Posted by Shannen Godwin on 17th Jun 2021

How to Plant Roses

Purple roses on a bush of green foliage

Few shrubs/plants will add the elegance and beauty to the British garden quite like a Rose. Roses are available in a wide number of colours, shapes and sizes. They are grown for their attractive and often fragrant flowers, flowering mainly in summer and autumn. Discover when and how to plant Roses with our easy gardening guide.

How to Plant Roses

Dig a hole large enough to take the roots when fully outspread. Distribute the roots evenly round the hole. Put in a little fine soil to which has been added a small amount of bone meal.

Fill in a further 5cm of ordinary soil over the roots and tread in firmly. Tread in additional soil firmly at each stage as the hole is filled. If they are not the winds of winter will loosen the roots. This may cause the newly planted rose to die.

Generally speaking, the depth of holes for planting roses will vary between 10-20cm. But examination of the plants will show quite clearly the depth to which they were originally planted.

How to Prune Roses

Prune bush Roses in mid-March up to the second week of April. Floribunda Roses are a little tenderer and need pruning one week later than the above dates.

Prune HT Roses back hard in the spring. As long as the roots are firmly established, leaving only three or four eyes per stem. If left unpruned they will die back along the stem and perish or produce leggy poor specimens.

Shop our full range of Roses online.