Rose Planting 101

There’s more to rose planting than just deciding how deep to dig a hole and whether or not to use fertilizer immediately or later on. You should start by deciding where you want to plant your new rose bushes.

It’s all about location. You’ll want to think about a couple of factors when determining where your new rose plants should go.

One is sunlight. You want to make sure that your roses get at least six hours of direct sunlight per day; this is the minimum for many different species of roses. Even roses which are labeled as shade tolerant will need between four and six hours of direct sunlight daily to thrive.

Another is soil quality; is the location one which features healthy soil. Roses need a lot of nutrition and won’t do well in locations where the soil contains too much sand or clay. You can find this out by taking a handful of soil and squeezing it to form a clump.

If the clump stays together and doesn’t crumble, then it’s too rich in clay. Soil which works well for roses will hold together, but will also crumble easily. You’ll also probably want to pH test your soil; roses do best in pH neutral soil which does not contain too much acidity or too much limestone or chalk (which are basic on the pH scale).

Last of all, back to location. Is the place you’ve decided to plant your rose plant far enough away from trees or other large plants which may prove to be too much competition for your roses. These plants can take too much nutrition from the soil for your roses to do their best.

If you run into a lot of roots while digging a hole for your new rose bush, you may want to rethink the location as these roots mean that your roses could be up against too much competition for water and nutrients from other plants. Some climbing roses and a few bush style rose plants can still do well in these spots, but in general, rose plants do best when planted only around other roses or plants which won’t prove to step on their toes (or roots) too much.

Once you’ve found the right location for your new rose plant, now it’s finally time to think about details such as how deep of a hole you should dig. You’re going to need to dig a hole which is just a little larger than the pot your rose plant is in (if the plant is in a pot) or slightly larger than its root system if the plant is unspotted.

How deep of a hole you should dig is largely dependent on what kind of climate you happen to live in. In colder climates, you’ll want to dig a slightly deeper hole to plant your roses in. Talk to neighbors and friends who grow roses to find out how deep they’ve planted their own roses. The depth may vary from one gardener to another, but no matter how shallow or deep you dig, make sure to loosen up the soil at the bottom before planting.

If you want to give your roses a little bit of a boost or your soil could use a little enrichment, you may want to put a little compost at the bottom of your hole before planting your roses and a little bit of bone meal as well. This will provide phosphorous for your plant which promotes healthy roots. Speaking of roots, make sure to spread the roots a little after you put your rose plant in the hole.

Refill your hole, making sure that soil is settled around the roots of your plant and be sure to water your plant’s roots a little before you finish refilling. Firm the soil around your rose plant and give it a little more water. From here on, it’s all about caring for your new rose plant and encouraging it to thrive.