Planting Roses (for Easier Tending)

Roses may have a reputation for being difficult to grow, but we can make tending them easier by choosing and planting them well.

Choose Well

Do your research! While impulse buys can be fun (and I would never tell you NOT to bring home that rose on the clearance table at the local garden center), choosing your variety with care can mean the difference between a short-lived infatuation and a long-term romance with your rose.

I read books about roses, search websites, and look for blogs by rose growers. Two I like are The Garden Diary and Hedgerow Rose

Place Well

Almost every rose will stay healthier and bloom better if you can maximize the amount of sunshine it receives. Six hours a day is usually a requirement, but research will help you here, too. There are a few roses that can bloom well in less sunny conditions. One I like (and it’s thornless) is the climbing rose Zephirine Drouhin.

For continued good health, air circulation around your rose is important. You don’t want to plant it out where it will feel the full brunt of a winter wind (though I do have a few roses in just such a spot!), but crowding it into a corner, or letting other plants climb all over it could cause problems down the road.

It’s also important to think about access. Roses will need tending. You will want to cut flowers, prune them, and mulch them well. Don’t plant them where you’ll have trouble reaching them later.

Plant Well

If your rose is grafted (meaning the variety you have chosen has been grown onto the rootstock of a different, all-purpose rose), then you will want to take care with the knobby union where the roots and the rose variety meet. In cold climates, that bud union especially needs protecting. But no matter where you live, making sure that thick knobby portion of the stem, below the canes, is underneath your soil can help anchor your rose and keep it from rocking in the wind.

Consider your soil. Roses love rich soil. If yours is not so rich, you might add some well-composted manure or good compost to the planting hole. However, don’t just drop it at the bottom of the hole. Try to work it in all around the area. You want to encourage those rose roots to grow and reach for their nutrition. My clay soil is fairly good for roses, so I don’t bother adding anything when I plant. Instead, I give the newly planted rose a good layer of rich compost as a mulch, right on top of the soil.

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Posted on

May 29, 2020

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