Garden Help

[fuzzyred]

So, my dad recently helped me dig a new patch in my garden, and I planted a rose bush in there. It was a Valentine's gift from my mom and spent a couple months in the house. Part of it is green and healthy, but a lot of the stems are brown and dead looking. I don't know what to do to save it. Do I leave the dead parts there? Or do I trim them down the ground in hopes of making the healthy parts stronger? I don't do much gardening, and I'm sure sure how to keep roses healthy, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Comments

[mama_kestrel]

See if the brown stems are flexible. If they bend easily, they're just dormant. If they snap off, they're dead and should be cut back. Work carefully, though; a branch can be dead at the end but still green closer to the base.

If you're still getting freezing nights or snow where you are, cover your rose with something to protect it in bad weather, because new transplants are delicate. An old blanket works well.

Good luck and enjoy your rose!

[wyld_dandelyon]

My advice is to water it regularly (daily even, if it gets no rain) for at least a month before pulling on the brown stems. Let the roots do their thing and the plant get used to where it is, and then prune away anything that isn't green and has no new buds.

I generally pile autumn leaves as high as I can on my roses and then rake them away in the Spring. The leaves are a nice, cheap mulch.