Rosie's corner: Plant new roses in your garden this month
Ah, December is a time to relax (a bit) and be thankful for your beautiful blooms throughout the year. It is also a time of reflection. Is there a rose that is struggling? Did your roses meet your expectations for this year (and perhaps several years in the past)? Is it time for a change?
Don’t be afraid to change your rose garden. You should only have roses that do well and roses that you love. Now is the time to check out any new roses for your garden. If you decide to add or change the roses in your garden, get grade 1 roses. Yes, roses do come in different grades. Roses graded 1 give you the best chance of success. Roses come “bare root” or potted. Bare root roses are packed in wood chips or some other material to keep the roots from drying out (they are sometimes referred to, in the rose grower’s world, as “body bags”). If you purchase one of these, take off the packaging, remove the material surrounding the roots and soak the roots in water for at least 24 to 48 hours before planting. Bare root roses are the slowest to grow, as their roots have been drastically pruned to fit in the plastic sleeves. Those roots can dry out quickly, so keep them in water until you are ready to plant.
Bare root are usually the cheapest roses available. Potted roses are usually bare root roses that the grower/nursery has planted in a pot, so you are paying extra for the pot, the soil and labor to do this, which is why they are more expensive. There are usually fewer varieties offered in potted roses as opposed to bare root ones. However, potted roses usually will make a nice transition to your garden.
How to plant a bare root rose
First thing to do is to take the rose out of the bag and remove the material surrounding the roots. Take a large bucket and fill it with water. Soak the roots for 24 to 48 hours before planting.
Digging the hole
When digging the hole for the rose to be planted, choose a spot that gets 6 to 8 hours of sun each day. I find my roses do best where they get morning sun until about 2 p.m. and then shade or dappled shade. We get such hot summers here. Roses appreciate a bit of shade during that season. I generally dig my holes to be about one and a half times the size I think the rose will be. Some people say, dig a 2- by 2-foot hole. With the native clay soil (where I live), that would require a skip loader. However, over the years, I have continually amended my soil by adding compost and other organics, so digging in my garden is now quite easy.
Once the hole is dug, make a volcano-shaped mound of dirt in the middle so the roots can spread around it. Some people will say bury the bud union on a grafted rose. When I have done that, the rootstock of the rose took over after a year or so. I personally don’t bury the bud union on a grafted rose. We don’t get the long, hard winters that other places in the country get, so we can get away with this. Some say that if you don’t bury the bud union, a strong wind will rock the rose and cause disturbance with the roots. Again, we don’t tend to get that type of weather here, so this hasn’t been an issue in my garden. Where you live may be different. Also, all of my roses are on their own root (not grafted), so I don’t need to worry about the bud union.
What is the bud union of a rose? It is something that looks like a knot at the bottom of the rose plant. It is where the branches of the rose are grafted onto the rootstock. Most of the root stock here is Dr. Huey. If you plant a rose, say a nice white rose, and after a couple of years, you are suddenly getting red roses, the grafted rose you wanted is dead and your rose has reverted to the rootstock, Dr. Huey. I speak from experience, unfortunately.
Why are roses grafted?
Grafting allows for faster growth and more robust plants, especially for varieties that are not strong on their own root. It is also more cost effective and allows for faster propagation for commercial growers. Some rootstocks are selected to thrive in the various soil conditions throughout the country. Here you see a lot of Dr. Huey. In the eastern U.S., Fortuniana rootstock is common.
Planting the rose
Take a look at the rose before you plant it. If there are any broken roots or canes, trim those up. Dust those roots with mycorrhizal fungi. No worries, this is a beneficial fungi for your rose and plants. You can pick up a bag of mycorrhizal fungi at a nursery, online or at a hardware store. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the rose. It helps to improve the nutrient and water uptake of the rose. It improves stress tolerance and protects against pathogens. This fungi is used in agriculture, forestry and for soil restoration.
Before you plant the rose, mix in some compost or mushroom compost (for extra goodness) with the dirt you took out of the ground. Don’t mix in inorganic fertilizer as it can burn the roots. Spread the roots out so they sit on top of that nice volcano mound you created. Then fill the hole halfway with that amended soil. Tamp lightly, so you don’t crush the roots. Take the bucket of water you soaked the roots in and pour it in the hole. This water will seep into the soil so you don’t get any air pockets. Then go ahead and put in the rest of the soil. Once that is done, place mulch around the rose and water it in well. You are done!
Until next time, “Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.” ―