Growing Bare-Root in the Rose Garden

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Robert J. Dolezal

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If it’s springtime (or getting close to it) and you want to start a rose garden, you may have already thought about buying and planting some bare-root plants. But where should you start? Of course you want healthy, vigorous and disease-free roses – but how do you pick the best ones?

Bare-root roses are available early in the season, heeled into sawdust at the nursery and typically placed in corrugated, plastic and foil packages at garden centers. It’s easiest to inspect bare-root plants without the packaging.

Check the bud union and avoid plants with dead wood, damage, decay or signs of corky growth.

When you’re at the garden center, start by gathering together a group of several plants of the same variety for comparison and selection. (Avoid bare-root plants sealed in foil and plastic that prevent root inspection.) Reject bare-root plants with foliage longer than 4 inches – at least until true roots develop because the plants will have a difficult time supporting the leaves.

Pick the plants with long, strong, green canes that are supple and moist – not the ones that have broken, damaged, dry or dead canes. The canes should flex nicely when you gently bend them. Also examine the roots: Look for plants with well-developed, supple, moist, light red- or mahogany-colored roots that flex when bent and are free from damage.

As a final test for grafted, bare-root plants, take a close look at the bud union, which is where the variety stock has been grafted to the rootstock. Avoid those with dead wood, damage, decay or any sign of corky growth (which signals fungal disease).

Once you’ve picked the best bare-root roses at your garden center, buy them, bring them home and prepare to plant. Sink them in the ground in early spring for best results and vigorous growth. Follow this guide for how deep (or shallow) to plant the bud union to protect it, depending on where you live:

USDA Hardiness Zone	Bud Union Planting Depth	Time of Planting
2-3	3 inches below soil level	April
4-5	2 inches below soil level	March-April
6-7	Level with soil	March
8-9	2 inches above soil level	February-March
10-11	2 inches above soil level	February

Examine the roots. Like the canes, they should be supple, moist and free of damage.

Soak the roots of your bare-root roses for 36-48 hours before planting. Also check your roses again before planting, handling them gently. Cut back any foliage sprouts to the junction of the first leaf with the stem – this helps prevent dehydration after planting. Also prune away any damaged or dead canes (they’re the ones that may have turned dark brown or black). Cut back broken roots and unweave any tangles.

Then bring your roses to their properly prepared planting bed (or containers) and take the steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions for a beautiful rose garden that should keep blooming for countless seasons of enjoyment.

Facts

You’ll find both patented and non-patented roses at garden centers. Patented plants are generally disease-resistant and vigorous, with exceptional blooms registered by hybridizers from their many new cultivars and hybrid cross tests. Non-patented plants often include less popular varieties that result from chance fertilizations or are culled by growers from their rose-breeding program. You can recognize patented plants by a letter code printed on the plant tag adjacent to the variety name.
Another clue to plant quality is grower grading. Roses are generally sold in grades of 1, 1½ or 2. No. 1 is the highest quality. Lower grades have progressively fewer, thinner and shorter canes. Regardless of grade, always choose roses with heavy canes and few branches close to the bud union. Avoid those with damaged or dry canes.

Tips

Beware of bargain roses. Remember that you’re choosing plants for your yard that are meant to be a feature to enjoy for many years to come. Take the time and make the investment necessary to obtain roses that will perform in your region without issues of fungal disease, spotty blooms, weak grafts or other problems.
Don’t plant your roses until your garden soil temperature reaches at least 60 degrees F. When it’s time, carefully unearth them and soak them in clean, cold water for 36-48 hours before planting.

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