Planting Garden Roses & Rootgrow

Bareroot Roses
Taking time to check the soil type and preparing the planting area will ensure the rose maintains good health, strong growth and plenty of blooms. Roses grow well in almost all soils but prefer a neutral to slightly acid or slightly alkaline soil. For clay or acidic soils, adding a handful of garden lime into the planting hole when planting will be very beneficial.

Choose the planting area carefully. An ideal position is one with good soil, fairly sheltered but exposed to some wind, receives high levels of full sunshine and has good drainage to prevent long periods of excessive waterlogging.
Dig a hole large enough to incorporate all the roots and container compost of the potted rose (approx 35cm deep). Ensure the bottom of the hole is well loosened with a fork incorporating plenty of well rotted manure or garden compost if available. It takes a long time for Potash and Phosphate fertilisers to filter down the soil to the roots so adding a good hand full of rose fertiliser blended in with the soil and organic matter in the base of the hole will help ensure great long term benefits. Water the hole if dry and leave for a few hours or overnight to drain and settle before planting.
RootGrow, available from our website, will improve the establishment of the rose and is particularly beneficial used with dry sandy soils. This will also prevent rose re-plant sickness if planting a rose in the same position as before. Add a further 75cm of unfertilised soil into the bottom of the prepared hole. Sprinkle 25 grams of RootGrow into the bottom of the hole and also over the wet roots of bare-root plants at the same time ensuring the roots come in to direct contact with the RootGrow granules.
Before planting bare-root roses, soak the roots of the roses overnight in a bucket of water. Spread the roots of the roses out in the hole and half fill the hole with soil. Press and firm in with the heal of your foot, fill the hole to the top with soil and firm in again ensuring the union (where shoots break out from the main stem) is just above ground level.
Despite nearly all rose books and so called ‘T.V garden experts’ recommendations, we very strongly disagree with the concept of planting the rose union/grafting point below ground. In our experience it encourages rotting of the crown causing early death, wild growth and suckers and prevents effective pruning to the base. Additionally, the grafted rose forms its own roots above the rootstock which is used to give the plant much greater vigour, resulting in reduced growth and poor performance. The only possible benefit of planting a rose deeply is to prevent winter wind rock and frost damage, but this can be easily remedied with pruning at the correct time of year, appropriate support and tying in climbing and rambling roses and winter mulching around the base of the rose using well rotted compost or manure.
Water in the newly planted rose using at least a 5lts of water and ensure the soil is always kept moist until the rose becomes well established over the first summer.

Standard Roses
Newly planted bareroot Standard roses are particularly susceptible to damage or death if not well protected from severe winter weather. We strongly recommend potting up all new bareroot standard roses supplied between November – February into a 10lt plastic pot and moving into a cold greenhouse during spells of severe winter weather or frosts before final planting in late Spring or Summer once fully rooted. Established roses planted outside should also be protected from severe weather.

Taking time to check the soil type and preparing the planting area will ensure the rose maintains good health, strong growth and plenty of blooms. Roses grow well in almost all soils but prefer a neutral to slightly acid or slightly alkaline soil. For clay or acidic soils, adding a handful of garden lime into the planting hole when planting will be very beneficial.

Choose the planting area carefully. An ideal position is one with good soil, fairly sheltered but exposed to some wind, receives high levels of full sunshine and has good drainage to prevent long periods of excessive waterlogging.
Dig a hole large enough to incorporate all the roots and container compost of the potted rose (approx 35cm deep). Ensure the bottom of the hole is well loosened with a fork incorporating plenty of well rotted manure or garden compost if available. It takes a long time for Potash and Phosphate fertilisers to filter down the soil to the roots so adding a good hand full of rose fertiliser blended in with the soil and organic matter in the base of the hole will help ensure great long term benefits. Water the hole if dry and leave for a few hours or overnight to drain and settle before planting.
RootGrow, available from our website, will improve the establishment of the rose and is particularly beneficial used with dry sandy soils. This will also prevent rose re-plant sickness if planting a rose in the same position as before. Add a further 75cm of unfertilised soil into the bottom of the prepared hole. Sprinkle 25 grams of RootGrow into the bottom of the hole and also over the wet roots of bare-root plants at the same time ensuring the roots come in to direct contact with the RootGrow granules.
Ensure the rose has fully rooted into the compost and water thoroughly before planting. Slowly upturn the pot and carefully remove the roots and compost from the pot keeping in one solid mass. Place the roots with the container compost still intact into the hole. Half fill the hole with loose soil and heal firmly ensuring the union remains above ground level. Continue to fill the hole to just below the union and heal firmly in.
Despite nearly all rose books and so called ‘T.V garden experts’ recommendations, we very strongly disagree with the concept of planting the rose union/grafting point below ground. In our experience it encourages rotting of the crown causing early death, wild growth and suckers and prevents effective pruning to the base. Additionally, the grafted rose forms its own roots above the rootstock which is used to give the plant much greater vigour, resulting in reduced growth and poor performance. The only possible benefit of planting a rose deeply is to prevent winter wind rock and frost damage, but this can be easily remedied with pruning at the correct time of year, appropriate support and tying in climbing and rambling roses and winter mulching around the base of the rose using well rotted compost or manure.
Water in the newly planted rose using at least a 5lts of water and ensure the soil is always kept moist until the rose becomes well established over the first summer.

Standard roses must be staked and tied, failure to do so will result in severe wind damage to the flowering head and the main stem can snap without support. Place stake close to the north side of the stem and hammer stake through roots or peat ball.

For established standards planted outside, lagging the main stem with foam pipe insulation and wrapping bubble wrap or sacking around the pruned flower head during severe cold weather is recommended.

Container Roses
Taking time to check the soil type and preparing the planting area will ensure the rose maintains good health, strong growth and plenty of blooms. Roses grow well in almost all soils but prefer a neutral to slightly acid or slightly alkaline soil. For clay or acidic soils, adding a handful of garden lime into the planting hole when planting will be very beneficial.

Choose the planting area carefully. An ideal position is one with good soil, fairly sheltered but exposed to some wind, receives high levels of full sunshine and has good drainage to prevent long periods of excessive waterlogging.
Dig a hole large enough to incorporate all the roots and container compost of the potted rose (approx 35cm deep). Ensure the bottom of the hole is well loosened with a fork incorporating plenty of well rotted manure or garden compost if available. It takes a long time for Potash and Phosphate fertilisers to filter down the soil to the roots so adding a good hand full of rose fertiliser blended in with the soil and organic matter in the base of the hole will help ensure great long term benefits. Water the hole if dry and leave for a few hours or overnight to drain and settle before planting.
RootGrow, available from our website, will improve the establishment of the rose and is particularly beneficial used with dry sandy soils. This will also prevent rose re-plant sickness if planting a rose in the same position as before. Add a further 75cm of unfertilised soil into the bottom of the prepared hole. Sprinkle 25 grams of RootGrow into the bottom of the hole and also over the wet roots of bare-root plants at the same time ensuring the roots come in to direct contact with the RootGrow granules.
Ensure the rose has fully rooted into the compost and water thoroughly before planting. Slowly upturn the pot and carefully remove the roots and compost from the pot keeping in one solid mass. Place the roots with the container compost still intact into the hole. Half fill the hole with loose soil and heal firmly ensuring the union remains above ground level. Continue to fill the hole to just below the union and heal firmly in.
Despite nearly all rose books and so called ‘T.V garden experts’ recommendations, we very strongly disagree with the concept of planting the rose union/grafting point below ground. In our experience it encourages rotting of the crown causing early death, wild growth and suckers and prevents effective pruning to the base. Additionally, the grafted rose forms its own roots above the rootstock which is used to give the plant much greater vigour, resulting in reduced growth and poor performance. The only possible benefit of planting a rose deeply is to prevent winter wind rock and frost damage, but this can be easily remedied with pruning at the correct time of year, appropriate support and tying in climbing and rambling roses and winter mulching around the base of the rose using well rotted compost or manure.
Water in the newly planted rose using at least a 5lts of water and ensure the soil is always kept moist until the rose becomes well established over the first summer.

We strongly recommend that you use a heavy, frost proof pot or patio container with drainage holes – recommending ceramic, terracotta or thick wood to help protect roots during winter. Always use John Innes No 3 Compost for the planting medium in containers. Available from all good garden centres. Always ensure the compost remains moist, water roses growing in pots daily during hot summer weather. We recommend changing or topping up the top 5cm of soil every spring with fresh compost.

ROSES DISLIKE MULTI-PURPOSE COMPOST!

Minimum pot sizes listed below, the larger the pot the better your rose will perform & less likely to need repotting.
– Patio Bush 30cm x 30cm
– Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Ground Cover & Short Growing Shrubs 35cm x 35cm
– Standard Roses, Large Shrub Roses, Climbers & Ramblers 50cm x 50cm (Half barrel)

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