What Is a Bare Root Rose?A Beginner's Guide to Every Part
Opening the box on your first bare root rose is an exciting moment. Inside, you'll find a neat bundle of roots and sturdy stems, carefully packed and resting for winter. There are no leaves or flowers yet, and that is exactly as it should be. Everything your rose needs to grow, flourish and flower for years to come is already there, ready and waiting for spring.
Getting to know each part of your rose, and what it does, makes planting simple and helps you give it the very best start.
What is a Bare Root Rose?
Bare root roses are grown in open fields and lifted in winter, while they are dormant. Dormant simply means resting. Just as a tree drops its leaves in autumn, the rose slows down for the colder months and saves its energy for spring. Because it is resting, it can travel without soil or a pot and settle happily into its new home.
Growing roses this way brings real benefits:
- A wider choice - Bare root season offers one of the largest selections of varieties.
- Excellent value - Without
pots and compost to transport, bare root roses are more economical to buy and send. - A quick start - Planted in winter, the roots go straight into your soil and begin settling in, ready to grow away as soon as spring arrives.
Let's look at each part in turn, starting from the bottom.
The Roots
At the base of your rose are its roots. Look closely and you'll notice two kinds: a few thicker, woody roots, and a mass of finer, thread-like roots growing around them.
Each has its own job. The thicker roots anchor the rose firmly in the ground and reach down deep in search of moisture. The finer roots do most of the drinking, taking up water and nutrients from the soil, much like the fine bristles of a paintbrush soaking up paint. Together, they form the foundation that will support your rose for years.
What this means for you: before planting, soak the roots in a bucket of water for a few hours to refresh them after their journey. When you plant, spread them out in the hole rather than bunching them up, so they can reach out into the surrounding soil.
The Bud Union
Just above the roots, where the stems begin, you'll see a knobbly swelling. This is the bud union, sometimes called the graft point, and it is the heart of your rose.
Most roses are made from two plants joined together, a technique known as grafting. The roots come from a strong, vigorous rose chosen for its toughness, called the rootstock. The top of the plant comes from the variety you chose, with its own colour, fragrance and character. Joined at the bud union, the two grow as one: hardy roots below, beautiful flowers above.
The bud union is also where new stems grow from, which is how your rose becomes fuller and more generous year after year.
What this means for you: plant your rose so the bud union sits about 5cm (2in) below the soil surface. This protects it from frost and encourages strong new stems to grow from the base.
The Stems
Rising from the bud union are the stems, which rose growers often call canes. They form the framework of your future rose, the structure that will carry its leaves and flowers. Depending on the variety, they may be green or reddish-brown, smooth or lightly thorned.
What this means for you: your rose may arrive already trimmed and ready for planting. If any stems have been damaged or broken, simply snip them back to just above a healthy bud.
The Dormant Buds
Look closely along the stems and you'll spot small, slightly raised bumps. These are dormant buds, and each one is a future shoot.
As the soil warms and the days lengthen in spring, the buds begin to swell and open, sending out fresh shoots that soon fill with leaves and, by summer, flowers. It is one of the most rewarding moments of the gardening year.
What this means for you: nothing at all, other than to let them be. They may be small, but they are ready.
Your Rose on Arrival
A healthy bare root rose has firm stems and plump roots. If you can't plant it straight away, keep it in its packaging somewhere cool and frost-free, such as a shed or garage, and make sure the roots stay moist. Plant as soon as you can, choosing a day when the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged.
Then let nature take it from there. Through the winter your rose will quietly settle in, and when spring arrives those small buds will open into the first shoots of a rose that will flower for many years to come.
Putting It All Together: Planting in Five Steps
Now that you know each part of your rose, planting it is simple. Each step looks after a different part of the plant.
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1
Soak the roots in a bucket of water for a few hours, so they are refreshed and ready to grow.
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2
Dig a wide hole, comfortably wider than the spread of the roots, so they have room to stretch out.
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3
Spread the roots gently in the hole, rather than bunching them together.
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4
Check the depth, so the bud union sits about 5cm (2in) below the soil surface. Laying a cane across the hole makes this easy to judge.
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5
Backfill, firm and water, gently firming the soil around the roots and giving the rose a good drink.
Grow Bare Root Roses
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