Planting Non-grafted Roses

I was really excited this spring when my new Graham Thomas and Abraham Darby English roses, courtesy of cousin Cara, arrived in the mail. These two are from Heirloom Roses (Top Three Places to buy Roses Online). This was my first year trying roses that were shipped in pots, instead of bare root. Heirloom roses are grown from scratch in greenhouses, not grafted onto another plant’s rootstock. They arrive small – only about 1 -1.5 feet tall but healthy. As per advice from Heirloom Roses, I bought compost and loam and mixed it to plant the roses. They said I needed to dig out all of the old dirt to make sure there was no residual fertilizer from last year. Since these guys have feeder roots, they have to go the first month without fertilizer. Although these plants were very small initially, they adapted well and had significant growth from the time of planting – late spring until fall.

Shading Greenhouse Plants Initially

Greenhouse plants sometimes need some shading from the sun when they are first planted, since they have not been in direct outside sunlight. The first day I planted Neddy, the Graham Thomas rose, I had to cut a hole in the bottom of a paper bag and put it on him since he looked a bit forlorn. That is, he looked as though he wasn’t ready for quite so much sun. After that, he adjusted nicely. My Abraham Darby non-grafted English rose looked a little bit wilted the first few days but then adjusted well. According to Heirloom, the roses should have a lot of growth the first year and be healthier and fight off diseases more effectively since they aren’t grafted. They are growing on their own rootstock, so don’t have to fight with another plant’s rootstock to survive.

Providing Ongoing Shade for Non-grafted Roses

I’m inserting some “before planting” pictures to show the kind of space I’ve used for the roses. Since rocks are readily available (I find them every time I try to plant something new), I do a lot of landscaping with rocks. It helps people avoid stepping on new plants. Tulips and wildflowers surround Neddy, the Graham Thomas English rose, and daffodils surround Abraham Darby. I recommend planting bulbs and wildflowers after planting the roses if at all possible. Otherwise, it’s a bit more challenging to dig around what you’ve already planted! In my case, since I needed to replant this year I had to avoid the booby trap of tulips and daffodils as I dug.

In true English garden fashion, I’m practicing crop rotation with the plants surrounding the English roses. First the tulips come up around the Graham Thomas English rose, then the wildflowers. This year after my tulips were spent, I planted wildflower seed around the Abraham Darby English Rose. I think that I’ve timed it so that the daffodils will come up before the wildflowers but I’m not sure. It’s a cottage garden wildflower mix and some of the perennial flowers in it might come up at the same time as the daffodils creating quite a tangle of color and bloom!