Planting Bare-Rooted Roses

When you purchase roses look out for bare-rooted ones.  They are a convenient and economical way to buy roses.  Once you plant them and look after them for a couple of months and the weather warms up, they will turn into lush bushes with many rose flowers.

When you first receive the bare-rooted rose, ensure you keep them in water overnight if needed and keep them in water when you are digging the holes.  Ensure they are not in direct sunlight prior to planting.

Remove any damaged roots with rose pruners that have been sterilized in methylated spirits.

Cut back any damaged branches and any unwanted spindly shoots.  To get stronger shoots, cut the branches back by as much as half, measuring from the graft to the tip.

When planting the bare-rooted rose, ensure the planting hole is bigger than the roots and loosen the surrounding soil.  Loosen the soil around the rose and lightly water.  The graft of the rose should be above the ground so ensure you do not plant them too deep.