- The “standard” rose
If you are planting standard roses and bushes in the same bed, plant the standard roses first as these will provide the overall structure. Position the wooden stake as you perform the planting; inserting it later could damage the roots. The support stake should be sufficiently long to reach the start of where the flowering stems begin. Note that most stakes are between one and a half and two yards long and “half support stick” between 27-31 in. (70-80cm). Use a lump hammer to drive it in so that it stays firm. Place the stem of the rose along with the length of the stake so that when the hole is filled in, the soil comes to the original soil mark on the rose’s stem. Tie the rose in at least three places, equally spaced, along the length of the rose’s trunk.
Cold climates
Protect roses by mulching, using straw, dead leaves, or just plain earth, to a height of about 4 in. (10cm). Keep this protection in place until late winter or early spring. To ensure the mulch does not get blown away, construct a fine wire mesh over it. You can even go so far as to cover the entire rose in earth until late winter or early spring. If you do, cut any damaged stems back. But where the climate particularly harsh it is probably best to postpone planting until the more clement weather of early spring.
Heavy Soil
In soil that is heavy or waterlogged it is best to postpone planting bare-foot roses until early to mid-spring. Improve drainage if necessary. Another technique consists in planting roses on little mounds of earth build up inside the hole so their roots are not permanently in contact with stagnant water. This technique is also useful in climate prone to rain.
Southern regions
When planting roses in these climates, construct a watering trough for collecting rainwater (end excess water from plant watering). In hot weather, help the roots remain cool by mulching in the same way as during the winter in cold climates.
ROOT CLUMP ROSES
Planting roses sold with the root clump planted in enriched soil encased in plastic mesh is child’s play, and planting can be done anytime between late fall and late spring, though once again success is best assured if you plant early. First of all, make sure that both the roots and stems of any rose you buy are healthy, and that it has not spent too much time in its pot. Soaking the root clump in water also helps.
Planting successfully
Dig a fairly large hole, about the same size as that for bare-root roses (16 in./40cm wide and deep). Prepare the base, adding soil fertilizer and fill it with a 4in. (10cm) layer of fine soil. Place the root clump in the center of the hole, ensuring that the neck of the plant is at precisely the same level as the soil around. Backfill the hole with earth, enriched if necessary. Construct a watering trough on the surface and water abundantly. Remember to prune the new shoots severely in order to foster growth. When the water has soaked in, protect the rose by “mounding” it: constructing a knoll of earth that encases the plant and covers the stems almost completely.
For a late planting (mid to late-spring), remember to remove the mound of earth three weeks after planting and to construct a water trough around the plant.
Mulch all newly-planted roses as described above so they do not suffer too much from their first hot summer. Be particularly vigilant for the first three years, especially during hot weather.
POT ROSES
Buying pot-grown roses during flowering means there is no risk of choosing the wrong color. Although they can theoretically be planted at any time of the year, it is best to avoid doing so in the middle of a heat wave. If you have succumbed to the temptation of buying a pot rose during a summer vacation, it is best to wait until the end of the summer to plant it and in the meantime to leave it in its container in the half-shade, watering it regularly.
Be sure that the plant is perfectly healthy when you buy it. Inspect the stems, the foliage, and the flowers, and do not be afraid to remove it from its pot in order to check the state of the roots. Before planting, start by soaking the root clump in a bucket of water for an hour or so, all the more so if it has dried out. Dig a hole bigger than the pot and as with the techniques described above, prepare the base and add a soil fertilizer to it before filling it with a 4 in. (10cm) later of fine soil. Place the plant in the middle and fill with soil so that the top of the clump is perfectly level with the ground around it. Construct a watering trough and if planting just before the summer, be sure to mulch it as described above.
LOOKING AFTER ROSES
It is hard not to keep roses in good shape. All that is needed is to carry out regular maintenance to ensure ever-more prolific flowerings.
PRUNING AS NECESSARY
Pruning roses effectively depends essentially on the answer to one question: is the rose a repeat-flowerer or not?
- Repeat flowers should be pruned toward they every end of winter or early spring in general, but in more clement climates where the winters are not so harsh, pruning can be brought forward to mid late-winter, and where winters are very cold, brought back to early to mid-spring. Where possible, prune early because this encourages early flowering.
- Non-remontants (or single-flowerers) should be pruned directly after they flower, in general towards the end of the summer. Do not be tempted to treat them to an end of winter prune, or flowering will be seriously impinged. So much for the rules of thumb, but God is in the detail. For example, a bush is not pruned like a shrub and a shrub does not need to be trimmed back…
- Miniatures. In the first few years after planting, prune very gently to maintain the shape. Remove dead or dried out wood.
- Bushes. The more they are pruned, the more they flower. It is absolutely essential that they are pruned correctly.
- For bushes producing large flowers, prune moderately; cut each stem back to about half its size.
- For bushes with grouped flowers, cut back old stems severely, to within 4 in. (10cm) of the ground, but go easier on the younger shoots. The purpose of this is to extend the period in which flowering occurs; a rose with stems of differing lengths appears to flower longer because the shoots that have been pruned only moderately bloom much earlier than those subject to a hard pruning.
- Learn how to prune differently depending on the vigor of the stems.
- Cut the strongest stems back hard, shortening them to just above the second bud (also called eyes). This is known as hard-pruning – it prevents stems turning to hard wood and encourages flowering.
- Shrubs. These roses can be left to their own devices during the first two or three years – there is no need to prune them during this period. Later, pruning has no particular benefit, except to stop the rose interfering with other plants or if it grows out of control. Only prune shrub roses as a way of controlling their shape.
To rejuvenate them, cut them back hard, to within 12-16 in. (30-40cm) of the ground, every eight to ten years. Cut the stems moderately in order to create a nicely balanced crown, formed from stems of equal length.
- Weepers require pruning twice in the year.
In fall: completely remove the stems that flowered, cutting right back to the trunk but keeping the new shoots which will be the source of future flowering.
At the end of the winter, gently cut back the shoots kept at the time of the fall pruning.
- Climbers and ramblers. To avoid mistakes, remember the rule above concerning repeat flowering:
- If it repeat flowers, prune it at the end of the winter;
- If it flowers only once, prune it just after it flowers, toward the end of the summer.
In both instances, remove dead wood and unhealthy or badly positioned stems and cut back the most prolific flowerers.
In climbers only, shorten the longer, more vigorous branches to above the second bud and train them horizontally in order to encourage flowering.
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