Maine Rose Socity: Rose Facts

Roses flourish with at least six hours of sun every day.
Established roses need a lot of water. Water deeply once a week with one-inch or more of water. Newly planted roses should be watered daily to prevent wilting.
Roses need good drainage and do not like to have “wet feet.”
Roses are heavy feeders and need organic or chemical fertilizers to promote healthy woody growth, shiny leaves, and beautiful flowers.
Most hybrid teas and floribundas are tender to Maine winters. To winter over these tender roses, bury the bud union several inches in the ground. After the first frost, mound compost or soil over the bud union up to one foot thick.
Most roses require effort to reduce the effects of disease and insects. Certain roses are resistant to insect and disease damage. Information about disease, insects, and resistance is available at http://www.mainerosesociety.com/rosepd.html.
Continuous-blooming roses need to be pruned annually, and “dead headed” after each bloom cycle. Once-blooming roses can be pruned to shape after blooming.

PLANTING POTTED ROSES

Potted roses are available from most nurseries during the growing season.
To plant these, water the rose, and then remove it from the pot. For paper pots, cut off the bottom and remove the sidewalls in an effort to preserve the fine, new white feeder roots of the growing plant.
To remove plants from plastic pots loosen the soil around the sides of the plant with a knife, or by deforming the plastic sides of the pot. Gently tip the plant over the planting hole and pull off the pot. Make sure that the roots are free to grow. Plants that have been growing in a pot for a while may be “root bound” and you will need to free these roots by pulling and unwrapping them from each other and from the soil.
Place the freed plant on a mound of loose soil/compost mixture and bury the bud union three to four inches below the finished grade. Fill the hole two-thirds of the way with soil/compost and then fill it with water to help settle the soil around the roots. Finally, fill the entire hole with soil/compost and form a watering ring on the surface to direct water to the plant roots. Mulch the finished planting to preserve water and prevent erosion of the new soil.

PLANTING BAREROOT ROSES

Bareroot roses are available from nurseries early in the season and usually are sold in a paper box, or by mail order where they shipped in bundles. Their canes are most often covered with wax to prevent drying. It is important to purchase these roses while their roots and canes are still moist, and have not dried out. Immerse a bareroot rose in water for a number of hours to overnight. If the plant is still dormant this will provide moisture to the structural roots and canes and will benefit the plant.
To plant bareroot roses, dig a hole wide and deep enough to spread out the structural roots. Plant the swollen bud union three to four inches below the ground level in order to protect it during winter freeze up. The bud union is the tender swollen junction between a rootstock that forms the foundation of a grafted rose, and the desired flowering rose above.
After digging the hole, mound up loose dirt in the bottom of the hole to form a cone. Spread the structural roots of the rose over the mound. Fill the hole about two-thirds full of dirt, and then fill the hole with water to settle the soil around the roots. After the water has drained, finish filling the hole with soil.
Cover the canes temporarily by mounding to keep them from drying out until the roots are established. After several weeks the roots will be established and the mounded dirt should be removed by washing it away while watering.
Newly planted roses need to be watered daily for a few weeks to prevent wilting, and should be deeply watered each week during the growing season and into late fall.

Edited by Jerry Cinnamon