06/20/2026
Hello
Mike here. I have been getting some exchanges on roses lately. Now, we stand by our stuff and take returns if that is your bag.
One thing that is interesting is they are returned and I can tell they are struggling because of the medium that is being used.
I don’t think people are trying to roll me or anything like that, but y’all should really read up on how to plant a rose. It varies depending on your soil and it is hard to address, because each person has different challenges.
17”X17” no exception. I have seen some that have been planted way too shallow.
And most importantly around here is drainage. We get a lot of rain. Clay does not provide good drainage. It’s sticky and water has no escape and the rose feels like it is trapped. You dig a small hole in clay soil the rose will just be sitting in a bowl of water. Not Good.
And then people use so much of that cow manurure stuff and that holds way too much water. In the northwest using cow manure as a planting medium is just wrong. Expert rose growers can get away with it, I guess, because they know how to water.
Water is the most important element in roses. If the water sits at the top of the plant guess what? Mildew and blackspot are much more likely. If the roots are sitting in water it just shuts down.
Some of the big growers that need plants to shut down will actually flood the field and cause the plants to go kinda dormant. They can then be pulled from the field. How else are the going to harvest roses in temperatures that rarely get below 50.
I don’t want to be condescending, but you should think about these things. I don’t mind, too much, okay maybe I do, nursing plants back to health by repotting them and fixing the problems of faulty planning, but it is a waste of your time too.
The roots make the plants grow and if the roots are angry they will show you buy producing inferior flowers and growth. Help me out yall.