Expert Rose Advice

While perusing old garden links I came upon this page of rose advice. While spring is a better time for planting roses in this part of the country, advice is welcome at any time, and you might live in a climate where fall planting is fine for roses.

The advice attached to the above illustrations is as follows:

(Figure 1) Lift out enough soil to allow roots to spread naturally in the hole (1 foot deep and 2 feet in diameter). Add 3 cups of Witherspoon Planting Essentials* per bush if you did not previously add it during soil preparation. Mix well. Form an inverted cone of your soil mixture in the center of the hole.

(Figure 2) Set the plant so that the roots rest down the sides of the cone. The graft knob should be slightly above the ground level.

(Figure 3) Replace the soil and pack carefully around the roots eliminating air pockets under the roots.

(Figure 4) Leave a slight basin around the plant and water using 3 to 5 gallons per plant. Finish filling the hole with soil.

(Figure 5) Finally, mound soil or shredded mulch to the top of the plant and leave until danger of freezing is past. (This is usually around the third week of April in the Piedmont area of North Carolina.) This prevents the canes from drying out or freezing until the root action begins. If planting after danger of frost, mound plants for 3 to 4 weeks to ensure a good start.

The compilation of “Witherspoon Planting Essentials” fertilizer is as follows:
“combination of Bone Meal, Lime & Gypsum”.

That might do for an East coast garden with its more acid conditions, but I would be careful of adding extra lime to a soil that is already quite alkaline. The gypsum loosens up clay soils, and the bone meal is a long lasting fertilizer that is good for a healthy root system.