Roses in the garden - your guide
Roses in a garden are beautiful. Learn where the rose thrives, how to plant it and how to care for your roses so they bloom all summer.
Where the rose thrives
Different kinds of roses can handle different growing zones, so choose based on your growing zone to be sure that they will survive the coming winter. In the northernmost parts of the country, it's good to choose so-called own root roses that are more hardy.
Roses want nutritious and well-drained, preferably clay soil.
Place them sunny and warm with at least 6 hours of sun a day. Good places are next to walls, on trellises and fences, along pergolas and other places with good air flow.
How to plant roses
It's a good idea to plant three rose plants of the same variety, it gives a fuller impression. Add perennials and it will look even more beautiful. Lavender is a popular partner and the flowerbed will then attract butterflies and bees.
Before you buy and plant, you have a few choices to consider. Choose between grafted and own-root roses and also choose between those that are delivered bare-rooted and those that come in a pot. Here you can read more about what it means and how to plant them.
Grafted
Grafted roses are when the type of rose has been joined to the root of a wild rose. Grafting is done to simplify the propagation but also for them to become more hardy and durable roses.
Grafted roses can spring so-called suckers from the root. It's the wild rose that pops up and you should cut them off. The suckers are often powerful and can take over if you don't keep them at bay.
Root-own
Root-own roses are rose plants that are not grafted but grow on their own roots. Root-own are thus the same variety both underground and on top.
Bare-rooted
Bare-rooted roses have no lump of soil around the roots but are delivered in a bag where the roots lie freely together with loose soil. It's a more economical way to buy roses, they weigh less and are easier to bring home.
You can choose to plant bare-rooted in spring or autumn. If you live in the northern parts of Sweden, spring planting is recommended. Plant the bare-rooted ones as soon as possible after you bring them home.
Potted
The advantage of potted roses is that you can plant at any time as long as the frost has not gone into the soil. The downside is that they're usually more expensive to purchase and that the pots weigh significantly more than when you buy bare-rooted.
Planting a potted rose
Let your plant stand in a bucket of water for half an hour before planting.
Dig a hole about 50 cm wide and deep.
Mix 1/3 rose soil or cow manure with 2/3 planting soil. If roses grew before where you put a new rose, don't reuse the soil in the ground as planting soil, but replace it.
Put your rose in the pit and fill with soil almost all the way up and water.
Fill with the rest of the soil, gently press around the plant and water again.
If you are planting several, read about the distance between the plants that applies to your variety. It can vary considerably!
After planting, it's important that you water regularly for the first few weeks.
One month after planting, you can fertilize for the first time.
Planting a bare-rooted rose
Let your plant stand in a bucket of water for 3-4 hours before planting.
Dig a hole about 50 cm wide and deep.
Protect the roots before they enter the soil as sun and wind can dry them out.
Spread the roots in the pit. Trim a root that's too long rather than folding it into the pit.
Planting depth for bare rooted roses should be at the same level as they were before. You should see a color shift on the plant that shows where that is.
Planting depth for grafted roses should be with the graft, where it's thickened, 10 cm below the ground surface.
Fill the pit halfway with 1/3 rose soil or cow manure and 2/3 planting soil. If there were roses before where you put a new rose, don't reuse the soil in the ground as planting soil, but replace it.
Tamp down the surface and water.
Fill the rest of the pit with soil and water again thoroughly. The soil should settle around all the roots without air pockets.
Make a small mound of soil as protection around your plant.
If you are planting several roses, read about the distance between the plants that applies to yours as it can vary a lot between different varieties.
Water regularly for the first few weeks after planting.
A month later you can fertilize for the first time.
If you planted in the fall, prune to a height of 15-20 cm in the spring and fertilize.
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How to take care of your roses
Roses can, depending on the variety, bloom from mid-June until late autumn. Plenty of nutrition, sun and water are needed for them to give you flowers for a long time. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your flowering.
General care
Keep the soil around the plants evenly moist during the growing season.
Cut off dead and damaged branches when you encounter them.
Dead head withered blooms so energy isn't wasted on them but instead to create new buds.
Pruning
When the birch trees spring the first small green leaves, it's a good time to prune.
Remove dead, injured, sick and weak branches. Use secateurs or, if there are coarser branches, a pair of loppers. Make sure that the tools are clean and sharp so you get nicely cut surfaces.
The type of spring pruning you should do depends on the variety you have. Some roses are pruned to a height of 10-20 cm while others are not pruned to the same extent. Read up on what type of pruning applies to your particular rose so that it has the best conditions for flowering in the summer.
Fertilization
Roses like nutrition and those that have been fertilized in the right way both resist diseases better and are able to better flower.
Fertilize with rose fertilizer or natural fertilizer into the soil around the plants once in early spring.
Roses that bloom continuously during the season or that are repeat bloomers, ie get another flowering after the first, are fertilized again with rose fertilizer in June or July.
Winter cover
At the end of October and before winter, it's good to protect your roses from frost and further ahead, the strong spring sun.
To protect against frost, cover with soil or mulch around the stem of the rose and at the same time remove undeveloped buds and old leaves from the plant and from the soil around it. This prevents any fungal diseases from spreading.
When the frost has gone into the ground, you can protect the roses with pine branches or with hessian fabric that filters the strong light from the spring sun. The spring sun can otherwise burn the roses and cause them to start growing too early.
Different kinds of roses
There are an infinite number of roses to choose from. Consider, for example, color, appearance, height and flowering time.
Choose a color that suits the surroundings, the facade of your house and other flowers and plants in your flower beds. If you have mild pastels, for example, white rose bushes are a good fit. If you like red roses in the garden, red rose bushes can be a nice contrast to a light coloured house.
Also keep in mind when roses bloom. Some varieties bloom briefly and intensively and others bloom continuously for most of the summer. There are also varieties that get a second flowering, ie they repeat bloom. Do you want easy-care roses, roses that bloom all summer, rose bushes or climbing roses that bloom all summer long? There are some things to consider, but the end result gives you a wonderful rose garden!
Do you have a lot of garden and only a little time? Our team of gardeners will help you take care of your garden. Read more about and book gardening and pruning!