A rose bush for Valentine’s? Here’s how to plant them

Q: My husband listened and I got what I wanted for Valentine’s Day, two rose plants. You know the type that comes with the plastic bag holding the roots. I think you call them bare-root roses. I’m so excited and hope you can offer us planting tips for these two. — S.E., Albuquerque 

A: What a nice gift! Roses that you’ll have in your world for years to come. 

First, I hope you have scoped out the places you want to have them grow. Remember that roses grow best if offered lots of sun and in spots that aren’t too tucked up against a wall that could generate heat. Roomy and airy is the best description I will offer when choosing a place to plant roses. 

If you have the spot picked, you’ll want to dig a generous hole to accept the roots. That hole should be no deeper than the bag containing the roots, but aim to dig the hole at least two, maybe three, feet wide. The soil that is dug out of the planting hole can be mixed with a smidgen of peat moss and/or some garden soil. I won’t recommend adding manure as it could burn the roots. 

Now don’t go hog wild adding lots of soil amendments, you want the rose to get used to the soil it gets to live in for the rest of its life. One-third amendment to two-thirds of your soil would be a good mixture. 

Now comes the fun! Find a place where you can work safely and cut away the bag holding the roots. I like to do this on several layers of newspaper. Collect the “stuff” the roots are wrapped in and add it to the planting soil. 

Next, it is time to look at the plant’s structure. Starting at the bottom, you’ll see the roots. Traveling up, the roots end and there is the trunk. Further up the branching rose bush itself. Where the roots end and the trunk begins, the plant should have a knot or bulge. That knot is called the bud union. That’s where the rose was grafted to wild rootstock. Think of that knot as the rose’s nose. 

Having gotten comfortable with the structure, it’s time to get dirty. I want you to mix up a bucket of mud, not too soupy, with some of the soil that came from the planting hole. Pour it in the hole and form it into a tall cone, aiming to make the cone as tall as the ground level of the surrounding area. Think tall, skinny volcano shape. 

As you set the rose at the top of the cone you sort of splay the roots over the form. If you have to remove the rose and make the cone taller to keep that bud union above ground level, that’s what you have to do. The most important thing is to be sure that the bud union I described will be above ground level once you get all the soil back surrounding the roots on the cone. Remember it’s the rose’s nose, and it will suffer dreadfully if that bud union is buried. 

Get all the soil back in the hole, burying the roots completely, and hopefully there will be leftover soil. Use it to create a moat wall around the edge of the planting hole. Next, slowly water the newly planted rose. Really take your time filling the moat so any air pockets get eliminated and the soil is allowed to settle and work its way surrounding the roots. A dose of root stimulator would be appreciated by the roses too. 

I suggest the cone-volcano way to plant because if you plant in a very shallow, more horizontal design, the rose might not be as stable and it could be wobbly. It’s a bit of work to plant a bare-root rose, but in the long run, so very much worth the effort. Especially since you’ll have your Valentine’s roses for a long, long time. 

Happy Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Diggin’ In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.