Planting Advice
Before you start, with the plant still in its pot water well or dunk in a bucket of water until air bubbles stop rising. Dig a hole deep enough to be able to plant the first 3-5cms of the branches below soil level and wide enough for the root ball. Mix into the bottom of the hole organic matter, such as well rotted manure or planting compost, along with rose food. Add a measure of Mycorrhizal Fungi – following manufacturers guidelines this will aid establishment. Mix planting compost and a measure of rose food into the soil removed from the planting hole.
Remove the rose from its pot. Place the rose in the hole, ensuring it sits 3-5cm below the soil level. Replace the soil, firming as you go. Water in thoroughly.
For planting in a patio pot choose a large pot, at least 35cm in diameter with drainage holes at the bottom. Add a layer of large shingle or rocks to the bottom of the pot for further drainage. Follow the instructions above using a loam-based compost such as John Innes No3. Leave at least 3cm between the soil level and the top of the pot to make watering easier.
A note on Autumn Planting
Our roses are field grown and containerised through autumn and winter. Depending on when the rose is being planted some compost can fall away when it is removed from the pot, if this happens combine the compost (which contains a slow release fertiliser) with the soil to back fill around the rose. Firm well around the roots as you go.
Care Advice
Keep well-watered until established. Keep roses in patio pots thoroughly soaked, especially through the summer. Feed with a rose fertiliser in spring and summer. We also recommend Uncle Tom's® Rose Tonic as a spray throughout the growing season.
Remove faded flowers to encourage repeat flowering. Prune in March or before new growth starts. Reduce all growth by a third to a half. Remove any dead, diseased, spindly or badly crossing stems, cutting back to the base of the plant.
Cut stems for bringing into the home as a bud shows colour and the outer petals start to unfurl, trim at the desired stem length, just above a leaf. Remove all the leaves apart from top one or two, stand the stems in fresh water.
