Roses Planting Instructions

Different types of roses
We divide roses into four basic groups. The first group consists of hybrid tea and grandiflora roses. These are taller (4' to 6' tall) plants which bear large single-stemmed flowers, and are the best plants for cut flowers. The second group, floribundas, are generally smaller (2' to 4' tall) plants which bear smaller flowers in large, showy clusters. Usually unsatisfactory for cut flowers, they make an excellent longblooming landscape shrub. The third group, climbing roses, produce long canes that work well trained up along fences or trellises. And lastly, there are shrub roses. These are plants which are chosen for carefree garden culture and usually don't require any of the typical rose care and pruning.

Planting
Dig a hole twice as wide and only as deep as the rootball of the plant. Adjust the hole so that the top of the rootball is 1" to 2" above ground level. Next, remove the container. Plastic pots can be removed by turning the rose upside down and gently easing the plant out. Refill the hole with a blended mixture of 1/3 Soil Pep and 2/3 of your garden soil. The use of Fertilome Root Stimulator at planting time will greatly reduce transplant shock and help the plant resume normal growth more quickly.

Feeding
Roses are extremely heavy feeders. Feed them monthly from mid April to mid July with Fertilome Rose And Flower Care. Sprinkle the recommended amount around the plant and immediately water it in well.

Pruning
Roses should be pruned in early April as the buds swell. All dead or winter damaged canes should be removed. Remove crossing or competing canes. Your goal is to shape the plant into an upside down cone with no branches in the middle. Cut back remaining canes to about 12". Cut immediately above an outward facing bud. Paint over cut ends with Fertilome Pruning Paint to prevent problems with cane borer.

Watering
It is impossible to give a watering schedule that will be right for everyone all of the time. Factors such as the soil type, how big the plant is, how fast the plant is growing, air temperature, humidity, wind and light intensity all will affect how often a particular plant will need watering.

The basic rule of thumb is to water deeply, but infrequently. Get the water down a minimum of 18" at each watering. This encourages the plant to develop a deep, drought tolerant root system. Then give the soil a chance to dry slightly between waterings. It is common for people to kill or unnecessarily stress their plants by watering too frequently. The roots of a plant require oxygen in order to function. If the soil is constantly waterlogged, there is not enough oxygen available to the root system and the roots suffocate and begin to die.

Knowing this, our recommendation is to water deeply by building a basin around roses that are not watered by lawn sprinklers. It should be wide enough to accommodate the root system of the plant (generally out to the drip line of the plant) and high enough to hold three or four inches of water when full. Fill the basin full, let it soak in, and fill it a second time. Then don't water the plant again until the soil in the basin begins to dry. Don't just look at the soil surface; dig down several inches to see how dry the soil is. The soil should be showing some significant drying down at that depth. One little trick is to scoop up a handful of soil from that depth and squeeze it into a ball. If the ball holds its shape after you let go, the soil is still wet. If the ball falls apart, its time to water. Using this method several times, you will be able to determine your own watering schedule. In addition, during the winter a monthly deep soaking of all newly planted roses is a good idea. This should be done for the first two winters after planting.

Pests
Roses are subject to several insect problems: aphids, thrips, cane borer, and spider mites being the most common. Regular use of Fertilome Rose & Flower Food w/ Systemic Insecticide or Bayer All In One Rose & Flower Care will minimize infestations of these pests. If problems occur in spite of this, using Bayer Rose & Flower Insect Killer or Ortho Systemic Insect Killer will help bring these pests under control. Cane borer is best prevented by painting cut cane ends with Fertilome Pruning Paint after pruning. Our most common disease problem is powdery mildew. To prevent this disease, use sprays of Ortho Rose Pride Disease Control during late spring and during periods of cloudy, rainy weather. Avoid getting the foliage wet when you water the plant to greatly decrease the occurrence and severity of the disease.

Weeding
Roses have a shallow root system, so it is not advisable to cultivate under rose bushes to remove weeds. Hand pull weeds or spray weeds with Hi-Yield Kill-Zall, being careful not to get it on the rose's foliage. The best solution is to heavily mulch your rose bed with a 2" to 3" layer of bark chips or cedar mulch. This will keep weeds down as well as protecting your rose's shallow root system.

Winter Care
Roses need some specialized care to get them ready for the winter. First, don’t fertilize them after the first of August. Also, as the weather cools down in the fall, start to wean your roses off of their frequent watering schedule. You want to encourage them to slow down their growth and start to slide into dormancy. Once the ground has frozen in late November or early December, mulch them in for the winter by putting a 12” tall pile of a coarse organic material such as Cedar Mulch, straw, wood chips or chopped leaves (not grass clippings) over the plant to protect it from winter’s cold. Don’t apply the mulch too early in the fall; wait until the ground has frozen. In the spring, gently spread the mulch out around your roses.

Our Guarantee
Thanks for buying a plant from Bookcliff Gardens. Our goal is that you be successful with every plant you purchase from us. We'll try to give you as much information and instruction as it takes to make this happen. If you have any questions, please ask! We'll do our best to answer them. However, since this is not a perfect world, and in spite of the best of both of our efforts, plants sometimes die. If this happens within the first year after buying the plant from us, we will replace it; give you an equal amount of credit; or refund the purchase price. You must have your receipt for the guarantee to be honored. We limit our guarantee to replacing a plant only once, and the guarantee does not apply to annual bedding plants, perennials or house plants. If you're having a problem with a plant, come in and talk to us about it; we'll try to find out what happened so we won't lose another plant