Rose Bushes: How to Buy, Plant and Tend This Fragrant Garden Favorite

You really don’t have to have a green thumb to grow roses. A healthy rose bush planted in good soil and the proper sun exposure will grow quite nicely. These tips on how to buy, plant and tend rose bushes will give basic information to new rosarians and help grow high quality, fragrant roses, regardless of garden skill level.

Buying Rose Bushes

Rose bushes come in one of two ways – bare root or already growing in a container. Bare root bushes are dormant and may even look dead in their package, but once they are planted in-ground, they will spring to life. When purchasing bare root roses, inspect the rose bush trunk and branches. All should be intact with no damage. Also look for signs of life, such as buds or leaves, and choose a bush that has a couple of healthy looking buds or leaves.

A rose bush already growing in a container gives the gardener instant gratification after planting. Look for a container grown rose that is fully leafed out. If the container rose is already in bloom, look for a bush that still has some un-opened buds to purchase so you won’t have to wait a month or two for another round of rose blooms.

Rose bushes will have an info tag on them describing mature height, bloom size and time and a few other details regarding the particular variety. Read the info tags to choose the rose bush right for your garden.

How to Plant

Early spring after all danger of frost is past is the ideal time for planting roses. Chose a location that receives at least 6 hours of daily sunshine and that has well draining soil. Dig a hole twice the size and depth of the rose bush’s roots. Back-fill planting hole and add compost or cow manure, then plant container rose bush at the same depth as it was in the pot. Plant bare-rooted roses to the visible soil line, but form a cone-shaped mound of dirt in the center of the planting hole and spread the rose’s roots gently down the cone before back-filling the planting hole. Firm the soil around the newly planted rose bushes, water in well and add two inches of mulch around the base of the rose to help retain soil moisture.

Rose Tending Tips

Roses are voracious drinkers and eaters. During the growing season, roses need a deep watering (1-2 inches) each week. Newly planted roses should not be fed for the first month to give the roots time to become established, after that, feed roses monthly. Established rose bushes need fed in early spring when buds first begin to swell.

Remove all blooms when they begin to fade on the bush with a pair of sharp shears. Cutting rose off of the bush stimulates new bush growth a rose production, so don’t hesitate to harvest rose buds for floral arrangements.

Sources:

Marinrose

University of Rhode Island Horticulture Program