Rose Planting and Care Guide

Follow the planting and care tips below to ensure your rose is healthy and floriferous for years to come............

Before Planting

On arrival of your roses please take them out of the packaging and plant as soon as possible. We keep our roses in the nursery in root wraps with plenty of moist compost. To keep postage costs down for you we remove most of the compost just before dispatching, this doesn’t affect the condition of the plants in any way.  If the conditions are very frosty, store in a cool frost-free place until it improves, or remove the root-wrap and heel in to damp compost until you are ready to plant.  

Soil Preparation & Planting

Deeply dig over the bed or border and incorporate a generous amount of garden compost or well rotted manure. Dig individual planting holes 1ftx1ft,  mix a little compost/fertilizer in the bottom and place the rose bush in the hole at correct depth (when you infill the hole, aim to cover the base of the stems). Fill the hole completely and firm down well with the heel of your boot. Water well.

Feeding

Adding Vitax Q5 or rose fertilizer as a base dressing when planting will help to give a healthy start to your rose bush. Two further top dressings are very beneficial during the growing season (March and June are ideal), alternatively, a liquid feed can be used such as Miracle Grow or Phostrogen.

Pruning

Newly planted hybrid teas, floribunda and patio roses should be pruned to 4"-6" above ground during Feb/March depending on the weather. (Delay in cold areas or winters.) Shrub, David Austin roses and English roses require a light trimming to shape again in February and March. Climbers and ramblers do not need pruning except to shape for training if required.

Rose Sickness

This is a mysterious complaint that affects newly planted roses in soil that has recently had roses growing in it before. A build-up of soil pests and depletion of trace elements are factors which may prevent a new rose succeeding. Digging out the old soil and replacing it with fresh soil from another part of the garden which hasn't grown roses for at least 10 years is strongly recommended. The addition of a root-enhancement compound which contains mycorrhizal fungi should help the young plant establish itself. We stock Rootgrow in various sizes which is ideal.