Bareroot Roses
by: Christian Harper

The middle of April is always an exciting time for those of us who maintain the Rose Garden at Olbrich. This is the week that our bareroot roses begin arriving, and with them all the promise of the beautiful, fragrant blooms to come. For those of you who've seen a bareroot rose, I'll admit it takes a little leap of faith to accept that promise.   After all, we're talking about a "plant" that often consists of three or four bare canes on one end and some scraggly roots on the other. Few side branches, no leaves, certainly no flowers, and most noticeably, no dirt.

Which is, of course, what makes them "bareroot' roses. These roses were actually harvested last fall after growing in the field for one to two years. They are pruned hard, stripped of leaves and soil, and stored in huge warehouses where temperature and humidity are carefully controlled with two things in mind. The first is to keep the roses completely dormant and the second is to keep them from drying out, especially the roots.   Why this tortuous process? Well, I could go on and on about efficiency in mass producing and marketing plants, but what it really boils down to is this: It's very expensive to ship soil.

You see, most roses in this country are grown in California and Oregon. Whether you're buying three plants from a mail-order nursery, or you're a local greenhouse buying a thousand to grow in containers, it's cost effective if the heavy stuff, the potting soil, gets added at this end. What's in it for you, aside from the reduced cost?

Variety, for one thing. The best mail-order nurseries offer many times the number of roses available locally, including unusual, rare, or old-fashioned types that may not be had any other way. But local nurseries usually have a fine selection of bareroot roses and when you buy these, the advantage is that you get a jump on the normal growing season. Bareroot roses are generally available from the end of March until the fully leafed-out, container-grown roses appear in late April. These lush green roses, appealing as they are, are often susceptible to late hard frosts and therein is another advantage to the bareroot versions. When you plant a bareroot rose at this time of year, you will have something that's in sync with an existing rose in the garden that's just stirring from its winter nap and ready to grow. Besides, there's something very satisfying about seeing a rose progress from a twiggy skeleton to a beautiful blooming plant. It's not unlike the enjoyment people get from growing their annuals from seed rather than buying those perfect little starter plants. For you earlybirds, here's how to plant those bareroots.

Keep the plants in a cool, dark place if you can't plant them right away. If you received them through the mail, they are probably in large plastic bags. If you purchased them locally, chances are that they are packaged in protective plastic sleeves with damp sphagnum moss around the roots. The roots should be firm, supple, and moist.   Tentative leaves may have begun to emerge from the canes, which should be plump and green. The night before planting remove the packaging and soak the roots in a tub of tepid water to help rehydrate the plant. Keep them in this water right up until they are planted.

Hopefully, you have found a nice planting site for your rose, one with at least six hours of sunshine and decent, well-drained soil. Roses don't like shade or clay. Dig a cylindrical hole eighteen inches across and deep. Yes, this is a big hole but it's necessary to properly accomodate the roots.  I've found the best tool for digging holes like this is a healthy teenager.

If the soil you've removed seems heavy, it's okay to amend it with some compost, peat moss, or sand but go easy on these. This soil is going back into the hole and if it's too different from the surrounding earth you could have drainage problems.

Take some of this soil and build a cone-shaped mound eight to ten inches high in the bottom of the hole. Firm it down well. You should use about a third of the soil you've removed. This mound will be the support for the rose, holding it at the right height (very important), and making a nice form for the roots to drape over.

Remove your rose from the water and trim off any broken roots or those too long to fit in your hole easily. Place the plant in the hole and firm it down over the mound. It's alright if the pliable roots curve around the inside wall of your hole a bit.  Now it's time to fine-tune the planting depth and as previously mentioned, this is very important.

See that golfball size swelling on the main trunk just below the lower branches? This is the "bud union" and marks the spot where the blooming, above-ground part of the rose was grafted onto rootstock. In most parts of the country this bud union should end up just above ground level after planting. In fact, many roses sold here say exactly that on their labels and even show a neat little diagram. Please ignore this advice! In Wisconsin, the bud union is the Achille's heel of the rose and must be protected during our harsh winters. We want that bud union to be about two inches below ground level. Do this and you've gone a long way towards insuring a long life for your rose.

Remove or add soil to get the bud union at the right level. When you're satisfied it's where you want, add most of the remaining soil until the hole is nearly full. Then, while supporting the rose with one hand, fill the hole with water to settle the roots and remove any air pockets. Top off the hole with soil and water again. Your bud union
should no longer be visible.

Now what? Most experts advise mounding the bare canes with a moist, organic mulch like shredded bark, sawdust, or sphagnum moss to keep the canes and emerging buds from drying out. It can take up to a month for new feeder roots to develop and spur new leaf growth, at which point the mulch can be carefully removed.  Do this on a cloudy day or leaf scorch can occur.

Roses should be watered deeply at least once a week, but hold off on fertilizing until the plants are completely leafed out. An all-purpose liquid fertilizer is fine, and applying it every other week through mid-August will help your new rose make plenty of gorgeous blooms. I've had hybrid tea roses produce seventy to eighty flowers in their first season after bareroot planting in early spring.  So can you if you're willing to give these "naked" plants a try.