Roses

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How we supply our rose bushes

Rose bushes for in the garden

The rose bushes that are for planting in the garden come to you with bare roots and can be planted out as long as there is no frost, in the spring, summer when it’s not too warm, or in the autumn. These rose bushes have been kept in dormant condition until they are delivered. As soon as they are delivered, that’s the time to be planting them. Prior to planting, soak the roses with bare roots overnight in a bucket of lukewarm water. Prepare a spacious hole and loosen the soil thoroughly with a fork. Spread the roots out and plant the rose bush at the correct depth – the grafting point (where you can see all the branches sprouting from it) is frost sensitive and should come to about 5 cm below ground level. Improve the dug up soil with compost and granulated cow manure and then fill in the hole. Heel well in and water generously right away. Build up a circle of soil around the stem (this is called earthing up) to help contain the water you give it.

Potted rose bushes

Rose bushes grown in a nursery pot can be planted practically all year round – other than when it’s freezing outside, and then you’d do better to wait a while. These rose bushes are stored in a dormant condition up until delivery. As soon as they are delivered, that’s the time to plant them. Soak them for a little while prior to planting, in a bucket of lukewarm water. Prepare a spacious hole and thoroughly loosen the soil with a fork. Remove the rose bush from its nursery pot and plant it at the correct depth.

• Grafted rose bushes growing in a nursery pot all have a frost sensitive grafting point (the thick part on the stem where the branches grow from). Ensure that this grafting point is planted at least 5 cm under soil level. Fill the hole with improved soil, heel well in and water generously. Earthing up helps to protect the grafting point and prevent water draining away too fast.
• Roses grown from cuttings in nursery pots have no grafting point. When planting, the top of the root ball should come to just under soil level. Add some compost and granulated cow manure to improve the soil and fill the planting hole with it. Heel well in and water generously.

How a rose bush grows

Roses are deciduous bushes with compound leaves. The leaves are built up, usually with five parts. The stems have thorns and the flowers are either at the end of the stem or in bunches. Rose-hips are the fruit that forms after the flower dies off. These are full of seeds. In the past, wild roses were crossed with each other to create hybrids – cultivated roses. Modern hybrid roses are often grafted onto a wild root system (e.g. Rosa canina) as the original varieties prove to be stronger and more vigorous. Grafting is just another way to multiply greenery. The graft taken from one plant is tied onto another rootstock (i.e. another rose). The base plant usually has pale green and more prolific foliage than the cultivated one. It’s a good idea to remove wild suckers of this original plant to prevent it taking over again – do this when you see them appear, or when pruning.

Caring for roses

Roses love a sunny place and a fertile, lime rich and permeable soil. For abundant flowering, they need lots of plant nutrition (and possible potash). Scatter granulated cow manure around the base of the rose in the winter and gently fork in some bone meal in the spring, or give them a good mulch of mixed organic manure. Feed them in July with special rose fertiliser. Snip off overblown roses, back to the first five fingered leaf to encourage reflowering. Almost all roses are perfectly hardy but it can only help to give them some frost protection. Earthing up around the base of the rose bush before the winter starts is a good idea. Spread it all out again in early spring. Standard rose bushes have their grafting point high in the stem so wrap this in straw and/or bubble wrap.

Pruning rose bushes

Bakker rose bushes have already been pruned and won’t need anything done to them for about 18 months. Prune roses every spring. In March, using secateurs cut all branches back to 3-5 eyes, or buds. Leave roughly five of the thickest branches per bush. Always remove any wild suckers that appear from the stem or roots. They are easily reconised by the many thorns on the stems and a seven-fingered leaf. Potted rose bushes can be pruned into the shape you want. For ramblers and climbers, several long shoots are kept that must be well tied in. From the end of winter, prune all side shoots right back to 3 eyes. If you need more information about pruning roses, check the website.
Need more tips on planting and caring for rose bushes? Check out our Roses Blog pages.
Do also take a look at the following interesting products:

• Bulbs
• Lilies
• Garden plants