I Have Two Cottage Farms Rose Stumps. I Followed The…
Alpha Asked
I have two Cottage Farms rose stumps. I followed the directions and buried them in both sides of my flower bed. One started blooming but the other did not, it’s still a stump. Why?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Alpha: I assume by “stump” you mean that you purchased your roses bare root. Let me know if this is not the case. So, it sounds like one is happy while the other is struggling or already dead. Does the latter have any foliage at all? If it does this is encouraging; as long as it gets enough sunlight and nutrition it will bloom eventually. If there is no growth at all this year the rose is a lost cause; remove it from the garden: decaying plant material is a great place for insects and disease to live. As far as purchasing bare root roses, plant failure is part of the risk we gardeners take when ordering any bare root material. A lot of care is taken by the growers to ship them in ideal conditions but there is always going to be a small amount of loss. Moisture levels are extremely important during this process; the roots cannot be allowed to dry out and too much moisture can cause root rot. Did your roses look the same when you unwrapped and installed them? Consistent moisture levels are just as important as newly planted roses. Check the guarantee policy you received with your order. Hopefully the rose has foliage and it is concentrating all of its energy on getting its roots established before it blooms.
