How to plant a potted rose

For more expert advice on growing roses, check out our grow guides for species and shrub roses, climbing roses, rambling roses and ground cover roses.

Follow the four easy steps below to plant a potted rose.

You Will Need

• Fork
• Spade
• Mycorrhizal fungi
• Well-rotted manure

Step 1

Dig a hole that's slightly larger than your rose's container, then break up the soil at the base and work well-rotted farmyard manure into the soil at the bottom of the hole.

Step 2

Remove the container, sprinkling mycorrhizal fungi over the roots. Position the plant in the hole with the graft union just below the soil surface, so that it will be totally covered by soil when planting is completed. Fill in the hole, gently pressing down to get rid of air gaps.

Step 3

Mulch the soil around the rose with more well-rotted manure, but leave a 10cm gap around the stem. This will reduce weed competition and improve soil condition. Repeat in spring.

Step 4

Water to settle the soil around the roots. This is one of the most important aspects of planting anything new. Make sure that the soil doesn't dry out while the rose establishes.

Caring for your rose

Feed your rose in spring with a liquid or granular slow-release feed – you'll find specific rose feeds in garden centres. Lightly prune in the first year, cutting back flowering shoots and those that are out of proportion.