The sooner in the season you get roses in the ground, the less watering and attention they'll need in the heat of summer.
Roses are beautiful, but can be intimidating to grow. Here are the rose-growing basics you need to get your roses started on the right foot. (And if you want some rose suggestions, check out our list of Top 10 Best Roses to Grow.)
Choose
Bare-root rose plants perform best if you plant in spring while dormant, but container roses can be put in the ground anytime. If you’re looking for ease, many new varieties are hardier and more disease-resistant, and deliver attractive plants that bloom all summer. New rose varieties take up less space. They’re bred for gardeners with smaller yards and less time.
Plant
Dig a wide hole the same depth as the roots, leaving a cone of soil in the middle, in a spot that receives 6 to 8 hours of full sun each day. To avoid disturbing the roots of container plants, cut away the pot rather than pulling out the plant. Many roses are grafted. The bud graft is easy to spot—it’s the swollen knob with branches sprouting from it. In warm areas, like the South, plant the bud graft above ground level. In colder climates, where temperatures dip below freezing, plant it 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface.
Tend
A newly planted rose is going to be thirsty. Create a trough of soil around the plant, check daily and water as needed. Once established, only about an inch of water per week is needed. Watering on the ground, not from above, reduces the risk of disease. Add mulch, like bark, pine needles or shredded leaves, to conserve moisture and reduce weeding.
Trim
To keep roses blooming throughout the growing season, remove spent flowers, a technique called deadheading. This transfers the plant’s energy into creating even more blooms. Trim down to the first or second five-leaflet leaf.
Seven Types of Roses to Grow
- Polyantha: introduced before 1867
- Hybrid tea: showy, most popular
- Floribunda: shrubby with bloom clusters
- Grandiflora: tall, ideal for cut flowers
- Miniature: only 6 to 18 inches
- Shrub: large and full; some are fragrant
- Climbing: use with trellises, arbors and walls
Cindy says
Thank you this really helped.
PAL says
My reds, pink and purple are roses growing fine. But my yellow rose plants never last. They grow and flower nicely for 2 years, then they die. The following years, I get a healthy plant which I believe is off the root. It never blooms.
My miniature rose plants flower well, but don’t get bigger than 6″ across.
Any ideas on what I might be doing wrong?
Tammy says
Which brand are you planting? I would try a couple of different brands and maybe plant them in a different spot than previously. Also, do you recall which purple rose you bought? I love those but they are hard to find in my area. Have you ever ordered any from a catalog?
Toni Hall says
Mine didn’t perform well for years until I gave them liquid fish fertilizer. Wow! They shot up 3-4 feet in one season.
Misty Rockwell says
My mother’s roses are large and dark red with large thorns. They were planted in the Seventies. I would like to keep them but they look terrible. They have not been tended for many years. Thin and uneven, kind of spindly. But the blooms are great. Any advice? Thank you.
Toni Hall says
Prune back the old canes hard, and thin spindly growth, then feed them! There are lots of videos online about how to do this.
Lois says
Not seeing them, here’s my best guess. Prune while dormant (now), removing all small, twisted and dead branches, and any that cross over other branches. Pick 4-5 of the largest, healthiest branches (canes) to save and cut them back to between 12-20 inches, depending on rose type. Cut 1/2 inch above a bud on an angle. Use handful of rose fertilizer once a month during growth season.
Fencing Baton Rouge says
I have a client who has a rose garden and wants to build a fence around the garden. The roses are blooming and the garden is beautiful. I am scared that placing a fence around the garden will block must of the sun and damage the garden. Has anyone ever used a fence around a rose garden?
Tammy says
As long as they get 6-8 hours of full sun they should be ok. If not, I would advise against the fence. Hope this helps.
Tammy says
Does anyone know how to get a starter from another rose bush? My grandmother used to do it all the time. I can’t remember how she did it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Toni Hall says
Go online and request Antique Rose Emporium catalog, they devote a page on how to do this, step by step w illustrations. http://Www.weAREroses.com
Lois says
Take a stem with 7 leaves and deadhead the rose on top in the summer. Plant 5 leaves underground and cover the remaining 2 with a glass jar. Keep soil moist till winter then leave alone. In the spring new growth should appear.