Regional Growing Guide: Northern & Central Midwest
Harsh winters and humid summers are the greatest challenges to growing roses in our nation's midsection. Preventive measures in the northern states are extreme. In fall, the "Minnesota tip" involves loosening the roots, digging a trench, then tipping over the rose and burying it beneath leaves, branches and straw. In southern states, gardeners who can't rely on snow to insulate their roses wrap them in rings of newspaper filled with mulch. Planting cold-hardy roses helps ensure success, as does selecting new hybrid teas, floribundas and shrub roses that bear thick, waxy leaves and have been bred to resist disease.
Select a season: Spring Early Summer Late Summer Fall
Planting Roses
Choose a spot in full sun -- at least 6 hours per day. Roses require as much sun as you can provide and a bit of pampering, which begins at planting time. Ideally, you'll have prepared the garden bed by amending the soil with compost. At the very least, plan to add some compost to the hole at planting time. You may also want to have your soil tested, so you can add necessary amendments, such as a phosphate-rich fertilizer, to the planting hole.
Roses are available as either container-grown stock or as bare-root plants.
Planting Bare-Root Roses
Bare-root plants are available during the dormant season and are the most economical way to plant roses. The roses you see boxed up or wrapped in plastic are bare-root -- the roots are packed in moist sawdust or shredded newspaper. Roses ordered by mail will arrive bare-root. Some experts believe that bare-root stock acclimates to particular soil conditions better than roses planted from container stock.
When planting a bare-root rose, begin by unwrapping the plant and soaking the roots in water for several hours. While it's soaking, dig a deep hole -- at least 18 inches deep and 18 inches wide. Amend the soil you removed from the hole with compost; then build a cone of this soil in the bottom of the hole. Remove the rose from the water, trim any damaged or extra long roots, then place the plant in the hole, draping the roots around the soil cone you made in the center. Position the plant so the graft (the swelling between the roots and the cane) sits 2 to 3 inches below the soil line.
Add some soil to support the roots, then add more soil, firming it over the roots. When the hole is half full, fill it with water. Let it soak in, then fill in the rest of the soil, then water well.
Once the rose is in place, add a layer of mulch, such as bark chips. Prune off any damaged or crossing canes, and you're done.
Planting Container Roses
When planting container-grown roses, dig a hole at least 18 inches deep and wide. You will not need to build the soil cone at the bottom of the hole. Check the plant for damaged canes and prune them. Make sure the soil ball is moist throughout; if it isn't, soak it for a few hours. Then gently tip the plant from the pot, trying not to disturb the roots. Set the plant inside the prepared hole and check the level of the plant. Remember, you want the bud union at or just above ground level. Adjust the soil in the hole if necessary. Fill in with soil and tamp it down with your hands as you fill the hole so the roots are supported snugly in the new site. Water once when the hole is half filled, and again when you are done planting. Once the plant is in place, mulch the area around the plant.