As you discovered in last weeks column, it make better economic sense to purchase your roses bare-root and plant them at this time of year. Let's now look at how to position your roses and introduce them to your soil.

Firstly, roses require lots and lots of warm sun to grow and bloom. A minimum of five hours of sunlight each day is required. This will mean the difference between roses thriving or just persevering. Ensure the planting location is not shaded by buildings or trees to maximize the amount of sunshine the roses receive; nearby trees as well as blocking sunlight will also compete for moisture and nutrients.

Shelter and air

For roses, shelter is just as important as sun. Avoiding cold winds will prevent leaf burn and allow rose blooms to display their beauty for the maximum amount of time, instead of being cut short by harsh petal shredding breezes.

However, be aware that some gentle air movement around the rose plants is required for insect and disease prevention. This simply involves not planting the roses too close together. Taking a floribunda or hybrid tea rose as an example, plant them to allow a gap of one to two feet between the foliage of the rose at maturity.

Soil and roots

On the soil front, roses prefer a well-drained, slightly acidic soil with loads of organic matter for long term feeding. If you follow these rules, your new roses will establish rapidly, becoming more resistant to pests and diseases, which can easily overtake a plant that is just hanging in there.

Before planting your bare root roses, I recommend soaking the plants roots in a bucket of thick muddy water for a day. The sticky mud will cling to the roots, giving them a great moisture-filled start in your garden. While the roots are soaking, you can begin preparing your planting holes, digging to a depth and width of 18 inches by 18 inches. Rose roots are the scrooges of the plant world; they are very selfish, requiring lots of room and no root competition.

The soil you remove from the hole can be mixed 50/50 in a wheelbarrow with a peat-based compost. Return some of this amended soil mixture into the bottom of the planting hole, creating a hill of soil.

The hill should be high enough so that the roses graft union is just above ground level, with the roses roots spread down over the hills sides. Holding the rose atop this hill, work the soil mix all around the roots, pressing lightly with your fingers as you go. Fill the hole almost to the top.

Water deeply, then after the water has soaked in, you can finish back filling the soil. Finally, mulch the rose to a depth of three inches with organic mulch such as peat or bark mulch.

Now step inside for a hot beverage, safe in the knowledge that you have given your roses a good start in their new home. Until next week, happy gardening and remember that a weed is just a plant in the wrong place.

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