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ROSE PLANTING
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ROSE CARE
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ROSES FOR SPECIFIC SITUATIONS
What should I do if I’ve received my bare root roses but I’m not ready to plant?
If less than 3 weeks delay…
Store in a frost-free, cool place such as your garden shed or garage. Bare root plants will keep for up to three weeks tightly sealed in the paper sack and polythene bag without a problem. You may see new growth, particularly for orders delivered in March or later - this is a good sign.
If more than 3 weeks delay…
If you are expecting a longer delay before planting it is worth considering heeling in your plants. To do this, simply remove your plants from their paper sack and polythene bag, leave in their bundle tied together and dig a hole large enough to take the roots of your plant. Replace the soil to cover the roots. Water if conditions are going to be dry
What should I do if I’ve received my potted roses but I’m not ready to plant?
We recommend planting potted roses as soon as possible. However, if you are unable to plant immediately, roses can be kept in their pots quite happily for two months or more, as long as they are watered appropriately. The amount of watering required will depend on the time of year. From January through to March, water your rose once a week, from April to August water every day, except on days of heavy rain, from September to October water twice a week, unless weather is unreasonably warm or dry and in November and December water once a week.
How do I plant a rose in a large pot? What compost do I use?
For in-depth advice and a 'How to' video, please visit our 'How to plant a rose in as pot' care article here.
SIZE OF POT
For best results, your pot should be at least 18” (45cm) deep and 18” (45cm) across. For climbers less than 12ft we recommend a pot at least 24" (61cm) wide and deep. It is surprising how much difference a larger pot will make to the performance of your rose. As the growth of your rose is determined to a large extent by the size of the root, we always recommend as large a pot as possible. A larger pot will also retain moisture for longer, which is key to a healthy vigorous plant.
WHICH COMPOST?
For the best results, we recommend a 50:50 mix of multi purpose compost and good quality peat based compost preferably with a slow release fertiliser, such as John Innes No. 3.
HOW TO PLANT
Step 1: Place small stones to cover the base of your pot to about 2” (5cm) to aid drainage.
Step 2: Hold your plant in the pot and see where the roots reach down to. You will want to cover all of the roots with compost.
Step 3: Remove the rose and fill with compost to this level.
Step 4: Place the plant back in the centre of the pot and add compost around the plant covering the roots. Aim to have the top of the roots about two inches below the top of your pot.
Step 5: Water well with about 5 litres of water.
When's the best time to plant roses?
Aside from times of extreme weather, roses can be planted at any time during the year. The extreme weather conditions that we advise against planting in are when the ground is frozen, water-logged or during a drought. Often people ask, ‘when is the best time to plant’, but as long as you avoid the conditions mentioned, there really is no one best time to plant.
How much space should I leave between roses?
We suggest planting roses approximately 2' (60cm) apart. For more in-depth information and diagrams, please visit our article on 'How far apart should shrub roses be planted?' here.
Can I plant where a rose has been planted before?
If possible, we suggest that you avoid planting a rose in the same position. However, if you do decide to plant in the same location we recommend removing as much soil as possible and replacing with soil from a part your garden that has not grown roses before or buying top soil. As a guide, this needs to be a minimum of 2 feet deep (60cm) and 2 feet wide. Deeper and wider is better. We also recommend using our own David Austin Mycorrhizal Fungi to aid root development.
Am I watering enough or overwatering my roses?
Please see our rose care article on Watering Roses, here.
How often do I need to feed my roses?
Please see our rose care article on 'How to Feed Roses' to find out more about feeding your roses.
When should I prune my roses? And how?
For advice on pruning English Shrub Roses, please visit our page How to Prune an English Shrub Rose
For advice on pruning English Climbing Roses, please visit our page How to Prune an English Climbing Rose.
How often should I spray my roses and with what?
If you are experiencing pests on your roses we recommend spraying with Bronte Rose Defence which is naturally effective against most pests. If you are spraying to control pests you can pick them off by hand in the earliest stages and if spraying, please read the instructions.
My rose has white powder on the leaves. What is this and is there a problem with the rose?
WHAT IS IT?
This is most probably powdery mildew, a fungal disease of the foliage where a superficial fungal growth covers the surface of the plant.
CAUSES
Powdery mildew is caused by a certain combination of weather conditions. New young leaf growth is often more susceptible, until they have formed a hard surface that you find on a mature leaf.
Powdery mildew can also be caused by lack of moisture at the roots. For more information on how to water your roses, please visit our rose care article on Watering Roses.
PROGNOSIS
This is not a disease that will kill your plant. However, it does risk deforming foliage and making your rose less attractive and possibly less vigorous.
CONTROL
Spraying – use Fungus Clear
Mulching - will help to conserve the moisture in the ground. Apply this in April to retain what moisture is in the ground. See our rose care article on 'How to Mulch Roses' here.
My leaves are covered in black spots - what’s wrong?
Most likely, your rose has been infected by a fungal disease known as black spot.
We advise treating black spot as soon as detected by spraying with Fungus Clear.
My leaves are going yellow - what’s wrong?
The cause is most likely to be either a lack of water or a lack of feed and possibly a combination of both. See our rose care guide to Watering Roses for a guide to watering and our 'How to Feed A Rose'.
I bought roses from you last year and followed your planting instructions but they have not flowered. Why?
The most likely cause is that it is a once flowering variety which will only start flowering in its second year in your garden, on older growth. Most of the true Old Roses (Gallicas, Damasks, Albas, Centifolias and Mosses), the ramblers and the species, and a few other assorted varieties, come under this heading. For the same reason that they won’t flower in your garden in the first year, they will also refuse to flower if you prune them too hard, so do cut them back relatively lightly.
If you haven’t bought one of the above, please get in touch via our Live Chat at the bottom right hand of your device's screen or contact us in your prefered way.
The blooms on my rose tend to hang their heads. I thought that roses were meant to have upward-facing flowers?
All roses take a few seasons to reach their mature shape and size. Large-flowered varieties, in particular, tend to get better over their first two or three years as the stems become thicker and provide greater support for their heavy blooms. Correct pruning is important where this problem occurs - see our articles on Pruning Roses for more information. Feeding is also important - see our rose care article on feeding roses. Follow the instructions carefully and do not overfeed, as this can produce more vigorous soft growth which can make the problem worse. Some English Roses have naturally nodding heads, the effect of which can be utterly delightful.
My ‘fragrant’ rose has no smell?
It is important to smell the flowers when fully open at different times of the day as the strength can vary greatly due to a number of factors such as temperature, sunlight, age of flower etc.
We find that most of our varieties have increased fragrance in warmer weather. Conversely, when the weather is cold fragrance is much reduced.
All the descriptions of the fragrances given in the handbook, and on the website, are provided by an independent perfume expert who has been in the perfume trade all of his life and is well respected throughout the country. He does state that some fragrances such as the myrrh and tea are not picked up by some people.
My flowers don’t open - what is wrong?
You will find in general, the less petals the shorter the flowering time. This is usually compensated for by a higher number of blooms.
The main cause will be poor vigour, particularly when a rose is young. The solution is to make sure you feed and water well. see our How to Feed A Rose and Watering Roses articles.
My rose is not the same colour as the catalogue/website photo?
Please note that colours may variety depending on climates. The bloom colour commonly varies throughout its flowering period. Most blooms will fade with age.
Rose colours will vary with varying weather and growing conditions. High heat and strong sunlight will tend to fade colours. When a rose is not getting sufficient sunlight, less than 4 hours a day, this may also effect colour.
We normally find colours are stronger during the first flowering season of the year. This is when temperatures tend to be slightly lower and blooms have a longer time to form.
Why are the leaves falling off my rose?
LACK OF WATER
Watering is possibly the most important aspect of looking after your rose, particularly in the first two years. See our section on Watering Roses for more information.
FEED
Where soil is poor, which usually means it is very sandy, it is very likely that your soil will lack fertility. You will also need to feed more often as nutrients will drain through your soil very quickly. Adding well-rotted horse or cow manure will improve the soil structure, at the same time as adding fertility.
DISEASE
Take a look at your freshly fallen leaves and see if they have any signs of black spot, rust or powdery mildew. If there are no signs then the most likely cause is a lack of water.
My rose has got seven leaves. Is this a sucker?
No. While most of the hybrid teas and floribundas have just 5 leaves, many of the roses belonging to the other groups have 7, 9 or even more leaflets. There are no hard and fast rules to distinguish a sucker but generally the leaves have 7 leaflets and are a rather pale green, as are the stems which are often smooth with few thorns. If they flower they will have 5 petals and will be a very pale blush white. Suckers come only from the rootstock on which the garden rose is budded and so will only come from below the bud union. The young growth from some roses can be very vigorous and look out of character and rather sucker-like, so do check carefully before cutting these otherwise you may well ruin the plant.
What is the difference between a potted and a bare root rose? Which is best?
When ordering from us you have the choice of buying our roses as bare roots or in pots. Neither option is superior, it is simply a matter of personal choice. Whichever option you choose, your roses are guaranteed to bloom next summer – and for many summers to come.
Please note: ramblers, once flowering Old Roses and species roses all flower on mature wood and therefore may not flower in the first year after planting.
BARE ROOT ROSES
Availability period: October – May
Bare root roses are dormant plants, dug up from the field and shipped without soil. They are the ideal choice if you’re purchasing a large number of roses, as they are very lightweight and are therefore easier to handle in the garden.
POTTED ROSES
Availability period: All Year
Potted roses are the very same roses as bare root roses. After each rose is dug up from the field, it is planted into a 6 litre pot, with our specially formulated planting mix. They are ideal for adding instant colour to the garden during the summer months, as well as making thoughtful gifts throughout the year.
What is the difference between a climber and a rambler?
Climbers generally have large blooms on not too vigorous, rather stiff growth and most repeat flower. Ramblers are in general, much more vigorous. They will produce great quantities of small flowers, although most do not repeat flower. There are exceptions to both these rules: for instance Malvern Hills and The Lady of the Lake are repeat-flowering ramblers where as Shropshire Lass Climbing is a once flowering climber with small flowers.
Most climbers are best for walls, trellises, arches, obelisks whereas ramblers are generally better for growing into trees and covering pergolas or large structures such as garages or sheds.
Which roses can I grow in the shade?
Please click here to see a list of roses that are ideal for shade.
Which are the most fragrant roses?
Please click here to see a list of our most fragrant roses.
Do you have any thornless roses?
Please click here to see a list of virtually thornless roses.
Which roses can I grow in a pot?
Please click here to see a list of roses that are ideal for growing in pots and containers.
