I've received my roses. Now what do I do!?

We ship our bare root roses in the winter (November to March/April). The roses are harvested during this time and instead of potting them up, we ship them to you as bare root roses. You can plant bare root roses immediately upon receiving them provided the ground is not frozen or the temperatures and winds are not bitter cold.

 

However, if you can’t plant them immediately here are two options. First you can store them in a cool, dark room in a tightly sealed plastic bag. You can store them this way for up to a week. If, at this point, you still cannot plant them then we advise “heeling” them in outdoors.

 

While heeling in sounds complicated it actually isn’t. First dig a trench long enough and deep enough to hold the roses. The depth should be so the roots and bud union (the “knot” above the roots where the canes branch from) will be well buried. It is very important to protect these parts of the plant. Remove the string on the bundle of roses and put the roses in the trench one by one making sure you spread the roots out well. It is actually like planting the rose, but since it’s winter and cold the roses won’t start growing. It is also okay to put the roses right next to each other. Later on, when the ground and weather permit, you will lift them out of the trench and plant them in their permanent location. Mound the soil back in making sure that the bud union is well below soil level. While they are in the trench keep the soil most, but not wet.

 

When you are ready to plant the roses in their permanent location make sure to soak the roots in water for up to two hours right before planting. But no more than that!