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sun2shinie

Mystery Mini?

Hello.

Anyone have a guess on the identity of our mystery mini? Trying to decide how to take care of her this winter. Thanks!

Shannon :-)

Comments (11)

  • 8 years ago

    I can't tell you what rose it is but I can tell you how to winter it. In the ground is always the best but if you want to keep it potted, when the rose has gone completely dormant put the pot in your garage or shed up on a shelf off the ground. Make sure you water it at least once a month all winter long. In the early spring if it starts to leaf out before the weather is warm enough you may have to take it in and out of the garage for a while. Once you are sure there will be no more killing frosts you can leave it out.

    Sun2shinie, Arkansas z7a thanked seil zone 6b MI
  • 8 years ago

    Thank you Seil. :-)

    So no sunlight? We have a metal shed I can move some of the pots like this one inside it.

    I appreciate your advice. It makes me think I really need get a more concrete plan in place for wintering all of our new babies.

  • 8 years ago

    Thank you Paul. I really appreciate the info. I think I will look into a plant light for our shed for the winter.

    Our coldest morning so far was earlier this week. The temps dropped into the high 30s. Highs have been in the 70s and very low 80s.

    I think it has had powdery mildew off and on, but thankfully nothing terrible or causing it to completely defoliate. It really is a darling little plant. :-)

    The below photos are from yesterday morning. Seems to be very happy still?

  • 8 years ago

    As a general rule, roses are quite hardy here (even miniatures), though I do realize that the rosa chinensis is regarded as a bit more tender. Good luck, they tend to be charming.

    Sun2shinie, Arkansas z7a thanked dbarron
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Shannon, the rose looks very happy indeed. Now that I see some fall bloom on your plant, I can say with 99.95% certainty that your plant is 'Oakington Ruby', one of the oldest and most influential foundation plants Ralph Moore used to created his empire of miniatures. http://www.paulbardenroses.com/ralphmoore.html

    PS: Out of curiosity, how did you acquire this rose?

    Sun2shinie, Arkansas z7a thanked User
  • 8 years ago

    Thank you dbarron. I'm having a little bit of anxiety about how all of our roses will fare over the winter. 75% of our roses are reported to be hardy to zones 4 and 5. The others 25% are all zone 6. I really tried to be good about that when we were making our selections. It's good to hear positive info from someone local. :-)

    Thanks again Paul. I'm very happy for confirmation on our rose's identity. I'm still learning so much, and near constantly wondering if I'm doing something wrong. It really helps knowing what I'm working with.

    Our Oakington Ruby was our free Mystery Rose from Rogue Valley Roses. We received it back in early August, and it has been in this large pot since mid August.

  • 8 years ago

    Do note that all my observations are based on roses in the ground, not containers. It may make a big difference.

    Sun2shinie, Arkansas z7a thanked dbarron
  • 8 years ago

    As dbarron points out, hardiness of a containerized rose in zone 7 Arkansas is going to be very much less than if the same rose was established in the ground, where roots will not be at risk of freezing. (rarely does the soil freeze more than a few inches deep in most situations) A miniature rose in a pot is much more at risk of damage/death if exposed to prolonged temps below approximately 20F. When the roots system freezes solid, the plant is likely to suffer severe damage or demise. It is in your best interest to avoid allowing the roots to freeze solid. An unheated garage is often a good choice, but care should be taken to keep the plant watered during the winter, and watch that the soil doesn't freeze solid. (Its okay if the top inch or so freezes, but you want to avoid having the entire soil volume in the pot freeze into a hard, icy block, if you see what I mean)

    If you decide to keep it growing in your shed by keeping a light on it, then you should be placing it in a spot where it is closer to household interior temps. Keeping miniature roses indoors over the winter introduces other problems (such as spider mites and aphids, which I can almost guarantee you will experience) and after a few attempts, most people give up and simply let the plants go dormant for a winter rest. I've done experiments along these lines years ago and found that roses kept growing through the winter (no winter dormancy/rest period) lacked vigor when placed back outside the next spring. The dormancy helps rejuvenate the plant, I found.

    Sun2shinie, Arkansas z7a thanked User
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I'd read somewhere that a rule of thumb for potted rose hardiness is two zones below? If so, along with Oakington Ruby, I'm concerned for our potted Glamis Castle, Koko Loko, Intrigue, and Fragrant Hour.

    I'm wondering now for several reasons if our back porch might be an even better option instead of the shed or garage? One reason would be it will be easier for me to move the potted roses there. The back porch is covered and enclosed on 3 sides. The west facing side is open. The porch is also on the slab of the main house. The slab is 4' thick. The roses would get light there, so no need of a plant light. It would also be a good place for me to keep and eye on them and water them. What do you think?

    Al and I have been talking about getting a furniture dolly so we (read as "i" lol) can move the pots around easier.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    This is not advise to be counted on (and can actually be bad), but the winter is forecast to be mild. Last year we didn't get freezing temperatures till Dec 12th (as I recall), when the temperatures went from 80F to 20F overnight. It was a source of great anxiety for me, though most everything went from active growth to deep freeze successfully. I did lose a few things that simply couldn't handle the shock though.

    Plants would fare better with a gradual cooling and stay cold approach, but alas that is not the weather patterns of the last few years. I second Paul's opinion that a dormancy period certainly does revitalize most hardy plants

    If perchance you could get the roses dormant, it might be advantageous to place them in a cooler location (like north facing) to keep them more dormant. Typically I see roses beginning growth in February here, though with recent years January is more typical. In fact, the year before last, frost "tender" semi-tropical passionflower vines began growth in February along the house and never got nipped back (I couldn't believe it). Weather is a quandary these days.

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