Ways to Buy Roses

Ways To Buy Roses

Rose plants can be purchased locally through garden centers and other retail outlets or by mail. Keep in mind that local outlets can offer the gardener flexibility but may not have a wide selection; mail order tends to offer a wide selection but the flexibility as to when plants need to be purchased is limited. Plants bought locally are sold either bare-root or potted. Mail order plants are almost always sold bare-root. Which is better? When ordered or bought from a reputable dealer, both are good, and it's just a matter of preference. Many older roses are only available bare root through specialty mail order nurseries.

Bare-root roses are dormant plants that are sold to the gardener with no soil around the roots; instead, they have moist wood shavings around the roots. Bare-root plants are sold in garden centers as "packaged" plants. Packaged as well as mail order roses may also have their canes covered with wax. This helps prevent drying while in storage or in the retail store. The wax doesn't need to be removed. It will eventually degrade and break away from the canes.

Canes on bare-root plants should be plump and green with smooth, unshriveled bark. They should also feel heavy. A dried-out plant will feel light, and the twigs will be brittle. Bare-root plants should be ordered with instructions to ship them when planting is suitable for your area. If bare-root packaged roses are bought locally, try to select them as soon as possible after the shipment is received at the store. Stores generally hold packaged plants in warm areas that cause them to break dormancy, producing premature, weak growth that can devitalize the plant. If bare-root roses can't be planted immediately, they may be held up to two weeks in an area that is cool (40°F). Keep the canes and roots moist during this time by covering them with moist material such as peat moss or wood shavings.

Heeling rose plants to hold them prior to planting

If plants need to be held longer than 2 weeks, it is a good idea to heel them in outdoors. This is done by laying the plants in a shallow trench and covering the roots with soil. The canes may also be covered if drying is a concern.

Garden centers can offer both containerized and potted roses. Containerized plants are bought as bare-root plants by the nurserymen, placed in containers, and sold as growing plants that same season. The root development may not be very extensive with these plants and so extra care may be needed when transplanting to the garden. Potted plants on the other hand are plants that are also placed in a container but are grown at the nursery for a much longer time resulting in a very extensive root system. The extensive root system holds the soil ball together resulting in an easier job of transplanting without the problem of the soil ball falling apart. Due to economics, one is not likely to find many of these plants for sale unless they were overwintered from the previous season. Containerized plants can be planted any time during the growing season with spring or early season planting preferred for northern growing areas. Bare-root roses can be shipped and planted only in the spring while they are dormant.

Grades | Ways to Buy Roses | Budded & Own-root Roses

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