Rose Feature #2 – How to Plant

Roses are available to purchase in two ways. They will be sold as a potted plant or a bare rooted plant.

Some rose specialists suggest you should not plant a new Rose in the same location as where another Rose has been. If you do need to do that replace as much of that soil as possible with new soil.

Potted Roses

Potted roses are planted like any other potted plant. You need to dig a hole at least three times larger than the container size and mix a generous amount of premium garden mix or an organic compost with the site soil from the hole. Remove the plant from the container gently and plant it into the same soil level as it is in the container. Gently replace the soil around the planted rose and firm down.
Make a small wall of soil around the planted rose approximately 30cm from the stem and water plant thoroughly. The soil wall will act almost like a dam wall to stop the flow of water to runoff quickly and ensure the rose is thoroughly watered.

Bare Rooted Roses

These roses have been grown in the ground and then for sale they are dug up when they go dormant in winter. The soil is knocked off their roots then they are usually rolled in some saw dust and put in bags for transport. They are bought in winter and must be planted out in winter. They will dry out easily so once you have them you should get them in the ground or into pots with soil as soon as you can.
Prior to planting I would recommend that you soak the plants in a bucket with water and a seaweed emulsion for about 2 hours.
To plant a bare rooted Rose, dig a planting hole at least 40 – 50cm wide and 40 – 50cm deep. Fill the hole with water (this saturates the soil before planting), then allow the water to drain away. Mound some of the site soil in the base of the hole and then spread the roots of the Rose out over the mound. Make sure the graft union (this is the swollen section on the lower stem) will sit above ground-level once planted. You will then need to back fill the hole with a blend of the site soil and premium garden mix or compost. Gently firm down the soil around the plant, create a dam wall as mentioned above in planting potted Roses. Water the Rose with a seaweed emulsion. I wouldn’t normally recommend fertilising the plant yet, wait until the threat of frost is low. Do not let your plants dry out.

Staking

With most bush roses staking should not be needed. However if it is a standard rose – (lollipop shape) you most likely will need to stake the rose. Depending on the size of the Rose you will need 1, 2 or 3 stakes. Ideally stakes should be used to provide stability and anchorage for the plant. Stakes should not act as the main structural support for the stem. Stakes should be set away from the trunk. Attach stakes to the plants by using budding tape or nylon stocking wrap around the stem in a figure eight pattern and then tying off to the stake not the stem. Weeping standard roses will require the support of a rose wheel on a post.