Hello, friends! Happy First Day of Spring! I am so thrilled that this year we had a beautiful Spring day to celebrate this milestone, since normally we have snow on the ground at this time of the year. But the weather has been beautiful. Still, nothing is blooming yet and it is too early to plant. So, in the meatime let’s talk about my passion— roses. Pretty soon roses will make an appearance at local greenhouses and online. If you buy from a reputable rose breeder or retailer, the roses will ship according to your hardiness zone. For me that is usually mid-May.

Roses are one of the most popular flowers in gardens around the world and with good reason. Not only are beautiful flowers with lovely scents, but contrary to popular belief, they are easy to grow for the most part. Here in Minnesota, growing roses can be a bit more challenging due to our location in hardiness zone 4. Thankfully, rose breeders have started developing roses that are hardy to zones 4 and below.  The University of Minnesota is one of the breeders in the nation that has been successful in breeding four extremely-hardy shrub roses—known as Northern Accents™. (1)

But what happens if you want to grow a rose that is not as hardy for our area? The answer is container gardening. Container gardening is a great way to grow roses and winterizing them during the cold months. While it may take a bit more work, the rewards are spectacular (1).

I have grown roses that arrive already as a container-grown plant (meaning it has leaves and sometimes blooms), and I have grown from bare root. And if you ask me, I prefer growing from bare root. If you have never seen a bare root, the below photo is an example. **Note: I am using this photo because it occurred to me that I have never taken a photo of my bare roses when they arrive.

What is bare root and why do I prefer them?

Bare root means that you will get the plant without leaves or blooms. All you get is a dormant plant with bare roots (there is no soil around the roots—hence the name) and canes (branches). Planting from bare roots can be quite intimidating, especially if this is your first time planting them, but I prefer them because I find that they travel phenomenally well for weeks, and also adapt better once planted. This past year, shipping was delayed due to the pandemic, and the bare roots did so good. The potted ones I ordered (by mistake instead of bare roots) did poorly, even after plenty of TLC.

How to Plant

These following directions are a combination of the steps recommended by David Austin and ones I have learned the past few years. Planting from bare roots can be quite intimidating, especially if this is your first time planting them. There is something very intense about opening a box and just seeing roots and canes. So what can you expect? A reputable breeder or nursery will ship the roses properly packaged for protection. David Austin roses arrive in a cardboard box. Inside, you will find a clear plastic bag with the bare roots inside. Each box comes with instructions and, at least here in the US, you will find the little pamphlet enclosed in a plastic pouch on the outside of the box (same pouch where the shipping label is). Upon receiving them, open the box, inspect the roses and then it is time to hydrate them.

• Hydration. Upon receiving your roses, make sure you hydrate the roses after the long journey. I have a kiddie pool for this purpose. I fill the pool with water and submerge the roots of the roses. It is preferred that the rose be planted after 24 hrs, but I have left mine in the water for days (due to various circumstances) and they were fine.

• Let’s Plant! Almost any rose can grown in a pot as long as the pot is big enough. while I have a variety of roses in pots. When selecting the container, make sure you can accommodate soil, compost and the plant itself. I use 24-gallon plastic containers which I get at affordable prices at places like Menard’s or Lowe’s. Make sure the pot has adequate drainage holes. Roses DO NOT like to be waterlogged. They just do not.

• Steps:

  • Fill the pot with some gravel to help with drainage. Some people say you don’t have to but it has worked beautifully for me. David Austin also recommend using broken pieces of Styrofoam.

  • Then fill the pot with a combination of soil and compost. If you can find them already combined, even better. I use an organic all-purpose potting mix that does NOT have any type of fertilizer in it to avoid the potential of it burning the roots.

  • I create a mound with the soil so the bottom of the plant union sits on it. Adjust the soil so the plant’s union is sitting a couple of inches below the rim of the pot. Once you have it properly measured, sprinkle some mycorrhizal fungi on the roots and place back on the mound. The fungi will help create a better root system.

  • Continue to fill the pot with soil, firming the soil as you go. I also like to mix in some rose food as I add the soil. I use David Austin Rose Food.

  • Give the pot a good watering and place the container in an area where it gets a minimum of 4 hrs of sun.

Things to Keep In Mind

• Container roses require more watering, especially in hot weather. This is especially true if planting in terracota pots, because the water will evaporate faster.

• If you plant in plastic containers, keep in mind that high temperatures can heat the pot. I recommend moving the roses to a partially shaded area when the heat is extreme.

• I started adding seaweed food last year for the first time (I used Neptune’s Harvest seaweed fertilizer) and it was a game changer for my roses. They really loved it. It made their foliage thicker and healthier, and the blooms just spectacular.

• As with any roses, keep an eye out for pests (especially sawflies and aphids), black spot, and powdery mildew.

• Water the roses in the morning (or early enough in the day to give leaves time to dry), and when watering, do so at the base. Try to avoid splashing the blooms and leaves too much as this will increase the chances of pests.

• The only exception to the watering rule (and this is a personal preference)— if it is a very hot steamy day, delicate roses like Wedgwood or Emily Bronte, may need a drink early afternoon.

• While roses prefer sunny conditions, some are fond of some shade during the day. Pots are great because it allows me to move the plants around based on weather conditions.

• Roses potted in containers are very heavy. To save my back and for ease of movement, get a plant caddy with wheels for each pot. Your back will thank you.

(1) This introduction is an excerpt from an article titled “Winterizing Potted Roses Indoors”, which I wrote for the St. Charles Press/Lewiston Journal for the Winona County Master Gardeners column.

You may find me joining some of these fun link-ups: In a Vase on Monday, Mosaic Monday, Pink Saturday, Nature Notes, Grace at Home, Encouraging Hearts & Home, Wonderful Wednesday Blog-Hop, Farmhouse Friday, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, Garden Affair.