If they are being eaten then that is not really stress in the usual sense, as in environmental stress. But like all plant these have parameters and will be stressed or damaged when these are gone outside of. Newly planted stock is more vulnerable than well-established. First find out if you have bugs and what to do about those particular bugs. That may take care of it. Otherwise I'd suggest you not amend planting sites in future unless you are going through the entire potential rooting area and modifying it. Do not amend backfill of individual planting holes, this is liable to produce problems with how water enters and exists them. Likewise there can be problems with differences in the texture of potting medium and backfill soil, until new plants have rooted out well.

It is SO encouraging to read about your roses in containers on a balcony!!! I, too, have all my first Old Roses in containers on my balcony. They were all in bands from Vintage, three of them received in the Spring, and three more that I bought from Vintage quite recently. Because we went through a protracted move from Merced, CA to Sacramento, CA this summer, the Spring ones (which I had potted up when I got them) spent June and July in the garden of relatives here in Sacramento, but they are on my balcony now. The other three are also potted up doing OK. FIRST GROUP: Devoniensis - still with the relatives, but doing all right, not growing a lot. Mme. Antoine Mari - doing very well, in spite of my having made a few mistakes. Only a few flowers, but getting ready to give me a few more on longer, more vigorous canes. Nigrette - a small 1935 HT, doing very well, and with a lovely growth habit. NEW GROUP: These are not all Old Roses, as my sister wanted Oklahoma. Mlle. Jeanne Philippe - came with a few lovely little light yellow blooms on it (blooms should eventually be apricot). Hanging in there. Mlle. Cecile Brunner, the shrub - swinging right into action, making new branches, buds, etc. Oklahoma - also came with a bloom and bud, truly gorgeous in color, it is now apparently working on roots. I don't really have enough sun, either, but I'm going to give it a good try. So far I've been moving the pots around, trying to find the optimum sun conditions for each of them. Parts of my balcony get about five to six hours of sun, but it's afternoon sun and can be terribly hot in the summer. It was too much for little Nigrette in the last hot spell, about 3 weeks ago, and I moved her into the shade as soon as I realized it. To know that your roses have done so well in even a bit less sun has really made me feel more optimistic!! Thanks, Laura

Deer-Resistant Shrubs & Rugosa Roses: * Some Deer have not read this list American Holly Andromeda (Pieris japonica) Aucuba japonica Barberry - Japanese deciduous as well as evergreen species Beauty Berry (Callicarpa) Blue Spiraea/Blue Beard (Caryopteris) Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) Boxwood (Buxus) Brooms (Cytisus and Genista) Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) Chaste Tree (Vitex angus-castus) Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) Cotoneaster Cryptomeria Daphne Grape Holly (Mahonia) Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra) Japanese Maple Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus) Juniper - especially J. virginiana varieties Kerria Leucothoe Lilacs (except Miss Kim) Magnolias - deciduous species Miscanthus (Ornamental Grasses) - not a shrub, but because of its size, sometimes can be used in place of shrubs Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) Nandina Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Norway Spruce (Picea abies) Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) Pee Gee Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) Potentilla Rose of Sharon (Hibsicus syriacus) Rugosa Roses Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika) Serviceberry (Amelanchier) Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Spiraeas - spring-blooming white as well as summer-blooming in shades of pink St. JohnÂs Wort (Hypericum) Sweet Box (Sarcococca) Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) Viburnum Garlic, Eggs and Tabasco Combine one garlic clove, one egg, 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce and, one cup water. Mix in a blender. Let the concoction sit to ferment for several days. Apply fermented mixture to plants. Warning - This deterrent has been known to repulse humans too!

I planted a Sunsation Barberry in late September 2008 and it is still doing just fine considering my 'survival of the fittest' attitude toward my garden. Parts of it that weren't under snow didn't do so well but after a good cleanup pruning it looks really quite good. It doesn't seem to suffer from sun scald even here is sunny (& semi-arid) southern Alberta - a harsh zone 3b. This winter I'll be sure to toss extra snow on it. It's also not the biggest plant, if you get one put it somewhere really special. I can post a picture if you'd like, I was actually just outside admiring it in the evening light. Hope that helps!