Do you have something that you can make a ring of for the roses --edging stapled together, old tires or even a box made from scrap lumber. You could plant your roses in soil in the ring and do the lasagna method around them then cover the whole lot with a good layer of straw for the winter

I don't know how that would work. The roses would have to be planted with the graft 6 inches below ground level and then mulched. So how would the roses get that low in the ground? Would the tire and the roses really sink that much? Would be nice if that were so. What do you think?

Thanks,
Carol

No they wouldn't sink but I assumed you could get it a bit into the bed--if not then it wouldn't work

Hmm.... wouldn't being in a raised bed affect the zone the roses could handle?

:)
Carol

I wouldn't recommend it. Lasagna beds tend to be loose and roses need sturdy ground in order to strengthen it's roots. Not to mention it leaves the roses vulnerable to freeze and thaws of winter. It's great for fertilizing and conditioning but unsuitable as a rose bed.

Large raised beds would probably work but it has to be really large ones. Unfortunately large beds take time to make and you have a more immediate need to get the plants in the ground.

It's not okay to leave the plants in the containers over winter... The cold temps will kill them. Also I agree with your observation re the tire method. I'm not convinced that this offers good protection over winter.

Another observation: Tree roots will compete with your plants for moisture. So putting your plants near any roots would be a problem. You may have to deal with those roots. Perhaps cutting them out and setting up root barriers.

My thoughts are: concentrate on creating a temporary housing bed until your actual bed is ready for use. It would be simpler to order a truckload of earth and have that dumped in a spot where you could keep your potted plants buried and protected until such time that you are ready. If you have straw bale available you could probably form a large box with the pots inside and topped of with the soil - which you will probably reuse once their permanent bed is ready for use.

You will have to work that hard pack soil eventually. I would deal with that no matter how difficult it is. Some of those roots may need to be trimmed off. I'd probably start off with a double digging method which allows you to renew the earth a little at a time - which means that you could plant the roses a couple of pots at a time. In order to renew the soil, I use compost, new topsoil, composed manure, maybe some bonemeal.

just my thoughts on how to approach this dilemma.

Ianna

Thanks Ianna!

I guess, after reading all the above thoughts, that I'm going to get really big pots and pot them all up. I'll put them in the garage over winter on a rolling cart so that I can take them in and out of the garage in the spring when the cold nights would be too cold, yet the warm days will be good. It will be expensive, but my husband owes me for moving me here!! :)

Thanks again!
Carol

Hi there. I have some thoughts on this which are totally different than those expressed so far. I'll try to keep it as short as possible. ( I hope this doesn't sound like a lecture. It isn't meant to be. )

Is money a big consideration? What would your 30 roses be worth to replace if they can't stand the winter in pots in your garage? What will the big pots and soil to fill them cost? Will you have to leave a car outside all winter to accommodate your roses? I don't know what zone you used to live in, but zone 3a is pretty darn cold in the winter and I for one wouldn't plug in my car and scrape windows and remove snow all winter to accommodate my roses.

So, also a little background so you can understand where I'm coming from. We bought our house with a neglected yard 5 years ago. It's been an uphill battle since. If I had realized how much back breaking work it was going to be, not to mention the enormous amount of time and after a few years, a really frustrating process, I would have done what I'm going to suggest might be a solution for you.

Can your yard be accessed with a small bobcat? Get a guy to come in, remove your rocks and crappy soil, have him bring you some good topsoil, a bit of manure or whatever you prefer to use, etc., plant your beautiful roses, and be done with it.

Trust me you'll be much happier with the results =:)

Canadian Rose

What did you think of my suggestion?

I have kept roses in containers over the winter but buried them in the vegetable garden. Just a thought in case it helps. :)

nutsabout flowers makes sense... I'm not sure I'm all for housing the potted roses in a garage. They need to be exposed to winter as well. Unless this garage is a greenhosue of sorts. However you need to protect their roots which is why I was saying order in a truckload of earth and bury your potted roses in it. The earth will form some steady insulation until you are ready to plant them out in their beds. It's very much the same as what Marciaz3 does with her potted roses.

Canadian Rose

I'm curious how your roses are doing and what you've decided to do?

Hi Canadian Rose.

Have you planted your roses ?

What did you decide to do?