Winter is the best time to plant roses. Garden centres have them ready now, bare-rooted, covered in moist sphagnum and wrapped in plastic to prevent the roots drying out. Each package is a promise of a lifetime of glorious rose blooms. Bare-rooted roses are easier to transport and cheaper than potted roses, which are available all year round. Follow these steps for perfect planting of bare-rooted roses.
Step 1: Choose your spot . Roses are tough, but they need sunshine- the more the better.
In open sunny gardens roses grow happy, healthy and relatively disease-free. In full shade they struggle to grow, fail to thrive, and never reach their full potential. They also become infected with fungus such as powdery mildew and black spot. In part-shade they can perform adequately, albeit with reduced flowering. Four hours full sunshine is enough to get a good result from your roses.
In exposed windy conditions roses need protection from a windbreak such as a solid fence or hedge.
Step 2: Soil preparation Roses are very long-lived. They need soil that is deep enough for the roots to hold the plant firmly in place. The ideal soil for roses is rich in organic matter; compost is best. Decayed cow manure is also very good for roses. The old story goes that good roses need clay soil. This is not true. Roses grow well in clay because clay soil retains moisture and nutrients, but they will grow in most other soils, especially when organic matter is added. If your soil is heavy clay you will need to break it with a mattock and then add organic matter and gypsum to break it down into a more friable loam. This process does not happen quickly. Don't be impatient. For the best results prepare heavy clay soil now, piling organic matter on top and allowing the worms to draw it down into the soil, aerating it as they do. Plant roses next year. It will be worth the wait.
Step 3: Rose Arrival Packaged roses are bare rooted and should be planted immediately. Until planting it is essential to protect the plant from drying out. If you cannot plant them immediately you can dig a large hole in the garden, cover with soil and water daily
Step 4: Planting Dig your planting hole generously, at least 50 cm wide and 50 cm deep, wide enough for the roots to spread and deep enough for stability. Fill the hole with water to saturate the soil before planting and allow the water to drain. Mound the soil in the base of the hole and spread the roots over the mound. Make sure the graft union (looks like a knot on the lower stem) once planted, will be 4cm above the ground level. Backfill with the soil from the hole that has been improved (see Step 2). Leave a shallow depression so water will drain into the newly planted rose. Firm the soil and water again with a solution of seaweed nutrient. Do not use fertiliser at planting time as the new roots will be burned. Water each day as the new growth appears; never allow your rose to dry out until it is established. This can take between 10 to 12 weeks.
Planting Standard Roses Prepare your hole as for other roses. Dig a 1.4m hardwood stake into the hole before planting. Tie your rose with four evenly spaced, 'figure of eight' ties, using nylon stocking or similar.
Pruning Roses: Most roses need winter pruning. When pruning, remove 60 per cent off the growth, concentrating on the oldest and weakest wood.
Prune each rose bush in a manner that opens the centre of the plant to allow sunshine and good air circulation to all the stems.
Old-fashioned roses can be left unpruned so they grow into a large shrub.
Climbing Roses should be pruned to remove dead and diseased stems. Reduce the side shoots to short stubs, no longer than 10cms. Main stems should not be pruned.
More important than pruning for climbing roses, is training. On walls and fences, new growth can be easily bent and tied into position. Main shoots should be trained as near to the horizontal as possible.
On pillars and arches they should be trained in a spiral. This training will result in maximum flowering side shoots for optimum flower display. Climbers must not be allowed to grow vertically. This will result in a sparse few flowers at the tips.
In full leaf climbing roses can be heavy and wind-resistant so strong support is required to immobilise them for good flowering.
Where to buy roses You will find the best selection of roses at a specialist rose nursery. These nurseries produce comprehensive catalogues each year. Some sell via mail order. Garden centres sell a limited range of potted roses all year round and some bare-rooted in plastic bags in winter.
Be wary of buying roses in supermarkets and large hardware outlets. These outlets contract growers to supply the huge quantities for the market. Bare-rooted roses can be sold too young, not strong enough to be planted out!
And check the understock too. Roses grafted onto Rosa multiflora are best in heavy clay soils (east coast Australia). Dr Huey is the best understock for the lime-based soils of South Australia.
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