how to plant a rose: enjoy the beauty of roses in your yard

It's easy to learn how to plant a rose in our yard.

• Select the perfect location for the roses.
  
• Plant them from a container or plant bare root roses.
  
• Then we enjoy the wonderful God gifts of roses in our yards.

How can we be sure our roses will grow and prosper?

Where we locate our roses is very important. Where should we plant our roses?

We can enjoy lovely roses in our yard.

what's the best place to plant roses

Where and what do our roses need to grow and flower well?

Roses must have light

• Roses need a minimum of five or six hours of sun. They are very happy with even more hours of sun each day.
• Plants use light to photosynthesize and produce food and energy for the plant.
• When roses don't have sufficient light they will not grow as much as possible. Worse yet, they won't have the energy to flower well.

There are a few roses that will grow in the shade or partial shade. The plant label must specifically say they will grow in the shade. Otherwise, don't plant a rose in the shade.

roses need good drainage

• Roses must have good draining soil.
• Rose roots will grow 24" to 36" down, so we want to make sure the roots are not sitting in water. So they will not rot.
  

We can check the soil drainage by digging a hole about a 12" wide and 18" deep. Fill the hole with water and let it drain completely away. This wets the dry soil.

Fill the hole with water a second time. Many times the hole will drain out in 10 to 30 minutes. Ideally the water will drain within an hour, 3 to 4 hours at the most.

What if the soil doesn't drain well?

There several options for drainage situations. Where there is a will, there is a way.

• Amend the soil with organic matter.
• Plant in a raised beds.
• Plant the roses in containers.
• What does Iowa State University say about soil drainage?
  

good air circulation

• Air circulation is the key to preventing leaf diseases on our roses.
• Plant roses at least three feet apart, four feet apart is best.

We may be planting beside a building. Plant the rose a minimum of 1/2 its mature diameter away from the building.

We water our roses in the morning. Then the air circulation has time to dry the leaves before night time. This helps prevent leaf diseases.

More about taking care of roses.

All about how to plant a rose

Whether we are planting a rose from a container or planting bare root roses, the steps are much the same.

what is the best time to plant roses?

Spring is the best time to plant a rose.

Wait until after the last frost and then plant your roses. That's how to plant a rose.

Roses planted from a container may be planted all the way up into May. But they need to get a good start before the heat of the summer.

Bare root roses should be planted as soon as we can comfortably work the soil, maybe February or March. They take longer to establish, so it is not be safe to plant them in the late spring.

It depends on what plant zone we live in.

Roses may also be planted in the fall six weeks before the first frost. That gives them time to establish before cold weather.

what is the best soil for a rose?

Roses need well drained soil.

Suppose we have heavy soil that does not drain well? If it is a specific area in the yard that collects water and/or does not drain well, don't plant there. Find another location.

How to plant a rose in heavy soil - mix organic matter into the plant hole.

How do we plant a rose in sandy soil that drains so fast that it does not retain adequate moisture? We add organic matter.

How to make a garden - add organic matter.

how to plant a rose from a container

Before planting roses make sure they are well watered in the container.

Select healthy, vigorous roses.

Dig the hole before taking the rose out of the container

It's not a good idea to expose the roots to the air any longer than necessary.

• Dig the hole two feet wide and about twice the depth of the container.
  
• Dig the sides of the hole straight up and down.
• Make the hole the same width at the bottom as it is at the top.
  
• A good hole is necessary for growing healthy roses.
• Amend the soil that will be going back into the hole.
  

Mix the soil from the hole with plenty of organic matter.

Organic matter not only provides nutrition, but it loosens the soil. It gives the roots room to breathe and get the oxygen and moisture they need.

We may put a bit of time released fertilizer into the bottom of the hole. Cover the fertilizer with a little soil, so the roots don't contact the fertilizer directly. The roots will get the fertilizer when they grow to it.

take the rose out of the container

After the hole is dug and prepared with the amended soil, then take the rose out of the container.

If the small fine feeder roots are exposed to the air for any length of time, they will dry up and die.

Plant the rose the same level it was in the container.

If there are roots going around in the bottom of the container, gently straighten them out.

• Set the rose plant into the hole at the same depth it was in the container.
• Fill around the rose about half way up with the amended soil.
  
• Then fill the hole to the top with water. Let the water soak away and water it again.
• Now, fill the planting hole with soil and firm the soil down with your hands.
  
• Water the rose again.
• Apply some mulch around the rose for weed control and to maintain moisture.
  

This is the best way to plant a rose from a container.

how to plant a bare root rose

Put the bare root rose into some room temperature water for about an hour to make sure it is well hydrated.

Trim off any broken or dead roots.

If we see dead or broken roots, they should be removed

Dig the planting hole the same as for a container rose.

• Make a mound of amended soil in the bottom of the planting hole.
  
• Set the rose into the hole and spread the roots down over the mound of soil.
• Add more amended soil about half way up in the hole and water the plant thoroughly.
• Fill the hole the rest of the way up to the level the rose was planted before.
  
• Firm the soil down with our hands.
  
• Water again and apply mulch.
• Do not fertilize the bare root plant until we see good growth on the rose. Then apply fertilizer and water it in.

Learning how to plant a rose is easy.

Thoughtful planting will give our roses a good start to a long, healthy life.

Roses live for many, many years. Our grandchildren can enjoy the fruits of our gardening skills.