Tips for Planting Garden Roses

Spring is coming!

Roses might be a little bit more expensive than the other flowers, but since they are shrubs, they live many years, so our eyes and soul can enjoy them for a long time. Therefore, it is best to make sure they are planted and cared for corectly. Roses take roots easily - however, for a successful planting, several technical aspects need to be considered.

Bare roots roses are planted when they are in vegetative rest: either at the end of autumn (October-November), or at the beginning of spring (April-May). What is important is that the soil is not frozen or too moist because of rains. Here are a few simple but essential steps that must be followed for a successful planting:

• Rose bushes will better grow and flower if planted in a sunny and airy place, since they prefer an south-east or south-west exposure, with minimum 4 hours of sun daily.

• It is best to avoid a soil which is too dry or too wet, likely to soak with water.

• Before planting, shorten all the bush’s branches to 4-5 buds, keeping only 2-4 branches.

• Dig holes of 40 x 40 x 40 cm, big enough to allow the roots to spread completely. To better assimilate nutrients, roots need to make a good grip with the soil. In order to achieve this, prepare a cream-consistency mud, from a mixture of water, soil and manure and then soak the rose roots into this mud. 

• Carefully unfold and place the roots in the hole (it is very important that the graft is placed at the same level as the soil and in very cool regions, 2-3 under the ground level), then fill the hole with soil and settle, to make sure you eliminate all air pockets. Water abundently, with minimum of 10 liters of water. Water the rose every two days during the first two weeks.

Warning: Do not plant the roses in a place where other roses were planted before without changing the soil to a depth of 30 cm and an area of 60 cm! Diseases can be transmitted through the soil.

• The planting distance is minimum 50 cm for large and grouped flowers roses. Climbing roses need 2-3 m of space, while stem and wheeping roses should be planted at minimum 1 m distance.

• Climbing roses can be planted near a wall, fence or special holder. If planted near a wall, we will place them at 20 cm distance, in oblique position, with roots oriented in the opposite part of the wall.

• Wheeping and stem roses need a support system, preferably a metal rod with the same height as the last graft on the strain (where the branches start).

Bare root roses are delivered in plastic wrapping, which keeps moisture, so that they do not dehydrate during transport. These are high quality roses, generally ordered online or by mail.Their advantage is that they have stronger roots than potted roses or those packed with sawdust. They should be planted as soon as you receive them. Since roses are extremely hardy, solutions exist even for a very dehydrated bush. Dig a small ditch in the ground, pour water to get mud, then bury the bush lying it on a side and cover it with soil completely. Water abundently and 3-4 days later you can take it out and plant it. The rose will have taken water from the wet soil, thus regaining turgor.

Among the 2013 news, you can find several exceptional varieties from Delbard and Meilland (France), that we present below:

Madame Bovary (Delbard) is extremely feminin, as if it would be carrying the dreams of the Flaubert’s heroine. It has large, round flowers, with an intense pink color, with lighter nuances on the outside and a dense flavour (http://www.famousroses.eu/en_garden_roses/madame-bovary.html ).

Julio Iglesias Tige (Meilland) is a fabulous stem rose, dedicated to the greatest love singer of all times. It has an original color, bright cream with many red stripes and the intense fragrance of citrus and verbena. The graft height is 100/110 cm and the stem height at maturity is 1,6 - 1,7 m (http://www.famousroses.eu/en_garden_roses/julio-iglesias-tige-meilland-garden-rose.html ).

Arthur Rimbaud (Meilland) is extremely fragrant, with a classic shaped flower, 12 cm of diameter and 80 petals. It is extremely frost resistant (http://www.famousroses.eu/en_garden_roses/arthur-rimbaud-meilland.html ).

Catherine Deneuve (Meilland) has got large, charming flowers, extremely elegant, with 20-25 petals and a bright blonde-pink color. It was awarded the Gold medal in Rome (http://www.famousroses.eu/en_garden_roses/catherine-deneuve-meilland-garden-rose.html ).

Monica Bellucci (Meilland) is as charming as the actice it was dedicated to. este la fel de sarmant ca actrita careia ii este dedicat. It delights us with a large flower and an exciting, unusual color: hot pink on the outside of the petals and cream-white on the inside, combined with an intense fragrance of cloves and anise (http://www.famousroses.eu/en_garden_roses/monica-bellucci-meilland.html ).

You can find all these roses and many other exceptional varieties on www.famousroses.eu.