If you haven’t tried planting bare root roses, make it a point to give it a try this spring.
Not all nurseries offer barefoot plants but, if you look around you should find a source.
The big advantage of course is that you usually can find all of the varieties you want early in the season. Many varieties are often sold out by the time container planted roses are available. But the big appeal to most is the saving in the price of bare root roses vs container grown, as much as 50%.
Another advantage is that you can plant earlier and give your new roses an opportunity to develop new root growth before sending out new growth above ground. In California and the south, bare root planting gets underway from mid-December through to mid-February. Inland and to the north you can plan on planting from March to April.
Some growers are cautious about planting while there is still a chance of late season cold snaps or even snow, although the spring of 98 has been unusually mild in most sectors of the continent. If that is a concern for you, simply hill the roses lightly until that danger has passed.
Anatomy of a bare root rose
If you receive a shipment of bare root roses and you’re not quite ready to plant when they arrive, immerse the plants in a bucket of water until you are ready. Keep them moist and they will last that way for many days with no ill effect.
Another advantage to bare root planting is the new root growth doesn’t have to go through several different soils in the garden. You are planting it in the soil it will grow in. Potted roses don’t have that luxury. The pot soil will very likely be of a different nature than your garden soil which can be a bit of a shock to the root system as it expands.
All things considered, if you can, take advantage of planting bare root roses.
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