How to Plant Bareroot Roses

Roses in a garden

Roses are a classic garden flower that can complement almost any landscaping scheme. Bareroot roses may not look like much when you buy them--just a stick with some spindly roots wrapped up in burlap or a perforated plastic bag--but these plants are merely dormant, and once they have some soil, water and sunshine, they will burst back into life. (Typically, bareroot plants are also considerably cheaper than potted plants.)

Things You'll Need

• Bucket Soil test Shovel Compost Mulch

Instructions

1. Choose quality plants. Bareroot roses should have moist, pliable roots and plump, firm canes. Avoid plants whose roots have dried out or whose stem is shriveled or broken.

2. Fill a 5-gallon bucket with water. Remove any wrapping or tags and submerge the roots of the rose in the bucket to rehydrate them. Allow the roots to soak for a minimum of 1 hour; if possible, soak them overnight.

3. Find an appropriate planting site. Roses like a lot of sun, and a good growing location should get a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. You may want to test the pH of your soil before planting roses, especially if you are growing a fussy variety. A pH reading of 5.5 to 7.0 is ideal.

4. Dig a hole about 2 feet deep.

5. Mix equal parts soil and rich compost and create a cone or mound about 10 inches tall in your planting hole. Spread out the roots of the rose over this mound.

6. Fill in the rest of the hole with soil and compost. Make sure the graft union (a swelling on the stem just about the root crown) is 1 to 2 inches above the soil. In very cold climates, you may want to plant your bareroot roses a little deeper, so the graft union is at the soil level or even below it.

7. Gently firm down the soil with your hands. Do not step on the soil or otherwise overly compress it. Air pockets in the soil are vital for water to get to the roots of the rose.

8. Mulch heavily to retain moisture. The mulch should be several inches above the graft union.

9. Water the rose so the soil around it is saturated.

10. Remove the mulch after a few weeks, once the rose has started to put out fresh leaves.