How To Plant Roses - Much Easier Than People Imagine

 Edith's Darling grew well last summer but did not last the winter.

 The baby's name was Marigold, so you can see why the rose has this name.

The former landscaper pointed at the bare root roses in the rain-barrel and demanded, "What are those?"

Roses are harvested and stored in refrigeration. When people buy roses at most locations, they are potted, leafing out, and often in bloom. All those locations get their roses bare root, or at least the main distributors do.

I buy from Edmunds Roses, so they send bare root roses in a bag with damp moss. If they do not grow, I can ask for free replacements. They arrive early, because roses tolerate the cold, long before the local stores have them.

And I get to choose instead of going through what is left.

1. I open the package, slit open the bag, and sink the bag of roses in the rain-barrel. My minimum is 24 hours, but I have soaked them for days when necessary.
2. If possible, I plant them before a long rain. 
3. Last fall, I ended with bags of peat compost, which are a combination of peat and manure. Another way to improve the start is to buy topsoil or generate compost. Red wiggler earthworms will improve ordinary soil and make good soil even better.
4. I dig out the heavy clay soil for each rose and cut tree roots away.
5. The rose is positioned to keep the bud union under the soil surface, to protect against hard freezes. I also use role collars to protect the rose in the winter. One reader found our hose by spotting the 27 white rose collars.
6. The rose will grow better if the canes and roots are pruned somewhat. The best start I ever had came from a long soak and heavy pruning of the canes and roots. I always prune both sides of the rose equation.
7. I fill around the plant with peat compost and clay.
8. If no rain is coming, I water the canes and base each day if dry and windy, or every other day. The canes really need extra watering before the leaves pop out.
9. I planted yesterday and will water today. Friday will be a heavy rain and thunderstorm, God willing.

 Purple Splash is a climber that I gave to a helper,
and it is still growing well.