Bare Root Roses - Time to get planting!

Bare Root roses are available to buy between November and April as this is when they are ready and the ideal time for them to be planted. This is because it is the plants natural resting period. A Bare Root rose means that the rose will arrive in a bag and not in a pot filled with soil.

Although most people have started to buy more container roses than bare root there are still more advantages to buying a bare root. For starters you are provided with a greater degree of choice. They are also available during their resting period so they are more happy to be moved and re-planted than they woulod be at any other time during the year. It is also cheaper to buy bare root roses than container ones. Initially I always bought container roses as I thought I was making life easier for myself but this really isn't so. By buying my roses between November and April I allow the rose to get nice and comfy in its chosen spot and therefore, as it'll be well and truely established, it'll be ready for the flowering period.

When your rose arrives there are several things that you should look for. Firstly the roots should be slightly damp when you get them out of their packaging. There should be a nice healthy number of roots. Make sure there is no damage to any of the roots or the bud union (a bulb-like section of the plant which the roots come out from and so do the stems). Damage can be caused by the extraction of the rose whilst at the nursery.
There should be plenty of buds along the stems which will indicate future growth. You do not want to see any mildue either. For a more detailed look into diseases take a look at my next post which covers the variety of diseases, how to treat and prevent. Once you have decided that you have a healthy rose its time to get planting!


When planting a bare root rose it is a very simple process. Firstly dig a hole which is approximately 1ft x 1ft. The hole must be wide enough for the roots to comfortable sit in without being cramped. In regards to depth 1ft should be about right but in order to get it right place the bare root into the hole. The bud union should be level with the top of the hole. Make sure the soil at the bottom of the hole is loose. Place the bare root into the hole and add a spades worth of compost, then fill the hole with the remaining soil. Once the hole has been filled compress the top off the soil with your foot and add further soil if necessary. I would then spinkle around the rose with a handful of fertiliser such as Top Rose then add another spades worth of compost over the top. To finish off water the rose well.