First let's look at that sunny (more than 4 hours direct sun; no skimping) spot in the yard. How's the water situation? Roses like plenty of moisture, but hate boggy situations and will express their distaste by simply dying! If the area is really wet I'd recommend that you plant roses in a raised bed, building a containment of rock, block or railroad ties that give another two feet or so of planting depth above the existing soil profile.
Here's How:
- First, find an area that receives full sun.
- If you have a bare root specimen, soak it in a bucket of water before planting. For roses that are potted, you can water the pot thoroughly and let it sit until ready to plant. Then, when you remove the pot from the plant itself, you will have a moist ball of soil to ease stress on the roots.
- Dig a hole about six inches deeper than you will be planting the rose. You will need to add bone meal and compost to the hole before planting and want the crown (or area where the plant first starts growing above the ground) to be just at ground level when finished. Your hole should be twice the width of the pot as well. This ensures plenty of rich, soft soil to encourage vigorous root growth.
- Add about three inches of soil, bone meal and compost to the bottom of the hole before placing the rose in the center of the hole. Be sure you chose the nicest side facing outwards if planting against an object like a house or trellis. Fill in the rest of the hole around the rose bush. You may need to hold the plant with one (gloved) hand to steady it as you fill it in completely.
- Once you have filled in around the rose, tamp the soil down very firmly to remove pockets of air you may have missed.
- Water with a slow steady stream to ensure deep penetration of moisture into the soil. You may want to tamp down the soil one more time after watering to see if it has settled in well.
- You want to keep your rose's roots moist and cool but the leaves as dry as possible. Do this with mulch around the bottom of the bush once you have watered properly.
Tips:
- Place at least three inches deep of mulch around the bush to allow the watering to remain on the roots and not evaporate.
- A soaker hose system is perfect for roses. It will slowly water while keeping the upper part of the bush nice and dry.
- Do not use a systemic chemical if you are planning in ingesting any part of the rose bush.
- To avoid blight and black spot, keeping your foliage dry and avoiding splashing water up while you apply it to the roots is crucial.
- Remove all cuttings and dead foliage from the area to discourage disease.
What You Need:
- Strong gloves
- Rose bush
- Blood meal
- Compost
- Shovel
This is a fairly simple process but we first need to know what we're planting. Roses are sold a few different ways. Bare-root roses (often called box roses) are found in many garden centers and this is the usual way to get them if you have them shipped in the mail. I maintain you must plant bare-root in the spring and give them a season to find their feet (Some feel you can plant them in fall if the early winter is mild; why risk it?)
Container, or potted roses have better shelf life, better root development and I might plant a container rose in fall (especially if it was a landscape rose). These are more expensive than bare-root, and the dramatic debate rages on over the pro's and con's of each (it's usually me and the guy on the corner with fifty roses).
Container roses are easier to plant; you just plant at the soil level of the pot the same as any other flower or shrub. Bare-root must be positioned carefully depending on your climate. Warm winter areas should plant with the bud union (the swollen joint between the root stock and the scion or grafted cane) 1" above soil level, moderate winter areas (Zone 7&8) at soil level and hard areas should bury the bud union 2" below the soil to ensure the survival of the scion. Some roses today are being sold on their own root stock (species usually are) so don't panic if you can't detect a bud union; there may not be one. And remember, bare-root MUST be planted while still dormant so watch your rose and the thermometer closely.
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