Planting Roses

You don’t have to be a master gardener to grow a garden full of roses. They are relatively easy to grow and as long as you tend your garden, they will bloom for you all through the summer sometimes far into the autumn of the year.

Where to Plant Roses

Once you have purchased your rose plants either bare root or container roses, you must choose a place to plant them. Roses need sun so be sure to locate them where they will get 5 to 6 hours of sun per day. And make sure the area is big enough so that you don’t crowd your roses and other plants together. Some rose bushes will grow large and need their elbow room so plant roses about 15 to 24 inches apart. Also be sure the area is well drained. Roses don’t like wet feet and are prone to root rot if they are consistently wet.

Plant Preparation

If you are planting a bare root plant, make sure to place water in a bucket and let it warm up to the outside temperature. Place the roots in the bucket at least 4 hours before planting and avoid leaving them in the water more than 12 hours. The optimal amount of time is about 8 to 10 hours. This will re-hydrate the plant and make it ready to plant. If you plant a bare root plant without doing this, it will not live. Bare root plants sometimes get a grey mold on them. Make sure to remove this before planting by wiping it off and if it won’t cut the affected canes off. You may purchase a plant that has more than 5 canes. It is better to prune extra canes off the plant when planting to give it more of a chance to grow. Three to five canes are perfect for planting. Any cane smaller than the circumference of a pencil should be removed. Buds are oval areas on a cane that seem to be raised. Each cane should have 3 to 5 buds and no more. Cut the rest off if there are.

Planting your Roses

Dig a hole about 16 inches deep and 15 wide. Take a handful or two of soil and place it in the center bottom of the hole mounding it up. Add a handful of bone meal and a little compost to the hole. Mix the soil you removed to make the hole with peat moss and more compost before you start filling the hole in. Carefully remove the rose from the water (if bare root) and spread the roots out a little. Place it in the hole so the little mound you made goes in the middle of the roots.

If planting a container grown plant just loosen the soil around the root ball after removing the container and pull the roots apart a little using a knife or heavy duty chop stick. Place the rose in the hole. Now begin to fill the hole with the amended soil and plant the crown or bud union at least 1 inch under the soil. Only canes should be coming above the soil line. Water the plant well. The soil will sink down a bit after watering so make sure to put more soil in to the correct height and water again. If the soil sinks again repeat the process until it stops. Never tamp the soil firmly around a rose. It likes soft fluffy soil around its roots, not soil that is dense and hard as a rock.

Sweating Roses

Some gardeners ‚Äúsweat” their roses. If you live in a dry, hot area, this is a necessary part of planting new roses. Even if you live in the north, it isn’t a bad idea to go ahead with this process especially during a hot summer. Some gardeners cover the canes with 8 to 10 inches of light soil for 2 weeks or until they see new growth. They carefully wash the soil off with a hose. Another method is to wrap the canes with burlap that has been soaked in water and once growth is perceived, remove the burlap. Other gardeners use brown paper bags with 2 slits in the top. They place them over the plant then secure the bottom of the bag by pouring soil on the edges or securing with rocks. Only do this the first time a rose is planted. When it comes up the following spring this does not have to be done again. Also note that this only needs to be done with bare root plants. Container roses have already gone through the process and don’t need to do it again.

An interesting note about planting roses: Never plant a new rose where an old one grew unless you remove the soil in an 18 cubic inch area and replace it with fresh soil. The rose will wither and die as it doesn’t like to make its home where someone else once lived.

Get ready; your roses will bloom soon and then the work really starts. Cultivation of Rose plants is relatively simple and straight forward but it does take time and some work.