Potting Up More Roses

April 28, 2025

We're expecting good, warm spring weather the next few days - perfect for getting lots of tasks done in the gardens.

Last week, my gardeners potted up another large delivery of bare-root roses - this one from Edmunds' Roses, a Randolph, Wisconsin based company that offers a range of hybrid and heirloom rose varieties. Once they arrived, the bare-roots were soaked in water and then carefully potted up and placed into my "nursery" where they can be properly maintained until they are planted in their more permanent locations.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: All these rose varieties are selected specifically for my growing area. It’s crucial to soak them for several hours or even overnight, but not more than 12-hours before potting or planting.

: My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, also added Miracle-Gro Quick Start – a starting solution that provides nutrients to help root growth.

: Bare-root roses are dug up in late fall through early winter and shipped when dormant. This makes them easier to handle and transport. Healthy bare-root roses should have plump stems and roots with no evidence of mold or damage. The canes should be also thick with good branching.

: Here at my farm, I make my own nutrient-rich compost in a back field. It is used for all my garden beds and these potted bare-root specimens.

: And don’t forget to feed. A generous sprinkling of Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n Feed Plant Food is added to the composted soil and mixed in thoroughly.

: Bare-root cuttings are difficult to identify when there are no leaves or flowers, so my team is careful to keep them separated by cultivar and always properly marked.

: Depending on the nursery, they may come in bundles of 10, 15, 25, or more. To ensure there is no confusion, Phurba removes the twine and works with one bundle at a time.

: Roses have two kinds of fibrous roots – thick roots to help stabilize the plant and keep it upright and thin feeder roots that absorb all the nutrients from the soil.

: The root section of each bare-root rose should fit into the pot without being crowded at the bottom.

: Phurba positions the root so that the bud union is below the soil when filled. Holding the plant with one hand, he then backfills just to under the pot’s lip.

: Phurba continues to hold the rose securely until there is enough soil around the plant to keep it in position.

: This pot is an appropriate size for this bare-root. It should be two to three times bigger than the root ball and always with drainage holes at the bottom.

: Lastly, he gently tamps the soil down around the plant, so there is good contact with the roots.

: The crew has devised an efficient production line process for potting massive amounts of bare-roots. Phurba pots them up as another loads them onto a wheelbarrow.

: And do you know… while roses are sharp, they don’t actually have thorns, they have prickles – there’s a difference. Unlike a thorn, a prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.

: Matthew loads each pot by variety into a wheelbarrow.

: And then wheels the potted roses to their designated row in the “nursery.”

: Bare-root roses are often between one and three years old. These will thrive in these pots and could even flower this year.

: Initially, these roses will be watered daily to keep their roots and canes properly hydrated. Then they will be watered every couple of days to keep the root zones moist. Some of the varieties in this group include: ‘Florentina,’ ‘Joseph’s Coat,’ ‘Pearly Gates,’ ‘Golden Opportunity,’ ‘New Dawn,’ ‘Tangerine Skies,’ ‘Pretty in Pink,’ ‘Westerland,’ ‘Kiss Me Kate,’ ‘William Baffin,’ ‘Laguna,’ ‘America,’ and ‘Quick Silver.’

: All these bare-root specimens will have ample time to develop good root systems. I am looking forward to planting them in the gardens when they are ready.