bunnies away.
Happy Rosing.