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Where's Fred? Talking roses — and bargains

Tips on buying bare-root roses now in stores

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JAN 4, 2021

Fred Hoffman now devotes

his time to his "Garden Basics"

podcast. Hear him talk this week

with Debbie Arrington about

bare-root roses. (That's one of Debbie's
prize-winning roses, Marilyn Monroe,
below. Photo by Debbie Arrington)

Where’s Farmer Fred? And are those plastic-wrapped bare-root roses really a bargain?

Both those topics converge this week on “Garden Basics with Farmer Fred,” longtime Sacramento radio host and lifetime master gardener Fred Hoffman’s new weekly podcast.

With the new year, Hoffman left the airwaves and his “Get Growing” (on KSTE) and “KFBK Garden Show” to devote more time to his podcast. And coincidentally, "Debbie Arrington of Sacramento Digs Gardening" is this week’s guest, talking about bare-root roses. Listen to that conversation here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004629/7084228-068-rose-basics-the-future-of-gardening Peach colored rose

“People can also listen to it at the podcast service of their choice,” Hoffman said of his podcast. Links to those podcast services can be found at his buzzsprout page. (Find it here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1004629 .)

As for plastic-wrapped bare-root roses, sometimes they are a good deal, especially on older non-patent varieties such as Queen Elizabeth or Mister Lincoln. Those are named roses that were originally introduced more than 27 years ago and are no longer under patent. That means sellers can offer that rose for sale without paying royalties to the patent holder, which usually means a lower price to the buyer.

Look for “Grade 1” roses. Whether plastic-wrapped or offered in sawdust-filled bins, those bare-root roses meet certain standards of size and robustness established by the American Association of Nurserymen.

This grading system only applies to field-grown, grafted roses that are at least 2 years old. Considered best, the Grade 1 standard for hybrid teas includes at least three strong canes (with two at least 18 inches long), well-spaced around the graft. Grade 1-1/2 roses have two strong canes. Grade 2 roses are overall smaller in size with at least two canes, 12 inches long. (They’re the runts.)

Will a Grade 2 bare-root plant become a Grade 1 bush? It depends on several factors, but likely that smaller plant will take a few years to catch up (if ever). Remember: It originally grew under the same conditions as those Grade 1 bare-roots and didn’t develop then. Will it be different in your garden?

“One should consider the purchase of a rose as carefully as one would any other piece of merchandise,” wrote Mark Whitlaw in Rose magazine, the official publication of the American Rose Society. “Would you accept a factory second if you were purchasing a fine piece of furniture?”

Regardless of grade, what you do with that rose when you first get it home is the same: Re-hydrate it. Bare-root roses are dug up in October or November. Their roots have been wrapped in plastic (or stuck in sawdust) for months. They need water – now!

Before planting your new rose bush, soak the roots in a bucket of water overnight. That will help refresh the bush and get it ready for its new home in your garden.

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

nurseries gardening Sacramento American Rose Society roses Farmer Fred Hoffman podcasts winter gardening bare-root plants January

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Garden checklist for week of Feb. 8

Dodge those raindrops and get things done! Your garden needs you.

* Start your spring (and summer) garden. Transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots. Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions. Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

* This is the last chance to spray fruit trees before they bloom. Treat peach and nectarine trees with copper-based fungicide. Spray apricot trees at bud swell to prevent brown rot. Apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites and aphids on fruit trees soon after a rain. But remember: Oils need at least 24 hours to dry to be effective. Don’t spray during foggy weather or when rain is forecast.

* Feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer. Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.

* Remove aphids from blooming bulbs with a strong spray of water or insecticidal soap.

* Fertilize strawberries and asparagus.

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