Beloved by gardeners for centuries, there is nothing quite like the site of a classic rose plant. Want to grow them but not sure where to start? We have all the advice you’ll need to grow the most amazing roses.
All Roses Guides
General Guide to Roses
Types of Roses
There are several categories of roses that rose selling sites and shops use to divide up their stock. These include, bare root, potted, climbing roses, standard roses, Bush & Shrub Roses and groundcover. Each type will add a different effect to your garden and each type of roses will also require different types of care, so it is important to understand what these terms mean. Full details on each of these can be found below.
Bare Root
Depending on the time of year, most roses will either be supplied as ‘bare root’ or ‘potted’. Bare roots are dormant with no leaves and the roots are out of the soil. On receipt, soak the roots in water for at least two hours (overnight is better). If you can’t plant straight away they should be fine for up to 2 weeks if left in a cool, dark, frost-free place – keep the bag around the roots with some water inside. To plant, select an appropriate spot with enough space to allow your roses to grow. Dig a hole twice the width of the roots, forking over the bottom to loosen the soil, then add some good quality fertiliser. Plant at the same depth as the soil mark – if your tree has been grafted, the graft point (a noticeable ‘knuckle’ at the bottom of the trunk) must be at least 10cm above soil level. Holding the tree, slowly backfill the hole with soil so the soil falls back around the roots. If you’re planting into pots, place some old rocks, stones or gravel in the bottom for drainage and ballast. Use a good quality compost, fertilise and water at least weekly.
Potted
During the summer, most retailers supply roses already potted up into protective nursery pots with fresh growth beginning to appear. These plants are more established and can be planted all-year-round but if you can’t plant them straight away they can be left in their nursery pots for as long as you need. You’re fine to keep them outside as long as they’re well-watered and kept frost free. Plant in the same way you would a bare root (above) but instead of digging a whole to fit the roots, dig one to fit the pot. Use a fork to break up the soil at the base of the hole to allow the roots to grow deep into the hole – now your hole is ready! Before planting, water the plant well, then gently pop the plant out of its nursery pot. Loosen the soil around the roots with your fingers then place into your hole. Lightly firm the soil around your rose and water in well. To plant into a pot or container, follow the same steps, just be sure to use a container big enough to allow your rose to grow. Deadhead regularly during the summer months to encourage more flowers and growth and water at least weekly, especially in warmer weather.
Climbing Roses
There’s nothing like the sight and scent of traditional English climbing roses dripping from an archway or pergola, flowering month after month after month…Not only do climbing roses boast strong flower power, but their scent is to die for on a warm summers eve when it wafts through the breeze. Perfect for covering up unsightly walls or fences, they are the quintessential cottage-garden climber and can quite easily be trained to scramble up to 2m tall up structures and frames and the sheer variety of flower colour, shape and size gives you plenty of choice.
Standard Roses
A rather modern take on the traditional English rose, Standard Roses form a lollipop shape with a ball of flowers and foliage sat on top of a long bare stem – a process of ‘top-grafting’ the flowering variety on to the straight stem of the rootstock. Combining the beauty of an English rose with the contemporary look and feel of standard trees, they are perfect planted up in swanky pots and placed either side of doorways, gateways and entrances, or lining pathways to create a real grand entrance. Producing summer-long displays of highly fragrant blooms for decades to come, they are the perfect way to add height and elegance to your garden.
Bush & Shrub Roses
Perfect for filling up gaps in beds and borders, or for spilling over the edges of large patio containers, bush and shrub roses are totally winter hardy and grow to a compact size of around 60-90cm making them easily manageable. Repeat flowering from May to October each year, they are incredibly easy to grow and will provide a mass of flowers in varying shapes and sizes against bushy, glossy green foliage. The pure mass of flowers and dense foliage makes them ideal for use as small hedges or screening and, as with lots of other roses, they can be cut to bring inside and create stunning displays in vases on the windowsill.
Groundcover Roses
Groundcover varieties stand out for their sheer mass of blousy blooms that spread to cover the ground and create a carpet of colour. Our aptly named ‘Flower Carpet’ roses produce wave upon wave of flowers whilst remaining compact, ideal for low borders or large patio containers. Each rose will spread about 1m wide and 0.5m tall so are great value for money, covering plenty of bare ground with just the one plant. With their high disease resistance, winter hardy nature and delicate scent, groundcover roses are becoming ever more popular and it’s not surprising when they’re so easy to manage and maintain and yet give such fabulous results all year long and for many more years to come.
Roses Care information
Rose bushes often have a bad reputation for being difficult to grow. Over the last couple of decades however, there have been many breeding advances which have greatly improved performance. We sell a wide range of rose bushes, including bush-roses, climbers, ground-cover roses, and standard roses. There is a wide variety of colours, scents and other characteristics – full details on each relevant product page. Roses are supplied either in pots, or as trimmed, dormant bare-root bushes (between October and April). In both cases they are ready for planting on receipt. When planting, use our Rose & Shrub Feed instead of Fish Blood & Bone. Roses should be planted about 1-1.2m (3-4ft) apart, although they can be pruned to size quite easily. You should prune roses annually in early spring, before the new growth starts. Remove old and thin stems, cutting them down by about 60%, using good quality secateurs.
Pruning Roses
Start by removing any dead or diseased stems. You can do this with a pair of secateurs, loppers or shears. If there are any stems that are weak or spindly, you should remove them first as they can rob energy from the bush.
Next, determine which stems need to be trimmed back. Generally, you want to keep the overall shape of the bush intact and aim to cut back no more than one-third of the plant. Having said this, don’t be afraid to be quite brutal as any growth trimmed off will grow back as part of the plants natural cycle. Use sharp shears to make clean, angled cuts.
Small leaves on the plant usually indicate a lack of nutrients in the compost so don’t be afraid to get rid as this will help encourage new, better growth, and keep the plant looking healthy. When it comes to standard roses you will want to prune so that the foliage is in a lollipop shape.
Re-potted & Aftercare for Roses
Once you are done pruning the foliage and dead wood, you should repot the plant. To do this simply turn it upside down and ease the root ball out of the pot. Trimming any long trailing roots that you see is a good idea as this will encourage the plant to make new, more fibrous roots.
When you are done then add a little bit of fresh compost to the bottom of the pot. Some people at this stage like to add a bit of gravel or broken slate at the bottom to provide a bit of excess drainage. However, this is not necessary with modern composts such as our premium professional variety. Whatever you decide to add, when you are done place the plant root ball back in the pot.
Push some fresh compost down the sides so that the plant stands nice and straight. Then add a bit of compost on top and pat this down; don’t firm it up too much though, you don’t want to stop water from finding its way down to the roots.
An optional step is to add mulch on top. This is not absolutely necessary but will protect the roots from frost in winter, ensure that the roots stay nice and moist in drier times of the year and dissuade weeds from growing.
Finally, give the plant a good watering so that the soil is damp but not soaking.
By following these simple steps, you can keep your standard roses looking their best. Pruning is an important part of rose care, and it can help you achieve a beautiful and healthy plant for years to come!
When should I prune my roses?
As general rule, the best time to prune standard roses is between late winter and early spring.
This will give them enough time to establish new growth ahead of the main growing season.
However, this is not always the case and if it doubt, it is always best to consult the care instructions provided with the plant or on the retailers website.
Troubleshooting – Roses scratch test
To test if your bare root plant is alive please do a scratch test. To do this, scratch back a small section of the branch with a thumbnail or sharp knife. It comes away easily. If underneath it is green, the plant is fine, and just needs more time and warmer weather. If it is brown, the plant is dead at that point. Sometimes the tips of smaller branches will die back, but the plant is OK. If you find a brown branch, move closer to the main stem and repeat, and check the trunk itself. If you find green lower down, prune back to where you find green, and it will shoot from there. If the main stem is brown, the plant is unfortunately dead.