Roses - Starting Bare-root

Roses are one of the most popular of garden flowers. Here are four steps for successfully starting garden roses:

STEP ONE
Buy vigorous plants. Purchase them from a reputable local nursery, retail store, or mail-order nursery. It's best to buy No. 1 grade, two-year old, field-grown plants. Pruned plants should have 3 canes with a diameter of at least 1/4-inch at the top. Un-pruned plants should have 3 or more 18-inch canes and be at least 1/4 inch in diameter.

STEP TWO
Plant roses in a sunny location. Roses grow best where they have full sun all day, but they will grow adequately on only 6 hours of sun a day. If you must plant roses in a partially shaded area, choose a location with morning sun. If plants are shaded in the morning, their leaves stay wet with dew a few hours longer, and this will encourage leaf diseases.

STEP THREE
Plant in well-prepared beds. Have your soil tested first and check area for good drainage. Add organic material - composts - to improve the drainage and to help hold water and nutrients. Spread a layer of compost organic matter 2 to 4 inches deep over the spaded bed. Then work it into the soil to about 8 inches deep. For best results, plant roses as soon as you receive them. If you cannot plant them immediately, moisten the packing material and repack the plants. You can keep them safely this way for several days.

STEP FOUR
Set plants properly. Soak bare-root roses overnight before planting. Prune the canes back to 6 to 8 inch heights. DO NOT prune the roots and remove only the damaged roots. Place a small, cone-shaped pile of soil in the center of each planting hole. The hole should be 15-18 inches wide and deep. Set the plant on the top of the cone and spread the roots down the slope. Make the top of the cone low enough so the bud union is 3 inches below ground level. Carefully work soil around the roots - so all roots are in contact with soil. When the roots are covered, add water to help settle the soil around them. Then finish filling the hole and water again. Mound soil as high as possible around canes. Keep soil moist. Do not remove soil until new growth starts - usually 2 to 3 weeks after planting. With these four steps, you should be able to start roses successfully.