Any gardeners here?

[Eireann]

The funniest thing happened.

I bought a rose from an elderly woman on the street and took it home, but I didn't put it in water right away. I only remember just before I went to bed. The rose died, of course, so I moved it into the kitchen, where I would remember to throw it away. This was all at least a week ago.

I was just in the kitchen, where the rose still was because I forgot to throw it out, and there are new leaves on the stem! I'm not going to throw it away now, of course, but how the hell do I plant it? The only thing I've done was to move it to a sunny location, where it can grow. I looked at the end of the stem, but there are no roots yet.

Advice?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Wow! :eek: Roses are kind of fragile, so that's amazing!

I am an avid gardener...however, I don't know much at all about roses. The two rosebushes I own look like crap. I'm more into natives and stuff like that, so roses are not my area of expertise by a long shot.

If I found myself in your shoes, I'd do a web search, find some forums maybe, and ask some questions if I couldn't find any info from a google search. I've done that before different subjects, just find some forum somewhere talking about roses that is active, join it, and ask them.

[Eireann]

I did. I just thought I'd ask here, too. You know, cover all the bases. :)

[ThePhoneGoddess]

RK is right, hooking up with some rose enthusiasts online is the best way to go. I do know the old-fashioned way to propagate from cuttings, my Grandmother taught me, but some actual rose growing fans would probably know more than I do. I adore roses and wish I could grow some, as I'm in the perfect climate to do so, but I'm an apartment dweller. :cry:

Take a very sharp knife and 'wound' the bottom of the cutting, as well as cutting off the flower on top once it dies. To wound it, cut a slice of the outer green part of the stem off, maybe 1 inch up the stem. Then stick the wounded end a couple of inches down into a pot filled with half potting soil and half perlite or vermiculite. Cover the stem with a quart mason jar, and water around the jar occasionally so the stem doesn't dry out. It should take 4-8 weeks for the rose stem to take root and begin leafing out, at which point you can remove the jar. The best time of year to do this is spring or early fall.

My Grandmother says this is what old pioneer ladies used to do when they took cuttings of their favorite roses on the wagon trails with them.

You can also use rooting hormone powder if you want; don't have to, but the stems tend to root quicker if you do.

[LostMyMind]

I keep hearing this "rose are fragile, picky plants". I couldn't kill the one that was next to my door (and I tried).

I got rid of it by making a remark about this annoying rose plant that keeps growing into my walking area. And one of the other manager said, "I love roses can I have it." He came, dug, and haul that plant away.

It got replace by an lovely mexican flower plant. Lovely purple flowers, but again, annoying.... :lol:

So I poured anti-life stuff on the ground and pour cement in that spot..... now its growing between the cracks of the cement and wall.....

So I have no suggestions.... Since everything grows in my yard, even through I don't want it to.

[Evil Queen]

Nonono, the flower is fragile. The plant itself is evil but easy to grow.

The only advice I have is.... uh... roses like fish.

[LostMyMind]

:lol: I must have had the special hardy rose blend. Because it bloom all the time (it was yellowish rose). Annoying, prickly, vine plant.

[StanFlouride]

The best way to get roses to bloom is to RADICALLY prune them back every autumn. The plants are remarkably hardy and can survive in virtually every climate below the tundra (and with Global Warming they may be there soon).
Rooting hormone is definitely the easy way to go but make sure you wear gloves and DO NOT use it of you are pregnant. It is full of pseudoestrogens and can injure your foetus.
I usually recommend that people use plastic to-go containers to as miniature green houses but like the Mason jar idea and will recommend that from now on.

[Lady Legira]

I have a couple of roses (one lilac, one yellow) because I adore roses and know a fair bit about them thanks to my granddad who could grow a rose from a dead twig. I think the advice given so far is sound because my granddad used jam jars to start some of his off.

Oh and I'm growing these roses in pots on a balcony (1st floor, 2nd floor for the us peeps). I'm becoming something of a master of potted everything since I haven't got a garden and here's a picture.

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh252/Legira/pics023.jpg

[Evil Queen]

Hey LL, nice little garden you got going there. :yes:

I was told I can grow a watermelon in a pot. I'm gonna give it a try later this year because I'm always craving watermelon in the winter.

[Lady Legira]

Smells wonderful when I go out on there mostly because I have Rosemary, lavender and a Jasmine plant going wild.

The other plants are snapdragons (antirrhinums), carnations, Fuchsia, Strawberry, double Campanula, forget-me-nots and a plant that is nameless because I bought it cheap.

[Eireann]

I don't have any rooting hormone and it sounds evil anyway - I prefer to stay away from chemicals - so I'm going to take the advice I found on another site, and use a banana peel. Evidently, they work very well.

This stem is budding EVERYWHERE! I still can't believe it. No roots that I can see, but then, the stem hasn't been "wounded" by me yet (interesting term). I don't have a suitable plastic or glass container, either, so I'm going to use a plastic bag, another tidbit I found on the Internet.

I'll let you know how it goes.