English Roses for Christmas: How to Keep Them at Their Best Until They Can Be Planted
Giving a rose at Christmas is a thoughtful and much-loved gesture. Even in winter, when the garden rests and the days grow quieter, a rose carries the promise of colour and new life in the year ahead. Often, though, roses are bought well before they are given. If yours needs to be kept for a short while before Christmas Day, or before it can be planted, caring for it is wonderfully simple. Roses are far more patient than they appear and will remain at their best with just a little attention.
If Your Rose Arrives Bare Root
Bare root roses arrive in their natural dormant state. They are resting quietly and can be kept like this for up to two weeks, which makes them very easy to look after before gifting or planting.
If you plan to gift or plant it within two weeks
You can leave the rose in its packaging and place it somewhere cool, sheltered and frost-free such as a shed, garage or unheated porch. In these conditions, the rose will stay in excellent condition until you are ready for it.
If it needs to wait a little longer
If the rose will be waiting for more than two weeks, it will appreciate a temporary resting place. You have two simple options:
1. Heel it in
Take the rose from its packaging. If you have several, keep them tied together.
Dig a small hole or shallow trench in the garden, place the roots inside and
cover them lightly with soil. Water if the weather is dry. This keeps the roots
protected until planting time.
2. Pot it up for gifting
Alternatively, you can plant the bare root rose into a large pot filled with
compost. Water well and place the pot outdoors in a sheltered spot. This is an
easy way to prepare the rose for gifting and keeps it perfectly content until
it can be planted in the garden.
If Your Rose Arrives Potted
Potted roses are even easier to keep before gifting or planting. Already growing in soil, they only need water and a sheltered spot.
Short-term care
Place the pot outdoors in a calm corner of the garden or on a balcony. Water whenever the compost feels dry on the surface. Even in winter, a potted plant can dry out faster than expected, especially if it is sheltered from rainfall by eaves or walls.
If the rose must wait a bit longer
A potted rose can stay in its container for several weeks, even a couple of months, without any difficulty. Simply keep it watered and avoid bringing it indoors where the warmth can confuse its natural rhythm. Cool, steady outdoor conditions are best.
When spring returns and the soil begins to warm, the rose will be ready to plant and eager to grow.
Roses are wonderfully resilient, especially in their winter rest. Whether bare root or potted, they cope well with waiting, which makes them ideal gifts purchased a little ahead of time. With the simplest care, they will remain at their best until they can be planted, ready to bring beauty, scent and new growth to the garden in the year ahead.
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Using Rose Hips for Christmas: Natural Crafts and Winter Garden InspirationAs autumn settles and the days take on a crisp, silvery light, the garden begins to quieten. Blooms fade, leaves fall, and roses offer their final gesture of the year. Their hips, glowing in reds and soft oranges, brighten bare stems like small lanterns and bring warmth to the stillness of the season. These fruits have long carried a nostalgic charm, recalling winter walks, simple festive gatherings and the comforting traditions of Christmas. Rose hips are easy to collect. Choose firm, brightly coloured hips and snip them with a short length of stem attached. A gentle rinse is enough to prepare them for craft or cookery.
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The Perfect Gifts for Gardeners this ChristmasAs the garden rests and daylight draws in, Christmas becomes a lovely moment to surprise the gardener in your life with something thoughtful. The right gift can brighten the quieter months and carry the promise of beauty when spring returns and the roses wake again.
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Roses in the Shadow: English Roses for Shaded SpotsWhen we speak of “shade” in the garden, it is important to be precise. Few roses will prosper in deep shadow, but many are perfectly happy with four or five hours of sunlight a day. Think of those north-facing walls or quiet spots that bask in morning or evening light. These are not wasted spaces; with the right roses, they can become some of the most enchanting areas of the garden.
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Creating A Living Wall With Climbing RosesA living wall has a way of transforming a space, turning a simple surface into a quiet theatre of petals, scent and shifting light. When English Roses form the foundation, the display becomes generous and enduring. Their repeat blooms, soft colours and naturally graceful habit bring depth and character to any vertical space, whether it is a boundary fence, a warm house wall or a tucked-away corner that needs a little life.
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Introducing The King’s Rose (Ausa27a16) : A New Chapter in the GardenThe King’s Rose is unlike anything we’ve bred before. With its soft stripes, gentle fragrance and natural charm, it marks a distinctive new direction for the David Austin® collection. Created in support of The King’s Foundation, this rose brings together beauty, purpose and a quiet nod to tradition.
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The Perfumed Garden: English Roses That Fill the Air with FragranceSoft light spills across a quiet garden, where the hum of bees threads through the still air and petals tremble with the morning dew. There is a hush here, a sense that time itself slows, inviting the senses to wander and the spirit to rest. In these moments, the perfume of roses becomes more than a fragrance. It is at once familiar and fleeting, a memory, a mood, a gentle companion to the day, recalling childhood gardens, evening walks and the warmth of the sun. Among our English Roses, some are distinguished not only by their beauty but by the generosity of their perfume.
