There a few series of roses you should become familiar with if you aim to become a serious rose gardener, particularly on the prairies. The first we feature is the Parkland Series, which comes from the Morden Research Station. These roses were bred specifically for the harsh climates found on the Prairies. They do not require winter protection and need only be pruned in spring, removing any dead wood tips.

The second series we offer is the Explorer Series, developed by Ag Canada specifically for Canadian climates. All are easy to care for, needing no pruning except dead tips in spring. Most are also resistant to Powdery Mildew and Blackspot.

The third series we offer are relatively new to the market, and gardeners are just becoming familiar with the names. Pavement Series roses are very tough, and similar to rugosa roses. In fact, they are rugosa hybrids. The name Pavement in this series refers to it's suitability in roadside plantings and as landscape roses in traffic-polluted areas. They feature rugged hardiness to heat or cold, drought tolerance once established, and will grow in full sun or part shade. They also have built in resistance to Blackspot, and tolerate high levels of salt, which makes them ideal as streetside plantings. This series originated in Germany.

The balance of our offering are hardy shrub roses, including climbers and ramblers. Many are suitable for hedging as well. They are all extremely hardy, require no pruning and no winter protection.

Although we recommend planting your roses in their permanent home immediately upon delivery, our roses are potted with slow release fertilizer added, so if you must, they can be left for a long period of time and planted when it may be more suitable or convenient for you, or till a cloudy day appears.

As the plants will have been in transit for at least 2 days and probably longer, please check their moisture level immediately on receiving them and water if necessary. We recommend leaving them in a sheltered, protected spot for at least 2 days to allow them to acclimatize to their new home. This should prevent total 'wilt-down' which is common with mail-order plants in general. We suggest planting on a cloudy or rainy day, rain preferred of course. Planting in these conditions virtually guarantees success. Dig your hole at least twice as wide and deep as the pot (our pots average 12 inches tall and 6-8 inches wide). Fill the hole with water and allow it to soak in. Take your rose out of it's pot by gently rolling and squeezing the sides to loosen it. Pull it out gently, or cut the pot away carefully using a utility knife. 'Rough' up the root zone and place it in the new hole. Be careful that the graft on the trunk of the rose is at least 2 inches under the ground level. Water again and allow it to soak in. Now you are ready to backfill the dirt around your rose. Do so, making sure to leave a well around the base of the rose for water to collect in when watering. Gently but firmly pack the soil around the roots. Water again, this time adding a transplant fertilizer to the water.

You will be rewarded richly with heavy blooming and recurrent blooming if you fertilize your roses on a regular basis. Add a handful of bonemeal around the base of your rose each spring, or invest in fertilizer stakes. Do not fertilize your roses after the middle of August to allow them time to harden off before winter.

We include complete planting instructions with each order.