This Is When To Plant Roses In Your Yard

Roses are stunning additions to gardens. Not only do their blooms come in a wide range of beautiful shapes and shades, but they also often provide your garden with different sweet fragrances. While roses generally flower during summer, those warm months aren't necessarily the best time to plant them. Instead, roses should generally be planted in spring, with bare-root plants put in the ground early in the season and container-grown roses planted a bit later, but still before summer begins.

There are a few different ways you can buy rose plants, and how your roses are sold determines when it's best to plant them. Bare-root roses, which are sold without a pot of growing media and with their roots visible (or "bare"), should be planted when they're still dormant. This means you'll want to get them into their permanent garden home as soon as possible. In many areas, you should plant them before March ends. Roses purchased already in a container of potting soil can wait a bit longer before going in the ground, and don't need to be planted while dormant. You'll still want to plant them before summer arrives, though, especially if your summers are hot and dry. Giving them time to get established in their new home during the cool spring season will help to set your rose bushes up for success. Alternatively, you can wait until after summer has passed to purchase roses in containers and plant them in the fall.

When it's time to plant your roses, wear heavy gloves to avoid injuries from their thorns. Then find a good spot for your plant's home. If you're growing climbing roses, make sure they have a trellis or other structure. All roses, though, need a spot with full sun and soil that is fertile and well-draining. You can amend the soil with compost if necessary.

Plant your container-bought roses in a hole deep enough that they are planted at the same depth they were in their nursery pot. For bare-root roses, you may be able to find the depth where they have previously been planted based on a change in stem color. Before planting your bare-root shrub, hydrate it by putting its roots in a bucket of water for around 12 hours, and take care to avoid letting the roots dry out during the planting process. If you aren't able to plant your bare-root roses in the ground right away, you can also plant them in a container until the ground thaws. You should also cover their roots with moist sawdust or potting mix to help prevent them from drying out.