I suggest you post on the 'ROSE FORUM' because they are growers and would be much more helpful than this general forum.

Hi there,

I love roses too and usually end up planting a few in each garden I've had (climbers usually). I'm far from an expert, but I've had great success with them in south-facing and west-facing exposures, so your plan sounds good to me, as long as it gets good, ammended soil and regular water (I'm in Scotttsdale).

Let us know if you also post on the rose forum and what they say as well. They may have some warm-winter AZ folks there with good advice for all of us.

Take care and let us know what you do and how it works out,
Grant

I have over 30 rose bushes in my garden, and they are all in full bloom this time of year. Mine have a southern exposure, however, they have a large olive tree overhead that helps protect them from the harshest of the summer sun. It also helps protect them from being nipped by frost in winter.

Keep your Blue Moon well mulched and well watered, and you should do fine.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with roses. The thorns are usually a good deterrent. If your dog can't seem to leave it alone, try putting one of those tomato cages around the bush until its established. I'm not aware of roses being toxic to animals, but I don't know for sure.

Most roses are frost tolerant but not wind- or dog- tolerant. New growth may need to be staked against winds but we deal with the monsoon winds here in the Valley, along with the dust storms, and we don't lose bushes unless a tree falls on them.

I had a dog that liked to help prune. I sprayed with bitter apple spray and squirted his face with water a couple times. Some roses got some fencing around them but I had to watch and make sure he didn't lay against the fencing and mash the plant. He wasn't a jumper so if he got on the inside, he'd probably stay there until we rescued him. The bush would be history, of course. He did more damage if he was on a choke chain. He could deftly pull an entire plant out of the ground quick as could be. I miss that dog. He was my garden buddy for 12 years.

Thanks for all the interesting and helpful responses to my post...for starters, no one except Walmart (where I bought the plant)has ever heard of "Blue Moon" rose !

I decided to plant her in a very large old oak half-barrel...I used Miracle Grow soil that allegedly feeds as well...I also purchased a "Mr Lincoln" rose, this one bare root; he's also planted in a half-barrel. Unlike the Blue Moon, which "came with" a few leaves, Mr. L has only 3-4 little "spurts" of yellow-reddish-looking growths...

Fickle Mother Nature has bombarded Bullhead City with "brutally cold" temps of 55-60 highs, 37-40 lows and strong rainy winds alternating from the north and south!

Both barrels are on the south side and so far surviving MN's brutality ! In fact, they're faring better than I ! I can't seem to get warm, indoors or out ! This is first winter I've had a $100 plus gas bill ! and I've lived here 20 years...

I bought a society garlic plant,which looks like it needs dividing already...I plan to do that, and give the roses each some company in their barrels...I've heard they and parsley will help keep the aphids away...

My big question (assuming these two roses survive)is should I give them any nourishment (in view of the ammended soil I used)if so, when ?

So far, my major gardening accomplishments have been elephant bush, portulacas and willow acacia trees ! I'm hoping I can add roses to the list! My willow acacia was three ft tall when I planted it in November 2007; it grew to seven ft tall in one year's time !! Is that standard operating procedure ?

I include the comments about my successes to qualify this post for "general forum" ...LOL

Also, I lost my "garden buddy" Mickey earlier this year, he would have been 13 this month...I miss him so much ! He never messed with anything in the yard; his only offense was taking food off the kitchen counter ! But he always shared a loaf of bread or a plate of chicken thighs with his "roommate" Daisy, though...Interesting pair: he wouldn't drink out of her water dish and she wouldn't drink out of his favorite toilet !

Looking forward to hearing from anyone who hasn't gotten bored and has been able to read this far !

You'll really enjoy Mr Lincoln. Definitely one of my favorites. The size of the blooms alone is incredible, but then when you add the fragrance...wow!

Roses have no fear of the cold. They'll pull through just fine. In colder climates it will push them into deeper dormancy, but where you are, they'll just wait patiently for warmer weather to grow.

I usually water in new plantings with some b-vitamins to stimulate root growth. I also dust bare-roots with rooting hormone just to give them a bit of a head start. I generally only fertilize with formulas designed to stimulate root growth, until I'm sure the plant is fully established.

You may experience problems in summer with them being in pots. Roses generally like cooler roots than a pot in the desert will allow. Fortunately you've chosen larger pots, which will help. Roses are like a lot of plants including tomatoes, they'll stop active growing and flowering when the weather gets too hot. Being in pots will slightly accelerate the onset of the "rest" period.

Once established, you'll be fine feeding them with just about any basic fertilizer. I find the time-release granules work well for me. As does fish emulsion. Just be sure to give them a good thick layer of mulch, and replace it once or twice a year.

Remember to water them at the roots, don't spray the plant with water, especially in the evening, or you'll wind up with more fungal problems that you could ever imagine. Also, don't use any sort of saucer or tray to retain water. Roses don't like to sit in water. You'll probably need to water daily in the summer, especially since they are in pots.

Hope that helps a bit!
Best of luck!
Ryan

Hi everyone ! I'm pleased to report not one, not two, but THREE buds on my blue Moon rose...the first has opened fully, beautiful color, heavenly fragrance, and kinda "wind-blown" but gorgeous anyway ! When I saw that two more buds were following along, I cut the first rose with a ten inch stem ! and it's in a lovely crystal bud vase on my kitchen window sill...It's been years since I have been able to have any cut flowers from my own yard ! I'm thrilled!!

As for Mr. Lincoln, he is coming along as well, his little growth "spurts" have become clusters of deep reddish green leaves, looking so healthy and happy ! I'm sure daily words of praise to both bushes have been a source of encouragement to them...

I also did something "wild and crazy"...I planted each with a circle of 4-5 Dutch iris bulbs...miniatures I believe...I bought a packet of 18 bulbs at Walmart and started "poking" them into various potted outdoor plants; when I found I had some left, I poked them into the soil in the "rose barrels" ...several are already showing their bright greenery through the soil !

My society garlic is still in its pot, but blooming like crazy ! I hate to disturb it by re-planting it, but will have to do so before it gets too hot !

I know I'm digressing from the Blue Moon rose, but just had to boast a bit...I just hope I'm not jinxing any of my newbies !

Thanks to all for your advice and encouragement...I shall keep you posted on how everyone fares during the summer heat and single digit humidity...this will be the first year that I'll look forward to the monsoon season ! LOL

Just a follow-up on Cybil, my Blue Moon rose and Mr. Lincoln...they are both doing fine in their oak half-barrels,, although we had a spell of triple digit temps for a while ! Cybil wilted quite a bit, I tried a shade cloth canopy, which didn't seem to help...so my daughter helped me move the heavy barrel along side of Mr. L's barrel in the carport, where they both get a few hours of early morning sun, then light shade, the late,late afternoon sun...this seemed to please them both.

I experimented with watering in some epsom salts for them both, and they rewarded me with beautiful fragrant blooms !

The temps have dropped into mid-80's to mid-90's, with high humidity...they're not terribly excited it seems, but I'm sure they'll bounce back once we get back into our normal triple digit temps...any day now !

I've also added two more rose bushes; Sunblest (which I didn't know was a cool climate rose)and a tri color, I've forgotten her name so I named her rainbow...LOL! They are both in large tubs on the north side of the front porch, where they receive filter early morning sun as well as late afternoon filtered sun (with light shade inbetween)...

They also have bloomed for me, especially after a dose of epsom salts !

Hopefully, they'll all survive the low desert temps throughout the summer ! We shall see !

Great news on your roses! Thanks for the updates. I know a lot of people swear by those epsom salts. Roses tend to look pretty bleak during the Blast Furnace Months, but when things cool off they sure are beautiful. Are you growing anything around their feet for summer? How did those Dutch iris bulbs work out?

Keep the updates coming--good luck with everything.
Grant

I'm back !

In response to Grant's recent post: I initially bought a "pot" of society garlic, intending to divide it and place in the barrels around Cybil (blue moon) and Mr. Lincoln; because of the high temps, I chickened out and didn't divide...I had heard/read somewhere that it would help deter aphids, which ws my initial intent...

I planted cilantro instead (by seed) which seems very happy; only problem is that I don't like cilantro (in my food) ! but there it is...

As for the dutch iris bulbs, they all came up and bloomed pretty deep purple and yellow flowers ! I deem them a big success ! Now that the leaves have all browned, I have clipped them down to about two inches...I look forward to seeing their pretty faces again, come spring !

Did you happen to see my post on Christian Dior ? he now has a bud getting ready to open !

Is it my imagination, or do roses like to "hang out" together?...I like to think they encourage each other to bloom !

My blue moon rose bush has gone threw the winter and is now all brown and dead looking above ground close to the ground they show a little green I guess my question is do I want to cut of the dead looking parts or will cutting these parts off bother the bush. I know on some plants if you cut these areas of it stunts the growth of the plants just not sure if this is that kind of a plant or not.

If you are indeed in Idaho, I would check with the rose societies in Boise or inland Washington State or Oregon State about proper pruning times for your area. Roses are pruned in different climates at different times. Cold areas of the US may prune as late as the beginning of May. Certainly, any dead growth can be pruned off as it won't regenerate. While roses are a perennial shrub, many modern roses are grown as annuals in cold climates. For information on a rose society in your area, check with www.ars.org, the website of the American Rose Society. There should also be a website for the Pacific Northwest District of the ARS.

I'm new to planting roses in AZ. Any advice or experience will help. Thanks.

If possible, send an email at Edward.Ochoa@hotmail.com. I tend to respond faster.