2009 Floribunda of the Year ‘Kimberlina’
February and March; Bare-Root Rose Planting Months
By Terri Hiatt
Many nurseries have stopped selling their roses bare-root, but some like Peninsula Gardens, continue to do so every year between the 1st week of February(call ahead to get exact date the roses will be ready for sale) until mid to late March. After that the roses are beginning to leaf out breaking dormancy and they have to be potted up.
I have always preferred bare-root planting. The cost of each rose is at least a 1/3rd less and the ease of both transporting the roses home in plastic bags and then planting them makes the whole experience easier and more rewarding.
PICK THE BIGGEST ROSE-One advantage to showing up in early February to purchase your roses is that you can pick out the biggest roses with the most canes often times making a huge difference in how quickly the rose begins to “take hold”. You always want to purchase grade #1 grade roses. This has nothing to do with the American Rose Society’s rating system. A Grade #1 rose must have at least 3 canes. In my opinion Grade #1 ½ and Grade #2 roses are generally not worth purchasing because they are smaller with fewer canes for most people. They cost less, but I believe purchasing the best, biggest rose is the answer for many people to really experience the joys of rose growing with limited waiting for huge crops of bloom. When you are purchasing a rose insist that the nursery person pick out the rose with the most canes (some roses can have 5-6 strong canes!)and a long, strong root system. I hate it when rose companies butcher the rose’s root system for the convenience of putting the rose in a box or a small plastic bag. The rose you are purchasing is going into its 3rd year and cutting off 2 years of root growth is a complete waste. Do remember that you can only compare roses that are the same variety against each other. For example if you are purchasing a ‘Double Delight’ rose which typically has more slender canes than say ‘Mr. Lincoln’s’ big, chunky canes you cannot compare those two roses against each other when considering size. But by shopping early you can look at the 5-10 ‘Double Delight’ bare-root roses available and insist you get the one with the most canes the longest root system and the best vase like shape possible.
PREPARE THE BED – There is no reason you cannot prepare the area for the roses before the roses are purchased. Some rose growers will work in the amendments 6 months prior to the planting season. This step can be done prior to or at the time of actual planting. The next rule is universal when it comes to planting anything; roses or any other plant or tree. The only time you don’t need to add amendments is when you are planting something that loves poor nutrient lacking soil. This is rare. But with your roses the rule of thumb is at least 1/3 “new”. When digging the whole for the new rose ideally dig down 1 ½ -2 feet and 1 ½ feet wide. This is why it can be beneficial to do it ahead of time as this step is the most physically challenging part of implementing a new rose garden. If you know you have a lot of clay add in 1-2 cups of gypsum or liquid gypsum (check directions on bottle), as this will help to break up the clay. I usually put this in the bottom of the planting hole, but you can mix it in with the “new” and the native mix of soil. People always ask me what amendments I prefer to use when planting roses. Some people use a variety of ingredients; alfalfa, steer manure, superphosphate, Epsom salts….the list goes on. Personally this is just too much work and seems to discourage people from becoming “rose nuts”. I buy a bag of Gardener n’ Bloom’s Rose Compost and then add 4 cups of my Terosa Rose Food. From the pile of native soil I have just dug out I take away 50% of it and add in the Rose Compost and Terosa mixing it all together with the native soil. If you are planting right then it is important to take the hose or a watering can and fill up the empty hole with water. This enables you to see if you have decent drainage. Sometimes, but not often, the drainage is so poor that the rose will eventually die, suffocated by the compacted water logged soil. You can decipher this not only by looking at the soil (solid blue clay is bad sign), but with how slow the water drains. If it takes at least an hour, but no more you should definitely add gypsum. If it still hasn’t drained after a couple hours I think you have trouble in that area. Reconsider the planting area. Some people just use containers for rose growing to insure their success if their soil is horrible. Once everything is mixed together build a “cone” of the mix in the bottom of the hole. You are going to drape the roots over the cone, alternating with water and more soil mix as you plant. Prune approximately ½ -1 inch off all the roots to promote more root growth enabling the rose to “take hold” quicker. The bud union (the knob at the base of the plant) should sit flush on top of the soil level when you are done. Planting the rose too low or too high are both wrong so make sure this is correct. When the planting is complete water the entire area again. Watering is of utmost importance. Then cover the bud union for 6 weeks with the existing soil mix to keep the rose from drying out as it transitions into its new home. Six weeks later push this off to let the sun hit the bud union. You can cover this area again to protect it from winter around Halloween.
