Planting Bare Root Roses in the Ground

Bare-root roses will arrive at your favorite garden center soon. Plant them as early as possible. While bare-root roses may look like lifeless sticks, they will provide years of color and beauty when planted correctly.

Shipped and marketed for planting during their dormant stage, bare-root roses will thrive if set out in late winter or very early spring when the ground can be worked.

Bare-root roses are dug from a field during the winter rest for early planting. The roots are stripped of soil and packed in peat moss, bark or other mixture to retain moisture during shipping. Thus, they are named, "bare-root" roses.

These roses are often more economical than container-grown roses and give you a head start in the rose garden by giving plants time to root in their new home before summer arrives. Bare-root roses differ from the leafy, potted roses (called container-grown roses) sold later in spring. Container-grown roses have been raised in pots; they have all their roots intact and ready for transplanting just about anytime except mid-summer.

To plant your bare-root roses properly, be sure to follow these simple steps:

• Prepare ground before purchasing roses so they can be planted immediately
• Unwrap bare-root roses from their package
• Soak roots in water for at least one to two hours before planting
• Follow individual package instructions for setting plants in soil
• Be sure planting area receives plenty of sunlight and has good drainage
• Plant roses within one to two days of purchase
• Avoid leaving packaged, bare-root roses in warm areas, this will cause premature sprouting

We prize roses for their fragrance and non-stop blooms throughout the warm months. Remember that most roses are heavy feeders and need fertilizer to keep blooming from spring through fall. Unfortunately, roses are also a favorite of many pests including aphids, mites, thrips and other damaging insects. You can feed your roses and at the same time, protect them from insect damage with Bayer Advanced™ 2-in-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care Granules. With just one application, this Bayer Advanced™ product feeds your roses, and protects them from insects for up to six weeks. Please use according to label directions.

Some Shopping Tips

• Know your rose grades
• Grades #1, #1.5 and #2 refer to the size and vigor of the plant, with #1 being the top quality grade
• You can find rose grades on rose tags or packaging
• Roses must have at least three strong, heavy stems and a well-developed root system Look for green, healthy canes. Avoid brown or shriveled canes.
• Some bare-root roses may have a waxy coating on stems to prevent drying, ignore the wax and it will weather away after planting
• Look for a full root system with several tapering long roots and many smaller, hair-like roots
• Avoid plants with several new growth sprouts, new growth may not survive transplanting because they have so few roots
• Sometimes bare-root roses are potted upon arriving at the garden center. In this case, expect the soil to fall away from the roots at planting. This is normal and should not alarm you.

Products Mentioned In This Article

2-in-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care Granules