Bush Rose - Poundland white shoots

[chris]

Most of the bush roses in poundland (or pound shop whatever it is) seem to be throwing out white shoots - is this similar to spuds throwing out white chits/shoots ? - i.e. no good?

If I bought them - do i need to trim/rub off? Some of them are shooting green growth too - are roses hardy or is it worth keeping this bare root bushes in the GH/frost free?

[vicky]

Lack of chlorophyll in the stems makes them white, caused by lack of light from sitting in a dim shop. I'd trim them off as they'll be weaker than normal growth. As they've been in the warm shop I'd also pot them up and keep them in the greenhouse till you're ready to plant them.

[chris]

Thanks vicky - I'll grab a couple tomorrow, if they fail it's only a couple of quid down the drain!

[Biggles]

My 4 roses bought yesterday from Poundland superficially look OK with some small stubby shoots.

But every stem and bud is covered in a translucent green wax. It looks as though the plants were turned upside down and dipped in a warm wax solution to preserve them through winter. Should this wax covering be peeled off before planting, or will the plant shoots drive their way through this wax?