Growing Roses

How to Plant, Grow, and Prune Roses

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How do you plant a rose bush? How do you grow roses? Our Rose Plant Guide will get your started—with advice on how to take care of roses and prune roses. We also share our recommendations on the best types of roses to grow—and tips on controlling pests such as Japanese beetles.

Rose bushes come in a variety of forms, from climbing roses to miniature rose plants, blooming mainly in early summer and fall. One way to group roses into classes is according to their date of introduction:

Old roses—also called “old-fashioned roses” and “heirloom roses”—are those introduced prior to 1867. These are the lush, invariably fragrant roses found in old masters’ paintings. There are hundreds of old rose varieties—whose hardiness varies—providing choices for both warm and mild climates.
Modern hybrid roses, introduced after 1867, are sturdy, long-blooming, extremely hardy and disease-resistant, and bred for color, shape, size, and fragrance. The hybrid tea roses, with one large flower on a long cutting stem, are one of the most popular hybrids.
Species, or wild roses, are those that have been growing wild for many thousands of years. These wild roses have been adapted to modern gardens and usually bloom from spring to early summer. Most species roses have single blossoms.

Choosing from all the possibilities can be a daunting task. Take your time and wander through nurseries and page through mail-order catalogs and websites.

Planting

Buying Roses

Before you plant, be sure that you choose varieties proven in your climate. When in doubt, All-America Rose Selections winners are good bets. Or check with a local nursery or Cooperative Extension Service.
If you order roses from a mail-order company, order early, in January or February (March at the latest). They are usually shipped in the spring as bare roots when plants are fully dormant, well before they have leafed out. They’ll look like a bundle of sticks on arrival. Note that they are not dead—simply dormant. Check that the packing material is moist and keep them in a cool dark place until ready to plant.
If you are buying container-grown roses (vs. bare-root roses), plant them by May or early June for best results.

Preparing the Soil

Roses prefer a near-neutral pH range of 5.5–7.0. A pH of 6.5 is just about right for most home gardens (slightly acidic to neutral).
An accurate soil test will tell you where your pH currently stands. Acidic (sour) soil is counteracted by applying finely ground limestone, and alkaline (sweet) soil is treated with ground sulfur. Learn more about soil amendments.

Planting Tips

Plant roses where they will receive a minimum of 5 to 6 hours of full sun per day. Morning sun is especially important because it dries the leaves, which helps prevent diseases. Roses grown in partial sun may not die at once, but they weaken gradually.
The ideal soil is rich and loose, with good drainage. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to not provide adequate drainage.
Wear sturdy gloves to protect your hands from prickly thorns. Have a hose or bucket of water and all your planting tools nearby.
Soak bare-root roses in a bucket of water for 8-12 hours before planting.
Prune each cane back to 3-5 buds per cane. Any cane thinner than a pencil should be removed.
When planting container grown roses loosen the roots before planting.
When you plant the rose, be sure to dig a much bigger hole than you think you need (for most types, the planting hole should be about 15 to 18 inches wide) and add plenty of organic matter such as compost or aged manure.
Soak the newly planted rose with water.
Mound up loose soil around the canes to protect the rose while it acclimates to its new site.
Some old-timers recommend placing a 4-inch square of gypsum wallboard and a 16- penny nail in the hole to provide calcium and iron, both appreciated by roses.
Don’t crowd the roses if you plant more than one rose bush. Roses should be planted about two-thirds of the expected height apart. Old garden roses will need more space, while miniature roses can be planted closer. Space between plants allows for good air circulation.

Watch How To Plant a Rose!

Care

Watering Roses

Diligently water your roses. Soak the entire root zone at least twice a week in dry summer weather. Avoid frequent shallow sprinklings, which won’t reach the deeper roots and may encourage fungus. In the fall reduce the amount of water, but do not allow roses to completely dry out.
Roses love water—but don’t drown them. That is, they don’t like to sit in water, and they’ll die if the soil is too wet in winter. The ideal soil is rich and loose, with good drainage. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to not provide adequate drainage.
Use mulch. To help conserve water, reduce stress, and encourage healthy growth, apply a 2- to 4-inch layer of chopped and shredded leaves, grass clippings, or shredded bark around the base of your roses. Allow about 1 inch of space between the mulch and the base stem of the plant. See our Mulching Guide for more information.
Roses can be cut back and moved in either spring or fall, but not in midsummer, as they might suffer and die in the heat. Large rose canes can be cut back by as much as two thirds, and smaller ones to within 6 to 12 inches of the ground.

pink roses

Feeding Roses

Feed roses on a regular basis before and throughout the blooming cycle (avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides if you’re harvesting for the kitchen).
Once a month between April and July, apply a balanced granular fertilizer (5-10-5 or 5-10-10). Allow ¾ to 1 cup for each bush, and sprinkle it around the drip line, not against the stem. See our fertilizer guide for more information.
In May and June, scratch in an additional tablespoon of Epsom salts along with the fertilizer; the magnesium sulfate will encourage new growth from the bottom of the bush.
Banana peels are a good source of calcium, sulfur, magnesium, and phosphates—all things that roses like. (Note that it will take longer for your roses to reap the benefits from bananas than it would with pure soil amendments.) Here are three ways to serve them up:
1. Lay a strip of peel at the base of each bush.
2. Bury a black, mushy banana next to each bush.
3. Chop up the peels, let them sit for two weeks in a sealed jar of water, and pour the mixture under each bush.

Pruning Roses

Prune roses every spring and destroy all old or diseased plant material. Wear elbow-length gloves that are thick enough to protect your hands from thorns or a clumsy slip, but flexible enough to allow you to hold your tools. Always wear safety goggles; branches can whip back when released.
Use pruning shears for smaller growth. Use loppers, which look like giant, long-handle shears, for growth that is more than half an inch thick. A small pruning saw is handy, as it cuts on both the push and the pull.
Deadhead religiously and keep beds clean. Every leaf has a growth bud, so removing old flower blossoms encourages the plant to make more flowers instead of using the energy to make seeds. Remove any debris around the rose bush that can harbor disease and insects.
Late in the season, stop deadheading rugosas so that hips will form on the plants; these can be harvested and dried on screens, away from sunlight, then stored in an airtight container.
Stop deadheading all your rose bushes 3 to 4 weeks before the first hard frost so as not to encourage new growth at a time when new shoots may be damaged by the cold.
Not all types of roses are pruned the same way or at the same time of year. Learn more here: How to Prune Roses

Winterizing Roses

Do not prune roses in the fall. Simply cut off any dead or diseased canes.
Clean up the rose beds to prevent overwintering of diseases. One last spray for fungus with a dormant spray is a good idea.
Stop fertilizing 6 weeks before the first fall frost but continue watering during dry fall weather to help keep plants healthy during a dry winter.
Add mulch or compost around the roses after a few frosts but before the ground freezes. Where temperatures stay below freezing during winter, enclose the plant with a sturdy mesh cylinder, filling the enclosure with compost, mulch, dry wood chips, pine needles, or chopped leaves (don’t use maple leaves for mulch, as they can promote mold growth).

Pests/Diseases

Good gardening practices, such as removing dead leaves and canes, will help reduce pests. Find out which pests are most prevalent in your area by checking with your local nursery or Cooperative Extension Service. Here are some of the more common problems:

Japanese Beetles are a common rose pest! See our entire page dedicated to prevention and control of Japanese Beetles!
Aphids: To keep aphids away from roses, plant garlic and mint around the roses.
Black Spot: Rose plant leaves with black spots that eventually turn yellow have black spot. This is often caused by water splashing on leaves, especially in rainy weather. Leaves may require a protective fungicide coating, which would start in the summer before leaf spots started until first frost. Thoroughly clean up debris in the fall, and prune out all diseased canes.
Powdery Mildew:
Leaves, buds, and stems will be covered with a white powdery coating. Mildew develops rapidly during warm, humid weather. Prevent mildew by pruning out all dead or diseased canes in the spring.
Botrytis Blight: This grey fungus will cause the flower buds to droop, stay closed, or turn brown. Prune off all infected blossoms and remove any dead material. Fungicide application may be necessary.
Spider Mites
Thrips
Rust
Stem Borers
Deer: Roses are a delectable tidbit, so try planting lavender near your roses. Not only will you have the makings of a nice potpourri, but the scent of lavender will discourage browsers. You can also spread human or dog hair around the garden area or check our list of deer-resistant plants to protect your roses.

In general, avoid rose issues by buying disease-resistant varieties and cleaning up debris, weeds, fallen leaves and any diseased plant material as soon as possible.

Also, speak to your local Cooperative Extension or trusted nursery about a spray program with products approved in your state.

Recommended Varieties

Traditionally, roses were notoriously challenging to grow. However, roses have changed. There are now many modern easy-to-grow types of roses available. Here are some of our favorites:

Rugosas, with their showy, bright-pink, white, or lavender 5-petal blooms, are great for hedges and wherever a barrier is needed in an exposed or difficult site. They are disease-resistant and cold hardy to Zone 3. Many are fragrant and produce colorful hips. ‘Jens Munk’ blooms through most of the summer.
Pink roses such as ‘Carefree Wonder’ are well-rounded shrub roses cold hardy to Zone 5. They grow about 3 feet tall and require only a little shaping in early spring.
Yellow roses such as ‘Harrison’s Yellow’ blooms early, brightly, and sweetly, and will survive Zone 4 winters.
Hybrid musk roses grow to 5 to 6 feet tall. This shrub rose has attractive foliage and clusters of many small to medium-size flowers. ‘Buff Beauty’ has clusters of fragrant apricot-yellow blooms.
Flower Carpet roses are excellent for ground cover. Once established, they can provide up to 2,000 flowers from spring till fall. They’re extremely low maintenance, drought tolerant, and have exceptional disease resistance.

Flower Carpet Roses

See also our list of disease-resistant rose varieties.

Learn more about easy roses to grow, especially for beginners.

Wit & Wisdom

Rose hips are loaded with vitamin C. 3 average-sized hips have as much vitamin C as a medium-sized orange.
Rose petals are brewed for tea blends and sometimes used in gargles and tonics to treat congestion, sore throats, and stomach disorders.
Rose water is a refreshing skin splash.
Try a flower facial! Gentle, aromatic steam cleanses your pores. For oily skin, add a few rose petals to boiling water in a heatproof bowl. Make a bath towel tent and lean your face about 10 inches above the water. It should feel warm, not hot. After 10 minutes, rinse your face with cool water, then blot dry.
Red roses symbolize love and desire, but roses come in a variety of colors and each has their own meaning. For example, the white rose’s meaning is purity and innocence. See flower meanings.
Roses are also one of the beautiful June birth flowers.
It is believed that the cultivation of roses began about 5,000 years ago in China.
During the Roman Empire, rose gardens were established in the Middle East.
In the 17th century, kings and queens considered roses legal tender for purchases.
Roses have a long and symbolic history.

And I will make thee beds of roses,
And a thousand fragrant posies.
–Christopher Marlowe (1564-93)

White roses

Recipes

Rose Hip Jam

Cooking Notes

The tart reddish-orange hips of rugosa roses are used for jams, jellies, syrups, pies, teas, and wine. Check out our Rose Hip Jam recipe.

Rose petals are edible and can be tossed into salads for color, candied to decorate cakes, or distilled to make rose water. Make sure the rose petals are pesticide free.

Reader Comments

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roses that never bloom

I have some rose bushes that have never bloomed. Other roses near by always bloom.
what can I do to make them bloom, they appear to be very healthy bushes.

Eating leafs

Something is eating my leaves on my rose bushes leaving small holes in them.

Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetles are a primary pest of roses. Check out our Japanese Beetles Pest Page here.

What should I do after the roses have started turning brown?

I have a beautiful rose garden at the new home we just moved into. The roses have bloomed are beginning to turn brown and curl up. How do I prune the bush? Or should I just leave them alone?

how to prune roses

There are different types of roses; you need to know which you’ve got. With that, here is some guidance:

HYBRIDS AND FLORIBUNDAS. Repeat-flowering roses
generally bloom on new wood and need a good clearing out
and cutting back very early in spring before they start greening
up and branching. About the time forsythias bloom, take
out all the dead wood, crossing canes, and spindly growth.
Then shape and prune back everything else, taking into account
the style of the garden and the size and nature of the
variety. Cut back old wood about 30 to 40 percent before
growth begins in late winter. Always cut to a live bud pointing
away from the center of the shrub to encourage outward
growth. Start deadheading after the first flush of flowers, and
continue throughout the summer to encourage more blooms.
■ SPECIES, OLD ROSES, AND ONCE-BLOOMING
SHRUB ROSES. Generally hardier than other roses, these
more primitive types bloom first on old wood in June; rebloomers
repeat on the current season’s growth. Remove diseased,
broken, or dead branches in early spring. After flowering,
prune lightly and selectively to shape the bushes and
control growth.
■ CLIMBING AND RAMBLING ROSES. These tend to
bloom on old wood. It’s fine to remove winter-killed branches
or otherwise damaged wood early in the year, but defer your
annual pruning until early summer, after the peak of bloom.
Prune to remove undesirable canes and to shape and train
growth. Side branches tend to flower more heavily than central
leaders.

yellow leaves . . .

See the pests/disease advice above. It is difficult to be certain what it might be.

Overgrown Rose bush

I have a beautiful rose bush that is quite overgrown (over 6ft tall) and hanging over a sidewalk. Is it possible to cut the top off and replant in another location? Or should I just plan to stake it and tie it back? Please help!

prune or replant?

First, see the pruning tips in the comments immediate above this one. If you decide to transplant, consider this: Roses can be cut back and moved in either spring or fall, but
not in midsummer, as they might suffer and die in the heat. Large rose canes can be cut back by as much as two thirds, and smaller ones to within 6 to 12 inches of the ground.

When you transplant your roses, be sure to dig a much bigger hole than you think you need (for most types, the planting hole should be about 15 to 18 inches wide), and add plenty of organic matter such as compost or aged manure. This will feed your plant in the years ahead. Some old-timers recommend placing a 4-inch square of gypsum wallboard and a 16-penny nail in the hole to provide calcium and iron, both appreciated by roses.

Transplanted in bloom, think I liked it

I bought hybrid tea roses last year. Not long after the first blooms, we moved one because it was interfering with the sprinkler system. It looked unhappy at first, but continued to bloom throughout the season. This year, it does not have so much as one leaf, no new foliage whatsoever, however, there is still green inside the stem towards the base of the cane. Is it done for, or is there a chance it will come back in it's second rear?

moved a rose

Numerous things could be influencing the plant, from soil quality (do you amend and or feed/fertilize it?) to the circumstances of the move. It’s best to transplant roses in spring or ofall, not midsummer. and the new location should have plenty of organic matter/aged manure (these are amendments, per above). And then there’s watering … . So we really can not tell from here.

Rose Bushes

I have two tea cup rose bushes they are about 4 years old they have always had
very large roses,this year they are very tiny,they have had fertilizer on them I really
need your help!!!

roses not blooming

Hi Katherine, You may have hit the reason. One of the most common reasons for roses not blooming well is the use of high nitrogen fertilizers or the over use of them. This will result in few to no blooms or small blooms and lots of foliage. Use a well balanced food or fertilizer when feeding your roses so that all of the rose’s nutritional needs are met.

Another issue can be high temperatures and heat and the resulting stress. Keep an eye on the soil moisture around your roses and make sure it’s moist several inches down.

Finally, there are bigger issues that could be at stake from insect damage to disease; give your roses bushes and good look for any damage. If not, it’s probably related to fertilizing or stress/heat/watering.

Transplanting a mature rose bush

Last week I transplanted a mature rose bush and it is looking bad. Some of the leaves have turned yellow. Help please.

Knock-out roses

Hi
My husband died leaving me with 75 hybrid tea roses to take care of.
Because of my declining health, I called our Master Gardener Club and gave the roses away to our Rose Club.
My question. All the roses were Hybrid Tea roses, except one, and all of different colours. He had one knock-out Bush.
They were all dug up properly.
8 roses have decided grow back and flourish. And they appear to be Knock-out roses and all are Red.
How do I get knockout roses from hybrid tea roots?? I miss the long stemmed roses. And red was my late husbands favorite. Please help me figure this out.
Thank you. De from Sweet Home Alabama

Stray Cats!

I have four beautiful rose bushes that are my pride & joy! I spend every day tending them & just enjoying them in general. My issue, however, is that there are ALOT of cats in my neighborhood that find my flower beds a perfect litter box! I have tried everything, that I know of, to keep those pests out! I've gotten to the point that I'm about to bury razor wire under the mulch! Nothing that I try deterrs them & their owners won't keep them inside! PLEASE HELP!! ANY ideas are appreciated!

Cat repellant

Cats hate vinegar. Try shallow saucers of vinegar, & slugs hate it too.

Cat and roses

Cat don't like black pepper I had a cat and a plant in the house he was using it for litter box to I put pepper around the base of the plant

Stray cats

I read on Pinterest to keep cats away, stick plastic throw-away forks around in your garden. Stick the handle part in the ground.
Leaving the fork tines sticking up. Worth a try!

Fill plastic gallon (1/2

Fill plastic gallon (1/2 gallon) jugs with water, and set in places where cats are a nuisance. When cats rub up against the plastic jugs, it causes static... which cats do not like.

Cat poo

I had problems with a neighbor and her cats for ten years. I tried everything even predator urine, still I had no luck. Then I got a live trap and a camera. I caught the cat's and the neighbor letting them out. I took them to court and now I have a cat free garden. Good luck

Is it worth buying roses at the end of summer?

I've never grown roses but they're currently on sale at our local Lowes at an incredible discount. I want to give it a try. But are they worth buying now? Do I wait to plant them until next spring; May/June? What do I do with them until then? Do I keep them in my garage? Wrap them up? Should I water them? -until when? Please help!

Sickly rose bush

Hi this is my first year growing roses and I have 2. One is a knockout yellow rose bush and it is doing great and is absolutely beautiful. My other rose bush is a Chicago hope hybrid tea rose and just keeps getting worse and worse. I believe it has blackspot, leaves get dark spots that get bigger until they cover whole leaf and gets on the leaves all around it if I don't clip them off as soon as I start seeing the spots. I am using a sulfur based spray on both plants every 7 days and feed it MG for roses (1gallon each plant) every 7 days. It starts to look better then bad again, it's done this all spring/summer. I've had a few blooms which are beautiful but it keeps getting to be less blooms and a lot smaller than when I first purchased it. It'll be winter soon and I'm wondering if there's a way to fix it that I'm not doing? Would it be better to leave the sickly rose in the ground and mulch or dig it up/pot it and bring inside for the winter? I'd appreciate any help I'd really like it to make it but there's only couple stems left alive on it and they are pretty short.

Sorry it's a Chicago peace

Sorry it's a Chicago peace hybrid tea rose, not Chicago hope

Chicago Peace Rose has hope...

Hi, Heather, The name of this rose is as the reader notes below: Chicago Peace, not hope, Rose. Blackspot is the scourge of roses. It is a fungus, and care is a fairly regimented process. This publication suggests the steps in the procedure, as well as specific fungicides: http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0505/index2.tmpl You’ll notice that is from the Alabama cooperative extension service. While it should be helpful anywhere, you can consult a local service by clicking on your state here: https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services

You should decide how much time and effort you want to put into this plant, and if you decide not to go further, consider that it is always best to select rose varieties that are blackspot resistant. We hope this helps!

roses & deer

I don't have room to plant lavender by my roses to deter the deer but can place cut lavender branches all around the base of each. Will that be enough to deter the deer?

Lavender Deer Deterrent

The scent of cut lavender will have the same effect as that of the living plant. However, the scent will fade as the branches dry up, so you will have to replace them with fresh lavender regularly.

Hi i have never kept a flower

Hi i have never kept a flower like rose before this is my first time.and i know nothing how to take care of this in a right way.and im more worried on the place where i lived because it has no space where i can put the rose directly to the sun.and the rose is place in a small pot only when i bought this.please give me some advice thank you

light for roses

Roses can be grown in partial shade, about 3 or 4 hours of sunlight instead of 6 or more hours. Some types do better than others, though. In any case, if you have a spot that provides enough space for the type of rose that you have (did it come with a plant label? Often the label will tell you how high and wide it will grow, and if it is a shrub rose, trailing, or other), and at least some sunlight, then it is worth a try to grow roses there, if there is no other option. The plant may not bloom as much, and the blossoms may not be as large, but you might still be able to enjoy having your very own rose plant. Again, it will depend on the type of rose, and whether it is happy there in other respects, such as soil nutrients etc. I actually have a rose that gets very few hours of direct sunlight, and a yew bush always tries to grow over it; still, I usually get one or two flowers each year from the rose plant, even under such non-ideal conditions. For general rose care, please see the article above. Hope this helps!

Rose Clipping Doing well Please Advise

Hi, I have never kept roses before but recently (May) I was able to get a clipping from my grandparent's old house from a 30-year-old pink rose bush. I am not sure what variety the bus was usually about 4ft tall. Out of the clippings, I was able to get one to root and it is now doing quite well. I have it in a very large pot I think 40" because I live in an apartment in Boston and I want to be able to bring it in and keep it growing/blooming year round. What I am wondering is if anyone has any advice for boosting its growth while it is able to be on the porch with ample summer sun, and advice for once I move it in. I know that I won't get 5-6 hrs of sunlight during the NE winter, but I do have grow lights that I use for other plants during the off season. Any thoughts? And do you think I will see a bloom this year? It just really started growing fast with the heatwave it is currently about 13" tall.

Rose Clipping

Hi Tamara,

Rose bushes require about 1 inch of water per week during their growing period, while during the winter you should allow the soil to dry out to a depth of 1 inch between waterings. If you see a lack of blooms when the bush has grown more and begun to crowd the pot, it’s time to replant in a bigger pot. Roses can get by on 3 to 4 hours of sunlight a day, so don’t worry too much about providing extra light with a grow lamp. If you do decide to use one, make sure you’re consistent and don’t surprise the rose bush with light in the middle of the night. Keep the temperature below 75 degrees F during the day and above 40 degrees F at night.

Growing Roses

Botanical Name	Rosa
Plant Type	Flower
Sun Exposure	Full Sun
Soil Type	Loamy
Soil pH	Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time	Spring, Summer, Fall
Flower Color	Varies
Hardiness Zones	Varies
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How to Plant, Grow, and Prune Roses

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Planting

Watch How To Plant a Rose!

Care

Pests/Diseases

Recommended Varieties

Wit & Wisdom

Recipes

Cooking Notes

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