A few words about spacing rose plants
Space roses according to how large they will grow at maturity.
Some roses can become very large, especially landscape roses,
such as shrub roses, some of the old garden roses and
climbers. Some roses resent heavy pruning and should be
spaced accordingly. Large roses may need to be spaced 6 to
15 feet apart. Give roses adequate room to reduce pest and
disease spread, and to provide access for pruning or spraying
activities, especially if you plan to highly groom your roses
for close up display, cutting or exhibition competition. Specific
recommendations are highly variable. See the table for some
basic guidelines.
So, are you ready to plant some roses?
Let’s start at the beginning.
Buy good roses.
Buy your roses from reputable dealers. Local nurseries and
garden centers are good sources. Mail-order companies will
send you colorful catalogs listing the plants they sell. Or go
online and spend some time looking at the leading plant web-
sites. The diversity of companies and products can be over-
whelming. Be sure that you look around long enough to
know that you are getting what you want and the site is se-
cure. You can find everything from the latest introductions to
the rarest of old garden rose cultivars. Place orders early to
get the best and freshest plants.
Roses can be purchased as bare root or container-grown
plants. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Bare root
roses may be a little less expensive because the grower is not
shipping the weight of potting soil and pots. But bare root
roses must be planted or potted as soon as they arrive. Con-
tainer-grown roses are easier to time, as the roots are protected
by potting media. They can arrive still dormant, or they may
already be leafed out. Roses in leaf need to be protected until
after the last frost date. Container-grown roses are usually
placed out for sale later in spring than bare root roses.
Bare root roses appear at nurseries, garden centers and big
box stores in late winter to early spring
about the same time as other bare root nurs-
ery stock. Planting bare root roses directly
into the garden can be very successful if the
roses are fresh and the planting site is ready.
The roots should look plump and fresh and
the top of the plant should still be dormant.
Avoid dried out plants that have sat in un-
protected locations for days with extreme
temperature changes. Fresh is best: do not
delay planting.
Container-grown roses may be planted suc-
cessfully at any time of the year. Avoid the heat
of late summer if possible. Fall is a good time
to plant if plants are available at the nursery
and ready to be planted. Roses completely
grown in pots can be ready anytime, but often
roses are dug bare root, shipped to nurseries
or garden centers, potted and grown before
being placed out for sale in spring. Check care-
fully before purchasing, as some of these roses may not be
ready to plant when sold.
Take time to plant roses correctly.
Sometimes roses die or fail to thrive because they are not
planted well. Remember the old adage to put a 50-cent plant
in a dollar hole. That does not mean to plant a cheap plant. It
means to prepare a great planting hole for the plant that is to
go into it. There is more to planting roses than just digging a
hole and putting it in.
Roses can be planted one rose at a time in a landscape setting
or they can be planted in beds. The process is similar, but the
planting site can have very different soil characteristics de-
pending on how the site is prepared.
Can I grow roses in my soil?
Soil conditions can determine if a rose will struggle or thrive.
Some rose cultivars can handle poor soils, so do some re-
search if you have poor soils that cannot be corrected. Peter
Beales’ Classic Roses and Roses are two good resources to use.
In these cases, cultivar choices become critical for success.
Soils with lots of clay, poor texture, and internal drainage can
be very difficult to improve. The same can be said for soils
with high lime content or that are poorly drained, water-
logged or acidic. Under extreme soil conditions, consider
adapted species other than roses.
Most roses prefer a medium-textured to sandy loam soil
with good internal drainage that is rich in organic matter
SPACING ROSES
•
Large shrubs – 6-15 feet
• Hybrid Tea garden – 5-6 feet
• Massed roses – 3-4 feet or more,
depending on mature size
• Miniature roses – 12-18 inches
19
Bare root rose (pack-
aged in foil) as re-
ceived from nursery
Container-grown
rose as received
from nursery
and nutrients. Roses will grow well in a slightly acidic range
of pH 5.8-7. Acid or alkaline conditions outside this range will
benefit from adding sulfur or lime if the soil type is capable
of adjustment. Roses that are placed out in the landscape
should be planted the same way as any landscape plant. Use
the soil that comes out of the hole rather than backfilling with
amended soil. This encourages the roots to grow outside the
hole rather than circle around within the porous, organic
backfill or drown from water that cannot drain away inside
the planting hole.
For more information on soil pH, please go to the MSUCares
website and search for “Adjusting Soil ph in Mississippi
landscape”
.
How do I prepare a bed for roses?
Planting beds intended for multiple roses or mixed ornamen-
tals benefit from bed preparation prior to mass planting, es-
pecially if the soil has problems. Bed preparation allows you
to loosen the soil and add organic amendments to improve
texture and drainage. This technique works equally well
whether the bed is part of the overall landscape design or seg-
regated into a boxed bed, such as in a cutting garden plot.
Beds raised above the existing soil may be the only solution
if the soil is too difficult to correct.
Conduct a soil test before starting to dig. Kits and instructions
for soil tests can be obtained at your county extension office.
Instructions can also be accessed on the msucares.com web-
site
(http://msucares.com/crops/soils/testing.html)
. The re-
port will tell you the soil pH and list nutrients the soil needs
over the next year. It will also tell how to correct soil pH or
soil deficiencies at the time you prepare the bed. To start, till
or spade the soil 6 to 12 inches deep. Spread 2 to 3 inches of
organic amendment over the surface and till or spade into the
loosened soil. Organic material can be well-composted leaves
or sawdust, peat moss, or composted fine pine bark amend-
ment. Early to mid-fall is an excellent time to prepare fresh
beds, after a few rains make the soil easy to dig but before
winter turns the soil to mud. Cooler weather is easier on the
gardener, and the fall timing allows amendments such as lime
or sulfur several months to take effect before spring planting.
Cover the finished bed with 2
to 3 inches of mulch and
allow the ingredients to rest
until the roses become avail-
able for purchase in the
spring. The finished bed will
be somewhat raised above
the surrounding area, which
helps with drainage. With
good care, this effect will re-
main for years.
Now, let’s plant that
rose.
The process of planting a
bare root rose is the same
whether the rose is in an in-
dividual hole or within a pre-
pared bed. Dig the hole to be
at least twice the width of the
root mass and approximately
12 inches deep. Make a small
mound of soil in the planting
hole as shown in the draw-
ing. Spread the roots over the
mound and set the plant to
the same depth as it was
grown. Crumble and place
soil gently back into the
planting hole around the
roots and firm with hand
pressure only. Place 2 to 3
inches of mulch around the
newly planted rose. Do not
pile mulch against the stems
or canes. Water the soil thor-
oughly immediately after
planting. The roots and the
soil around them should be
evenly moist and settled.
Avoid planting too high or
too deep.
Planting containerized roses
is very similar to planting
Water well
after planting
Crown
Crown
Mulch
PROPER
DEPTH
Spread roots over a mound
of soil to assure proper drainage.
Apply water when
filling soil around mound.
Adjust
planting
depth
TOO
DEEP
QUICK TIPS ON BED PREPARATION
• Get a soil test
• Prepare bed in fall
• Till or spade 6-12 inches deep
• Till or spade in 2-3 inches of organic
matter
• Adjust pH if soil test recommends
• Cover with 2-3 inches of mulch
• Plant in early spring
20
Width-twice as
wide as root mass
Mound of prepared soil
12” minimum
depth
TOO
HIGH