How to Plant a Bare Root Rose Bush (Part 1)

My mother-in-law asked for a "Strike It Rich" rosebush for her birthday and we, being the fabulous children we are, complied and got her one.

Now I have never really been a rose person. I think they are pretty and smell nice however they have always seemed a little daunting and I have heard they are tempermental. I like a plant that I can slap around and dig up in a day...can't do that with roses. They are like dainty little girls who don't like tackle football...not my kind of plant. My husband's grandmother, Granny G., was able to grow roses out of anything and would even get cut branches from other rose bushes to root and grow(now THAT'S a green thumb). I fear I lack that talent but I will attempt not to annihiliate this bush in Granny G's honor.

I had the rose shipped from Edmunds Roses. They have an excellent selection, were very quick, and their customer service was very helpful. They also sent along a pamphlet on how to plant your bare root rose bush.

So here goes:

Step One:

Allow roots of rose bush to soak for 12-24 hours prior to planting in a bucket.
I can do that! Thank God I read the directions or else I would have been pretty pissed about digging a huge hole and then having to wait 12-24 hours for the roots to soak! At that point I probably would have just thrown the stupid plant in the hole, soaking be damned, and killed it on the first step! I'm ALREADY stressed about this rose!

Here's a tip: Not everyone has a spare bucket laying around the house and the one that you typically use is probably gross and toxic to delicate rose bushes being filled with bleach or ammonia on a regular basis. I used 2 garbage bags to line the inside of the bucket and then filled it, plopped the rose in and let it soak away!

Step Two

Choose a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. The more sun your rose gets the more flowers you will see.
Done! My father-in-law had to chainsaw away several large branches of a huge evergreen they have in their yard to allow more sun onto the spot she wants...he was thrilled (read: sarcasm). I have to be honest, I don't know if this is going to be a good spot for this rose...I have a feeling I'm going to be hitting tree roots while digging...time will tell.

Step Three

Since you have 24 hours check your supplies and tools.

For Part Two you will need ;
1. a shovel or a hole digger
2. Compost or Peat moss--if your soil is very dense or heavy you will need to mix something with the ground dirt to allow the roots to breathe and grow easier.
3. Sharp pruning shears
4. Gardening gloves

If you don't have these...get thee to a garden center!!

Strike It Rich Rose image courtesy of msucares.com!