How to Plant a Rose Bush

If you want a beautiful rose bush that will bloom for years to come, your should take care to give the bush the best possible start in your garden.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bucket
• Shovel
• Rose bush
• Organic material such as compost, peat moss or manure
• Sulphur
• Bone meal

1. Select the perfect site for your rose bush. Roses need well-draining soil and prefer at least four hours of sunlight a day in order to flower abundantly. Keep in mind that roses also need plenty of room and good air circulation.

2. Roses also prefer a slightly acidic soil. You can test the pH level of your soil with a cheap test sold at most garden centers. You can add sulphur to make the soil more acidic.

3. Adding organic materials such as compost, manure or peat moss to your rose bed can add nutrients to your soil. It can also help retain moisture if your soil is sandy or improve drainage if you have a lot of clay in your soil.

4. Select the perfect rose bush. Make sure the rose is hardy enough to grow in your area. Pay attention to the light and moisture provided by your site, and choose a bush that will work well in that spot.

5. If you’ve selected a potted bush, remove it from its container and gently loosen the root-ball. If you’ve selected a bare-root rose, place it in a bucket of water and soak the roots overnight. Because you can buy bare-root roses by catalog or online, you can often find a large selection or inexpensive roses. They can, however, be slightly more difficult to grow because their root system is not as established as a rose sold in a container.

6. Inspect the roots. Remove any that are broken or damaged.

7. Dig a hole that is at twice the depth and width of the root-ball.

8. Fill the hole with water and let it drain.

9. Build up a cone-shaped pile of topsoil in the middle of the hole.

10. Locate the crown, or bud union, of the rose bush. This is the bump in the trunk between the branches and roots. Arrange the roots of your rose bush around the cone, so that the soil holds the crown of the bush at the right depth. If you live in an area with warm winters, the crown can be at or just above the soil level. If you live in an area with cold, snowy winters, the crown should be 2 to 4 inches below the surface. Or you can plant the crown at or above soil level and mound soil over the crown to protect it.

11. Fill the hole and lightly pack the soil around the roots. It’s best to fill the hole with a mixture of soil and organic material.

12. Prune the bush to remove any damaged branches. You can cut bushes to as small as 6 inches tall, leaving only four or five of the strongest canes.

13. Water the newly planted rose bush.

14. Place mulch around the bush to retain moisture and protect the roots. If the crown of your rose bush is planted above the ground, cover it with mulch until after the bush has begun to sprout leaves.

Tips & Warnings

• Bone meal can be used to encourage new root growth, but any additional fertilizers used during or shortly after planting can damage the rose bush.
• A thick layer of mulch in your rose bed will also prevent weeds.
• Check with the seller to see if your rose is grafted or grown on its own root. Own-root roses tend to be hardier.