Roses: Everything You Need To Know

The Rose bush is a classic flowering perennial that is known for it’s bright, colorful blooms! We sat down with Whitney, our perennials, trees, and shrubs buyer to create this guide on growing roses. We will go over planting, fertilizing, watering, pruning, and give you two other great resources to take a look at!

Planting Your Roses

Location & Soil Prep:

• Roses prefer full to partial sun and do best with 6-8 hours of sunlight per day.

• The soil should be well draining. Roses do not like wet feet and will begin to deteriorate if kept too damp. We sell a soil blender speficially made for planting roses! Check it out on our online store by clicking here.

Planting your rose bushes:

• Start by digging a hole twice as wide, but no deeper than the root ball. The top of the root ball should be level with the soil around it!

• Remove the rose bush gently from the grow pot, doing your best not to injure the roots. They are fragile!

• Add Microlife 8-4-6 and/or Rose Glo organic fertilizer into the hole. This is an important step! Roses need fertilizing to get the most optimal amount of flowers.

• The graft union should already be planted under the soil, but if it gets exposed during repotting, you want to make sure the graft union is 1/2” below the soil level when placed in the hole.

• Back fill with a mix of cotton burr compost or Rose Soil, and mix with the existing soil at a ratio of 1:4 to 1:2. Make sure the soil is firmly set around the roots.

• Mulch between plants and water in.

• Plant roses no closer than 18” inches apart. Climbing rose varieties should be at least 3-5 feet apart.

Fertilizing Your Roses

• Roses are heavy feeders! They perform best when given a combo of Rose Glo (monthly during the growing season) and Microlife 8-4-6 (every 3 months).
  
• Both can be applied by sprinkling a handful on top of the mulch around each plant and watered in.
  
• These fertilizers are organic and activated once watered in so there is no concern of burning the delicate roots.
  
• Every 6 months, add a layer of cotton burr compost (1-2 inches) around your roses and top with another layer of mulch!

Watering Your Roses

• When watering roses, you want to try and avoid getting the leaves wet. You also do not want to over water!

• The first 2 years after planting, your roses will need a deep soak 1-2 times a week during summer (more during extreme heat or drought), and once a month during the winter months.

• Once they’re established (after 2 years), a good soak every two weeks during the summer and once a month for the winter months will suffice. Be sure to account for the amount of rain we receive! 

Pruning Your Roses

• New plants rarely need pruning! Just let them do their thing.
  
• Do not let blooms go to seed during growing season. This will cause the plant to spend more energy on seed production instead of flower production!
  
• Faded blooms should be removed immediately to conserve the plant’s energy.

Other Helpful Resources

For more information on pruning, CLICK HERE

For more information on the different types of roses and which one is best for your landscape, CLICK HERE