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Planting and Caring for Your Roses: A Guide to Healthy Growth

Gardener planting a shrub rose in a sunny flower bed.

You’ve chosen the perfect rose, the one that promises to transform your garden. For it to keep that promise, careful planting and proper care are essential. These steps create the foundation for a healthy, vigorous plant covered in flowers.

This practical guide walks you through each key step: from choosing a location to planting, watering, fertilizing, and pruning.

1. Choosing the ideal location

The success of your rose depends first and foremost on where you install it. Observe your garden and find a site that meets these four conditions.

  • Maximum sun. Roses are sun lovers. Give them a spot that receives more than 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. The morning sun is particularly beneficial as it quickly dries the dew on the foliage, which reduces the risk of disease.
  • Good air circulation. A good flow of air around the rose helps prevent fungal diseases. Avoid planting your roses too close together or against a wall that blocks the wind.
  • Well-drained soil. Roses require well-drained soil; they do not like to have "wet feet." If your soil is heavy and clay-like, consider planting in raised beds to prevent water from stagnating.
  • Little competition. Avoid planting your rose directly under large trees. Their roots and dense canopy would steal the water, nutrients, and light it needs to grow well.

2. Preparing the ground

Rich, well-prepared soil will give your rose the best possible start.

  • Ideal soil. Most roses prefer a deep, rich, slightly loamy or clay-loam soil with high organic matter content. However, hybrids of Rosa rugosa and R. spinosissima can tolerate sandier soils.
  • Amend generously. Don't just dig a small hole. Prepare a large planting area by tilling the soil. Then, incorporate a generous amount of organic matter, such as compost, well-rotted manure, or a specialized soil mix like Botanix 3-in-1 Planting Soil, which is rich in nutrients. This will improve the soil structure, whether your soil is sandy or clay-based.

Gardener's hand adding granular fertilizer to the base of a rose bush.

3. Planting: the key steps

Spring is often the ideal time to plant roses in colder climates. This gives them the entire season to get well-established before winter.

  • Dig the hole. The planting hole should be about twice as wide as the rose's root ball and just as deep.
  • Adjust the depth. For simple and effective planting, install your rose at the same depth it was in its nursery pot.
  • Install and water. Position the rose in the centre of the hole. Backfill with the amended soil, tamping gently to eliminate air pockets. Form a small soil basin around the plant and water thoroughly.

Watering the base of a blooming rose bush with a watering can.

4. Essential in-season care

Regular maintenance during the summer ensures healthy plants and generous flowering.

  • Watering. Water your roses deeply, but less frequently. Always aim for the base of the plant to avoid wetting the foliage, which prevents disease. A good watering once a week is often sufficient, except in periods of high heat.
  • Fertilizing. A simple schedule is the key to success. To simplify the task, you can use a balanced fertilizer like Botanix 100% Natural 4-3-8 Fertilizer for Annuals, Perennials, and Roses, following this calendar:
    • May (in spring): Apply a fertilizer to promote leaf and stem growth.
    • Early July (in summer): Apply a fertilizer to encourage the formation of new flowers.
    • END OF JULY: STOP EVERYTHING. Cease all fertilizing after the end of July. Late fertilizing encourages tender new growth that will be damaged by frost.
  • Maintenance Pruning. Two types of pruning should be done:
    1. Spring Pruning: The main pruning is done in the spring, as the buds begin to swell. Use a pair of sharp, clean bypass pruners. First, remove any dead or damaged wood, then any branches that cross in the centre to aerate the plant. Then, prune the remaining stems above an outward-facing bud.
    2. Deadheading (in summer): To encourage new flowers to appear, cut the stem of each faded flower just above the first full leaf (the one with 5 leaflets).

5. Winter protection

Some roses need help to get through the winter. This is the case for hybrid teas and floribundas, which often have a graft union (a bulge at the base of the stems where the branches originate). To protect this sensitive point, install a rose cone late in the fall, after the first frosts. Fill the cone two-thirds full with peat moss or dry leaves to properly insulate the graft from the intense cold.

By giving your rose a good location, careful planting, and consistent seasonal care, you give it every chance to thrive. You will be rewarded with the beauty and fragrance of its flowers, year after year.