How do I plant a bare root rose?

More and more, nurseries supply roses in containers. Bare root roses are convenient to plant, but don't leave it too late in the season when buds are swelling and roots may dry out. Now is a perfect time.

Select your rose either by looking through catalogues or rose books or from notes made at earlier visits to rose gardens. Ask your nursery about new cultivars available each season.

Choose a well-branched rose with strong buds and a sound graft, making sure that root volume is commensurate with branch structure. Avoid plants with roots that appear to have dried out at any stage.

Soak your rose plant in a bucket of water to wet the roots thoroughly and cut off any damaged roots or branches with sharp secateurs.

Dig a planting hole slightly larger than the root spread and mix about ten litres of suitable organic compost with the natural soil.

Place the rose in the centre of the planting hole and spread out the roots. Placing a mound at the centre of the hole can be useful to ensure intimate contact between the rose and the soil. Make sure the rose is planted at approximately the same depth it was when grown. The graft is likely to be about 25mm above soil level.

Backfill the hole, shaking the rose lightly to ensure intimate contact between the soil and the roots. Fill with soil in layers, lightly pressing each layer to remove air pockets and then press the final layer with your foot. You may need to hold the rose stem to stop it from sinking too.

Cut back your rose stems to healthy outward growing buds, soak the soil with water and apply a surface mulch of Debco Rose Compost.