We have asked Liam Beddall, head rosarian at David Austin, for his top tips.
Soak the roses: although we soak the roses before we dispatch them, and they can stay within their packaging sealed somewhere cool and frost free for around two weeks, it is important to give the roots a good drink before you plant them. This not only ensures the plant does not dry out but makes for a better surface for the mycorrhizal fungi to stick to.
Choose the right position: ensure that you choose a planting position for your rose that is bright and airy and receives a minimum of around four hours of sunlight during the growing season. While roses are sun lovers, some varieties can tolerate some shade. Avoid areas that are dark and dank. Try to avoid too any positions where the roses will be in too much root competition.
Know and improve your soil: get to know your soil. Roses prefer a moisture retentive and humus-rich soil with a neutral pH. Avoid extremes. Improve your soil with a spadeful or two of soil improver at the time of planting.
Dig and position: dig your hole a minimum of 45cm deep and wide and ensure that you break up the soil at the bottom of the hole. Position the bud union – the knuckle/knobbly bit – around 5cm below the soil level. We do this because it avoids wind rock. All the weight of the plant will be on the bud union when it grows and, if it is windy and it rocks around, this can cause damage to fibrous roots.
Use mycorrhizal fungi: hold the plant roots horizontally over the whole and sprinkle the mycorrhizal fungi onto the wet roots. Most of the fungi will stick to the roots, and the remainder will fall into the whole. This forms a mutually beneficial relationship between the fungi and plant roots.
Re-position and plant: re-position the plant with the bud union 5cm below the soil level, centre the plant and backfill with your improved soil.
A bare root rose from David Austin.
Martin Alejandro EitoCan you plant bare root roses in a container?
If your borders are full, you don’t have access to soil or you have a small balcony garden, you can still nourish a bare root rose. You can follow the same steps, but use a container instead of planting directly into the soil. ‘The trick with containers is to select a pot big enough and choose the correct growing medium. We recommend a pot size a minimum of 45cm deep and wide,’ says Liam from David Austin. ‘The bigger the better as potted plants are completely dependent on the gardener for watering and feeding. The growing medium is also important. We advise a 50:50 mixture of John Innes No. 3 and multi-purpose compost. Alternatively you could use a rose, tree, and shrub compost. You will still want to ensure that the bud union is around 5cm below the soil level and leave a lip in the pot so that when you water the compost does not spill on your patio!’
Bare root roses are available to buy online from David Austin.
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