I recently dug up a cane from a moss rose that grew on the side of my childhood home. I'm not certain of its age, but this plant is pictured in photos my grandfather took in the 1930s. We lost the house in a fire in 2000 and my dad is in the process of filling in the foundation and excavating the lot. It has deep pink, single blooms and intense fragrance. I'm a floral manager for a large grocery chain and I think this plant was my first floral love.

I took a 2 foot long segment of root and a cane that is about 5.5 feet tall. I left the leaves on and planted it next to the back steps at my current house. The cane is currently propped up on my shepherds hook, although I'm fairly sure it would stand on its own. The soil in both locations is clay and the homes are only about 5 miles apart, so we're in the same zone. Both are eastern exposures and the wind is about the same, although the original lot has more tree shade.

I planted it about 6"-8" inches down and I dug a trench so the whole root (it's growing sideways) could lie flat and not be bunched up at all. I've been watering the entire area daily. Does anyone have other suggestions of what I should be doing? Does it need fertilizer? Should I cut off the leafy part at the top (those look very wilted)? I have a back up cane in water on my deck, but it's much smaller than the one I planted. I've been looking at images online in an attempt to identify my variety, but I haven't come across any pictures that are quite the same color.

Any help would be greatly appreciated :) Thanks, Diane