About Our Plants

There is no short way to talk about bands, except to say that our bands are guaranteed to grow, economical to ship, and bloom quickly.

There are a four ways to propagate roses:

1. By sowing seeds (this works only for wild [Species] roses).
2. By grafting or budding a leaf node of the variety to be sold to a standard stock variety that has been field grown and then had its top sliced off by machines.
3. By tissue culture in petri dishes in laboratories.
4. By propagating roses from cuttings, as they have been for centuries.

We grow our roses from cuttings, also known as “own root” roses.

After a cutting is rooted, they’re potted up into “band” pots that are approximately 3” x 3” (wide) x 5 1/2” (deep) with straight sides and an open bottom that has a cross (or “band”) of plastic across it.  The plants are considered ready to ship when they have roots showing at the bottom of the pot and a display of new growth indicating that the plant is well established in the pot and that the roots will hold together at planting.

Typically, the roses in our band pots begin to bloom within weeks, or a few months.  Some climbers and some antiques wait to bloom until they have established their roots in larger pots, or in the garden.  When given more room, by potting up or planting into the garden, own root roses really take off. They are briars after all! Roots shoot out and new canes are thrown up. The original canes elongate and thicken.  

When planted in the spring, by fall, roses from a band pot are often indistinguishable from, or surpass, a standard grafted bare root rose planted about the same time.  Unlike bare root plants, they arrive undisturbed, fresh in their pots, and actively growing.  Carefully planted, there should be very little, if any, transplant shock or adjustment.

Because of their low weight, bands are relatively inexpensive to ship, and available year round. But best of all, these roses on their own roots increase in vigor and beauty as they grow older.  Roses on their own roots have been known to remain vigorous for a hundred years or more. They are also capable of regenerating from the roots when frozen to the ground or cut down accidentally. And perhaps best of all, there is no understock sending up suckers that overtake the planted variety, as in grafted roses.

We have established a reputation for selling vigorous roses that provide our customers with many years of beauty.  Our business is based on the integrity of our customer service and the quality of our plants.

Let us know if you have other questions.  I hope you will give our bands a try.

Regards,

Janet Inada, Owner
Roguevalleyroses.com