Behold the Rose : Now’s the Best Time to Plant America’s Best-Loved Bush: ‘Bare-Root’ Roses Will Burst With Color in Three Months

Why would anyone plant a rose bush that looks like something you might see on trash day, sitting on top of a garbage can?

Because they’re a bargain and, with a little care, these lifeless-looking plants will be bursting with blooms in less than four months.

For the uninitiated, they’re called “bare-root” roses, and they’re a lot less expensive than roses sold later during the year in nursery containers. At one nursery, roses that cost $17 in a container in spring or summer, cost $7 right now if they are older, non-patented varieties. Patented roses, including this year’s newest (such as the spooky, dark red Taboo), cost from $10 to $15.

Discount chains sell them for even less, but usually have a lower grade of smaller plants.

Not only are they dirt cheap, they are abundant at this time of the year. One Westside nursery has over 350 varieties and one in Orange County stocks over 3,000 bushes. It’s such an occasion that gardeners call this, the middle of winter, the bare-root season.

Many experts also think that this is the best way to plant a rose, because bare-root roses, after being dug from the growing field, make their new roots in your soil and not in the cushy soil of a nursery container. They quickly become established in your garden, growing bigger and stronger as a result. Some nurseries sell the naked plants out of bins or boxes filled with damp sawdust, a good idea because you can see the roots so you know what you are buying.

Most, however, sell bare-root roses in tightly wrapped plastic bags. You can’t see how many roots the rose has (sometimes lots are lost in the digging process at the growers), but you are assured that they haven’t dried out. If roots get too dry, the rose is as good as dead.

If you unwrap a bare-root rose at home and find the roots dry and brittle, or there are too few, most nurseries will take the plants back and give you another.

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Still other nurseries take bare-root roses and put them into small, temporary nursery containers. If you plant these before mid-February, you can simply shake off the potting mix and plant them bare root. If you can’t plant right away, the rose is not going to suffer, snug in its temporary can.

Bare-root roses from bins or bags should be planted as soon as possible. To make sure the roots are not dry, soak them overnight in a pail of water before planting. (Don’t leave them longer than overnight or the roots will suffocate.)

Unwrap the plants and cut any restraining ties used in shipping.

Dig a shallow but wide hole for each rose. Floribundas and the smaller shrubs and English (or Austin) roses need a hole about two-feet wide. Space plants about the same distance apart. Hybrid teas and large shrub or English roses need 2 1/2-foot-wide holes and should be spaced three feet apart. Make the holes about 18 inches deep.

Don’t work in a wet soil or you’ll turn it into something similar to concrete. Wait three to four days after a rain for it to dry out a little.

A wheelbarrow is helpful at this point. Put the soil from each hole into it, or into a pile, and mix in organic soil amendment until the dirt, when squeezed in your fist, will not make a hard ball. Give it a firm push and it should crumble apart.

You may need as much as a 1 1/2-cubic-foot bag for each hole, but probably half that.

Some gardeners also like to mix in fertilizer at this time. Use a slow-release form of fertilizer or an organic form, so the fertilizer doesn’t go to work too quickly. Follow label directions.

Now comes the fun part of bare-root planting. Remember dirt pies? Take some of the amended soil, put it back into the hole and pat it into a tall pyramid or cone shape in the bottom of the hole.

Evenly spread the bare roots over this cone of soil, and then fill the hole with more of the amended soil. Gently push it between the roots and firm it with your hands.

When the hole is finally full, push the soil down with your foot, gently compacting it, so the soil doesn’t drain or dry out too fast after watering.

How deep do you plant the rose? There is a little debate on this subject, but most people plant so that the “bud union” (that enlarged area where most of the stems grow from) is just above ground.

If you plan to put on a thick mulch, keep the bud union about two inches above ground. A stick laying across the hole helps you judge the proper level.

Planting a little high lets you quickly identify any growth (called “suckers”) that sprout from the plant’s roots. These you want to snap (not cut) off because they are coming from the rootstock and are a different, usually uninteresting, kind of rose, certainly not what you remember planting.

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There will be soil left over, so mound it up to make a doughnut-shaped watering basin around the edge of the hole. This will help funnel rain and irrigation water directly to the roots. Give the roses one thorough soaking, filling each basin at least two times.

Some gardeners like to pile a mound of pure amendment over the newly planted and watered rose. You can also use the wood chips that the rose was packaged in. Mix them in with the amendment.

These gardeners leave the mound in place until the rose begins to leaf out, usually in a week or so, the idea being that the organic matter protects the canes from the sun and from drying Santa Ana winds.

When it’s time to remove the mound, simply wash it away with a gentle stream of water and it becomes mulch, something roses definitely like.

Don’t give the roses any additional fertilizer for a month after planting, but water them if we get no rain. Be careful not to overdo it, though. At this time of the year the soil dries slowly and roses don’t need much water.

New growth will sprout quickly. If you buy a rose that already has sprouts longer than an inch or so, snap or cut them off, plant, and the rose will make more. You can leave the sprouts, but they will probably die because there are not enough roots as yet to support this growth.

Expect your first glorious blossoms during the first weeks of April, remembering what a bargain they were.

How to plant a packaged bare root rose

1. Make a hole and mix amendment with the dirt you dig out. Make a cone of this amended soil on the bottom of the hole.

2. Remove the rose from it’s package and spread the roots over the cone. A board helps determine the height of the bud union.

3. Cover the roots with more amended soil, firming with your hands and finally, when the hole is filled, with your feet.

4. Make a watering basin around the hole with the soil that is left over. Fill it several times with water.

5. Mound the wood chip packing and more amendment over the rose. When growth starts, wash this material away.

SELECTING BARE-ROOT ROSES

If sprouting growth is already three inches or longer, break it off with a down-ward push. New growth will sprout from buds on either side.

Cut off any stubs, as close to base as possible. Rose experts use a narrow key-hole saw, seal cuts with white glue.

Hope for lots of roots, especially smaller ones. These plants grow quicker, bloom better.

Look for three or more healthy, green canes, the thicker the better (indicates older bushes).

Plant rose bushes so the bulging “bud union” is just above ground, or even higher if you plan to mulch.