How to Plant Bare Root Roses UK: When, Depth & Soaking

You may be wondering why on earth anyone would want to be out planting roses in the middle of winter. I’d usually agree with you, but planting bare root roses while it’s cold saves you a whole heap of money and hassle next year. Instead of babysitting a pot-grown rose with a watering can every summer evening, you plant once in winter and let the rose sort itself out.

I’ve planted bare root roses in my own garden and on client projects for years, and they’re one of the cheapest ways to buy roses. A bare root rose usually costs around a third of the price of the same rose in a pot; you get far more varieties to choose from, and it establishes faster because it goes into the ground while it’s asleep.

Pull up a seat, and I’ll explain why you’ll want to plant bare root from now on, and exactly how to do it.

In the video below I walk through planting a bare root rose from start to finish, and the written guide underneath covers every step in more detail, including how long to soak bare root roses, how deep to plant them, and what to do if you can’t plant them straight away.

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The one thing I’d add to every bare root rose planting hole is a sprinkle of Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi, which helps the new roots get going over winter and can help reduce the risk of rose replant disease.

What Are Bare Root Roses?

Bare root roses are field-grown roses that nurseries lift from the ground while the roots are still in the soil, then pack and post the plants with nothing around their roots but a little damp packing material. Because they’re dormant, they need very little energy and cope perfectly well out of the ground for a short time.

Without a pot and a few kilos of compost, bare roots take up hardly any space and weigh next to nothing to post. That saving is passed on to you. In most cases a bare root rose costs about a third of what you’d pay for the same rose in a pot at a garden centre, where a container rose midseason can easily cost £20 to £25.

The other big advantage is choice. A garden centre only stocks a limited range of potted roses, but specialist growers sell hundreds of varieties as bare roots, from tough rugosas for hedging to climbers, ramblers, English shrub roses and old garden roses. If you’re not sure which type suits you, my guide to the different types of roses explains the lot.

What to Look for When Buying Bare Root Roses

Not all bare root roses are equal, so it’s worth knowing what a good one looks like. A quality bare root rose should have at least three strong, healthy canes roughly as thick as a pencil or thicker, and a well-branched root system rather than one or two thin roots. Specialist growers usually sell their roses graded, and the top grade is always worth the small extra cost.

Order early. The best varieties sell out quickly, and most growers take orders from late summer and post them out from November once the roses are lifted.

Buying from a specialist rose grower rather than a general retailer usually means fresher plants that were lifted days rather than weeks before they reach you. My guide to buying healthy plants online covers what to check when a delivery arrives and how to spot a plant that’s been sitting in a warehouse too long.

Pre-packed bare root roses sold in supermarkets and DIY stores in plastic bags can be fine, but check them carefully before you buy. Avoid any with dried, shrivelled roots, pale spindly shoots sprouting inside the bag, or stems that are brown and wrinkled. Those signs mean the rose has been kept somewhere too warm and has started to wake up, and it will struggle once planted.

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Bare Root vs Potted Roses: Which Is Better?

Potted roses have their place, especially if you want something in flower right now. For planting a new bed or adding roses to an existing border, though, bare roots win on almost every count.

Because a bare root rose goes into cold, moist soil while it’s dormant, all its energy goes into growing roots rather than leaves or flowers. By spring it’s settled in and ready to grow, whereas a potted rose planted in June has to build roots, leaves and flowers all at once in the warmest, driest part of the year. That’s why potted roses planted in summer need so much watering, and why bare roots are far less work.

My Favourite Bare Root Roses

I grow all four of these roses here at Garden Ninja HQ, and every one of them is worth tracking down as a bare root. They’re the kind of roses you’ll rarely see sitting in a garden centre in a pot, which is exactly why buying bare root opens up so much more choice. Three of them are old garden roses, so if you’re new to the different groups, my guide to types of roses explains what that means.

Rosa odorata

Rosa odorata is the tea-scented China rose, one of the ancestors of the modern hybrid tea. It has soft, blush pink flowers with a light, fresh scent that really does carry a hint of tea, and it brings a sense of history to a border that newer roses can’t match. It’s less hardy than most roses, so give it the warmest, most sheltered spot you have, ideally against a sunny wall.

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Rosa ‘Nuits de Young’

‘Nuits de Young’ is a moss rose with rich, dark red flowers so deep they verge on maroon, lit up by golden stamens in the centre. Its stems and buds are covered in a fine, almost hairy moss, which gives it a texture you want to reach out and touch. It’s a compact, scented rose that flowers once in early summer, and it suits a moody planting scheme alongside dark foliage.

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Rosa ‘Belle de Crécy’

‘Belle de Crécy’ is an old Gallica rose, and one of the few roses you can handle without gloves because its stems are almost completely thornless. The flowers open a rich cerise pink and gradually fade through violet to soft lilac grey, so a single bush carries several shades at once. Each flower is flat and packed with petals around a small green eye, and it is strongly scented.

Gallicas are tough, compact roses that cope with poorer soil better than many modern varieties. Like most old roses, it flowers once in early summer, so plan something else to carry the border through late summer.

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Rosa ‘Alissar, Princess of Phoenicia’

This is the rose that stops visitors in their tracks here at Garden Ninja HQ. ‘Alissar, Princess of Phoenicia’ is a modern shrub rose, bred by Harkness from Rosa persica, the Persian rose, and introduced in 2009.

Small pointed crimson buds open into simple, almost single flowers in creamy peach, each with a striking ruby-red eye at its centre. As the flowers sit in the summer sun, they flush through to a deep, bright pink, so the bush carries cream and pink flowers at the same time.

Unlike the old roses above, it flowers repeatedly from late spring into autumn, and at around a metre tall it suits pots as well as borders.

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Old garden roses such as ‘Nuits de Young’ and ‘Belle de Crécy’ are mostly sold by specialist rose growers, and the bare root season is the time to order them. Order early, as the less common varieties sell out first.

When to Plant Bare Root Roses in the UK

The bare root season runs from November to March, and you can plant at any point in that window as long as the ground isn’t frozen solid or waterlogged. If you can push a spade in and the soil doesn’t cling to it in a sticky mess, it’s fine to plant.

If you have the choice, November and December are the best months. The soil still holds a little warmth from the autumn, so the roots start growing straight away and have the longest possible time to establish before spring. My November gardening guide covers the other bare root jobs worth doing at the same time.

Roses planted in late February or March still do well, but they’ll need more watering in their first spring because they’ve had less time to root.

Can You Plant Bare Root Roses in Spring?

You can plant until the end of March, and in a cold northern spring sometimes into early April, as long as the rose is still dormant with buds that haven’t burst. Once buds are breaking into leaf, the rose is waking up and is much more likely to struggle. Late-planted roses must be watered through any dry spells in April and May, so be ready for that.

What to Do When Your Bare Root Roses Arrive

Open the parcel as soon as it arrives. Check the roots are moist and plump rather than dry and brittle, and that the stems are firm and green or reddish under the bark. A few broken root tips or snapped stem ends are normal, and you can trim those off with clean, sharp secateurs when you plant.

Plant as soon as you can, ideally within a day or two. Dormant roses are still alive and still need moisture, and if the roots dry out the rose can die before it ever leaves the box. If the ground is frozen or you simply can’t get to it, you have two options.

How to Heel In Bare Root Roses

Heeling in means planting your roses temporarily until you’re ready for them. Dig a shallow trench in a sheltered spot, lay the roses in at an angle so the roots are covered, and firm soil over the roots. They’ll sit there happily for several weeks.

Then lift them and plant them properly when the weather allows. The same technique works for bare root hedging and trees.

If the ground is frozen solid, leave the roses in their packaging in a cool, frost-free shed or garage for up to a week, and check the roots are still damp. Don’t bring them into a warm house, as that can wake them up too early.

How Long to Soak Bare Root Roses Before Planting

Soak bare root roses in a bucket of water for one to two hours before planting. This is the most important step of the lot. Even if the roots look fine, they’ll have lost moisture in the post, and a good drink before planting gives them the best possible start. Think of it like having a glass of water before going out for a jog.

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Don’t be tempted to leave them soaking overnight. Roots need air as well as water, and leaving them submerged for too long can start to suffocate them and do more harm than good. A couple of hours is plenty, and you can use the soaking water to water the roses in once they’re planted.

While they soak, it’s a good time to dig the holes and get your compost ready, so the roots spend as little time as possible out of water.

Choosing the Right Spot for a Bare Root Rose

Most eager gardeners are in such a rush to get their new roses in that they skip this bit. It pays to think about it first.

Most roses want at least five or six hours of direct sun a day, although some shrub roses, ramblers and rugosas cope with dappled shade. Check the label for your variety, and if you’re not sure which parts of your garden get the sun, my guide to garden aspects will help you work it out.

Sometimes the place you want to plant a rose and the best place to plant it aren’t the same. Mother Nature always wins, so choose the spot that sets the rose up for success. Avoid dry, crowded borders, the rain shadow at the foot of a wall, and heavy soil that sits wet all winter.

Roses like rich, moisture-retentive soil and do well on clay, as you’ll see in my list of plants that love clay soil. If your soil is poor, my guide to working out your soil type explains how to improve it.

Give each rose room to grow. As a rough guide, plant hybrid teas and floribundas about 45 to 60cm apart, shrub roses 75cm to a metre apart, and climbers at least two metres apart along a fence or wall. Crowded roses get poor airflow, and poor airflow means more black spot.

Avoid Rose Replant Disease

Never plant a new rose in the exact spot where an old rose has just been dug out. Rose replant disease is a build-up of soil problems that leaves new roses stunted and sulking for years. If you have to use the same spot, dig out a hole roughly 45cm wide and deep, swap the soil with soil from another part of the garden where roses haven’t grown, and add mycorrhizal fungi to the roots at planting.

How to Plant a Bare Root Rose, Step by Step

Once your rose has had its soak and you’ve chosen the spot, planting a bare root rose is quick and easy. Here’s exactly how I do it.

Step 1: Dig a Wide Hole

Dig a hole roughly twice as wide as the spread of the roots, which for most roses means about 40cm across. The roots need room to spread out naturally. If you cram them into a small hole, they’ll circle round and the rose will take far longer to establish. Loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole with a fork so the roots can push down easily.

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Step 2: Improve the Soil

Roses are hungry plants. They put a huge amount of energy into all those flowers every summer, so give them a good start. I mix a 50:50 blend of high-quality peat-free compost and homemade leaf mould.

The compost provides nutrients as the rose establishes, and the leaf mould adds beneficial soil life and helps hold moisture. If you don’t have leaf mould, just use more compost.

I use Dalefoot wool compost for roses because it holds moisture well and is peat-free. Mix a good couple of handfuls into the soil at the bottom of the hole and into the soil you’ll use to backfill. My guide to the soil improvers I use covers the alternatives.

Step 3: Add Mycorrhizal Fungi

Sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi directly onto the wet roots, or into the hole where the roots will sit. The fungi form a partnership with the roots and help the rose take up water and nutrients, which makes a noticeable difference in the first year. The fungi must touch the roots to work, so don’t just scatter them on the surface.

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Step 4: Set the Planting Depth

Look at the base of the stems and you’ll see a knobbly swelling where the stems meet the roots. That’s the graft union, where the rose variety was joined onto a tough rootstock. My rootstock guide explains how grafting works if you’re curious. How deep you set it is the step people most often get wrong.

I plant mine so the graft union sits just at or slightly above soil level, and I’ve planted that way for years. If you bury the union too deeply, it can rot or become diseased. Lay a cane across the hole to check the level as you go.

You’ll find conflicting advice on this online. The RHS and David Austin both recommend setting the union a few centimetres below the soil. Their reasoning is that it protects the graft from hard frosts and reduces suckers, which are unwanted shoots from the rootstock.

I think the burying advice comes mostly from colder climates than ours. Both methods work, so I’ll let you decide which suits your garden, but whichever you choose, don’t bury the union deeply.

Step 5: Backfill and Firm In

Hold the rose upright, turn it a few times until the best side faces the front, then backfill with your improved soil, shaking the rose gently as you go so soil falls between the roots. Firm the soil with your heel and then your hands so the rose is anchored and there are no air pockets around the roots. Don’t stamp on it. Use about as much pressure as you’d be happy having applied to your own toes.

Step 6: Water In Well

Always water a newly planted rose in, even in winter and even if the soil is damp. Watering settles the soil around the roots and stops the dry soil drawing moisture back out of them. Pour the leftover soaking water around the base, then add another full can.

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Step 7: Mulch and Tidy

Finish with a 5cm layer of mulch around the base, keeping it a hand’s width away from the stems. Mulch keeps the roots moist, smothers weeds and slowly feeds the soil. My guide to mulching your garden covers which mulch to use where. Snip off any damaged or dead stem tips with sharp secateurs, but leave the main pruning until early spring.

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How to Plant Bare Root Climbing Roses

Bare root climbing roses go in the same way, with two differences. First, plant them at least 45cm away from the wall or fence. The base of a wall is very dry, because the wall casts a rain shadow and soaks up moisture, so planting too close means a thirsty, struggling rose. Second, angle the rose towards its support at around 45 degrees and fan the main stems out along canes, so it starts climbing in the right direction.

Put the wires, trellis or obelisk in before you plant, so you’re not stamping round a new rose later. As the stems grow, tie them in as close to horizontal as you can. Horizontal stems flower far more freely than upright ones. A clematis scrambling through a climbing rose is a classic pairing, and my guide to the best climbing plants has more ideas for walls and fences.

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How to Plant Bare Root Standard Roses

Standard roses, sometimes sold as rose trees, are a rose variety grafted onto the top of a tall, clear stem. They plant the same way as a bush rose, with one important extra step. Knock in a stake before you plant, not after, so you don’t drive it straight through the roots.

Put the stake on the side of the prevailing wind and make it tall enough to reach just into the head of the rose. Set the rose in the hole right beside it, plant and firm in as normal, then fix the stem to the stake with two rubber tree ties, one near the top and one halfway down.

Because the head catches the wind, standard roses rock far more than bush roses, so check the ties and firm the base after every storm. My guide to planting trees covers staking in more detail.

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Planting a Bare Root Rose Hedge

Roses make a beautiful, wildlife-friendly hedge, and bare roots are by far the cheapest way to plant one. Rosa rugosa is the classic choice. It’s tough, copes with poor soil and coastal wind, flowers all summer and finishes with big red hips that the birds love. Dog roses and other species roses work well in a mixed native hedge too.

Plant a rose hedge about 45cm apart in a single row, or in a staggered double row if you want a dense, impenetrable barrier quickly. Prepare a trench rather than individual holes, and follow the same soaking, planting and watering steps as above. My guides to bare root hedging and how to plant a hedge cover spacing and trench preparation step by step.

Can You Plant Bare Root Roses in Pots?

Yes, and bare root roses grow very happily in containers as long as the pot is big enough. Use a pot at least 45cm deep and wide for a shrub or hybrid tea rose. Patio and miniature roses will manage in something smaller. Make sure it has drainage holes, and raise it on pot feet so water can escape over winter.

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Fill it with a loam-based compost such as John Innes No. 3, mixed with about a quarter peat-free multipurpose compost. Loam-based compost holds nutrients and moisture far better than multipurpose alone and gives the rose a stable base. Plant at the same depth as you would in the ground.

Then water well, and remember that potted roses rely on you for water all year round, even in winter dry spells. My container gardening guide covers pots and compost in more detail.

What to Plant With Roses

A bed of roses on bare soil looks bare for half the year. Planting around them gives the border structure in spring, hides the leggy bases of older roses, and attracts the predators that keep aphids down. Keep a 30cm circle clear around the base of each rose so the companions don’t compete for water and nutrients, then plant generously beyond it.

Good partners include Catmint (Nepeta), hardy Geraniums and Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) for a soft froth at the front, Salvias and Alliums for spikes and globes through the middle, and Foxgloves and Verbena bonariensis for height. Repeat a few of them along the border rather than dotting single plants about.

The photo below shows ‘Alissar, Princess of Phoenicia’ in one of my borders at Garden Ninja HQ, with Verbena bonariensis weaving through it. My guide to designing a cottage garden shows how to put it all together, and my Salvia guide covers the hardy varieties that flower alongside roses all summer.

Moving an Established Rose in Winter

The bare root season is also the best time to move an established rose, because it’s dormant and the roots are easier to handle. Prune the stems back by about half to make it manageable, dig around it as widely as you can to keep plenty of root, then lift it and replant straight away using the same steps as a bare root rose.

Water it well and keep watering through its first spring and summer. My guide to lifting and moving established shrubs covers the technique in more detail.

Very old roses with huge root systems don’t always survive a move. If yours is too big to dig out, take hardwood cuttings in late autumn or winter as a backup. Many roses, especially shrub roses and ramblers, root easily that way, and you’ll have young plants of the same variety by the following autumn.

Aftercare Through Winter and Spring

Bare root roses need very little looking after over winter. Their metabolism is slowed right down, so their energy goes into growing roots below ground. Keep an eye on a few things and they’ll look after themselves.

Check them after hard frosts. Frost can lift newly planted roses slightly out of the ground and leave the roots loose. If a rose looks wobbly after a cold snap, firm it back in with your heel. Wind rock does the same job on taller roses, so firm them after storms too.

Water in dry spells. A UK winter rarely leaves new roses short of water, but late winter and spring droughts happen more often than you’d think. A rose planted from February onwards will need watering through any dry spell in its first spring and summer. Give it a full can once a week rather than a splash every day, so the water reaches the roots.

Don’t feed at planting time beyond the compost and mycorrhizal fungi. Once the first leaves open in spring, give the rose a balanced rose feed such as Toprose rose and shrub feed or an organic option such as Vitax organic rose food. Feed again after the first flush of flowers in early summer. My fertiliser guide compares the rose feeds I rate.

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Pruning Your Rose in Its First Spring

Most bare root roses arrive already trimmed back by the nursery. In early spring, as the buds begin to swell, prune bush roses back to a few strong, outward-facing buds to encourage a well-shaped plant. Climbers and ramblers need far less pruning in their first year.

Remove anything dead or damaged and tie the rest in. The video below and my beginners guide to pruning roses show exactly where to cut, and my January pruning calendar and winter pruning guide cover what else to tackle at the same time.

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How Long Do Bare Root Roses Take to Grow?

A bare root rose planted between November and January will usually break into leaf in March or April, as the weather warms up. Repeat-flowering roses flower in their first summer, usually from June, although the first year’s display is lighter than in later years while the plant builds up. By the second summer it should be flowering properly.

Don’t panic if a bare root rose is slow to leaf. Roses planted late, or in a cold, exposed garden, can take until May to show green. Scratch a stem gently with your thumbnail.

If it’s green and moist underneath, the rose is alive and just slow. My dead or dormant guide explains the scratch test in more detail.

Common Bare Root Rose Problems

Most bare root rose failures come down to a handful of causes, nearly all of which are avoidable at planting time.

Bare Root Rose Not Growing

If the stems are brown and brittle all the way down by late May, the rose has most likely dried out before or after planting, been planted with the union buried deep in wet soil, or been planted where an old rose grew. Contact the supplier first, as most good rose growers will replace a bare root rose that fails to break in its first spring.

Shoots Growing From Below the Graft

Suckers are vigorous shoots growing from the rootstock below the graft union, often with smaller, paler leaves than the rest of the rose. Pull them off at the point where they join the root rather than cutting them, as cutting encourages more to grow.

Black Spot and Poor Flowering

Black spot is the most common rose disease in the UK, and it’s worse on crowded, stressed roses. Good spacing, a sunny spot and a mulch go a long way to preventing it. My rose black spot guide covers treatment, and if your rose establishes but won’t flower, my guide to why roses don’t flower works through the causes.

One last practical point: wear proper thorn-proof gloves when you handle bare root roses. I’ve used Gold Leaf Dry Touch gloves for years, and my gardening gloves review compares them with the alternatives.

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Products I Recommend for Planting Bare Root Roses

These are the products I use myself when planting bare root roses. You don’t need all of them, but the mycorrhizal fungi, a good compost and a decent spade will cover most planting jobs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bare Root Roses

How long should you soak bare root roses before planting?

Soak bare root roses in a bucket of water for one to two hours before planting. Don’t leave them overnight, as roots left underwater too long can be starved of air. Use the leftover soaking water to water the rose in after planting.

When is the best time to plant bare root roses?

The bare root season runs from November to March. November and December are best, because the soil still holds some warmth and the roots have longer to establish before spring. Don’t plant when the ground is frozen or waterlogged.

How deep should I plant a bare root rose?

I plant with the graft union, the knobbly swelling where the stems meet the roots, at or just above soil level. The RHS and David Austin recommend setting it a few centimetres below the surface. Either way, never bury the union deeply.

Can you plant bare root roses in pots?

Yes. Use a pot at least 45cm deep and wide with drainage holes, filled with John Innes No. 3 mixed with about a quarter peat-free multipurpose compost. Plant at the same depth as in the ground and water regularly, as potted roses dry out faster.

How long do bare root roses take to grow?

Roses planted in winter usually come into leaf in March or April and flower from June in their first summer, although the first display is lighter than in later years. They should be flowering fully by their second summer.

What if I can’t plant my bare root roses straight away?

Heel them in by laying them at an angle in a shallow trench and covering the roots with soil, where they’ll keep for several weeks. If the ground is frozen, keep them in their packaging in a cool, frost-free shed for up to a week and check the roots stay damp.

Can I plant a new rose where an old rose was?

Not without preparation, because of rose replant disease. Dig out a hole around 45cm wide and deep, replace the soil with soil from a part of the garden where roses haven’t grown, and add mycorrhizal fungi to the roots at planting.

Can you plant a rose hedge from bare roots?

Yes, and it’s the cheapest way to do it. Rosa rugosa is the most popular hedging rose. Plant about 45cm apart in a single row, or in a staggered double row for a denser hedge, using the same soaking and planting steps as a single rose.

Should I feed bare root roses when I plant them?

Mix compost into the planting hole and add mycorrhizal fungi to the roots, but hold off on fertiliser until spring. Once the leaves start opening, give the rose a balanced rose feed, then feed again after the first flush of flowers.

Plan a Rose Garden That Works All Year

Getting a rose into the ground properly is the start. Choosing where it sits, what grows around it and how the whole border hangs together is what turns a few roses into a garden. That’s exactly what I teach in my online garden design courses, using the same approach I take on Garden Rescue.

With courses starting from just £29, you can plan your planting over winter and be ready to go when spring arrives.

Summary: How to Plant Bare Root Roses

Bare root roses are cheaper, come in far more varieties and establish faster than potted roses, and planting them is a quick winter job. Plant between November and March when the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged, soak the roots for one to two hours, dig a wide hole with plenty of compost, add mycorrhizal fungi, set the graft union at soil level, firm in, water well and mulch.

After that, a bare root rose needs very little until spring, apart from firming back in after frosts and watering in dry spells. Feed when the leaves open, prune lightly in early spring, and you’ll have flowers in the first summer. For the rest of the winter planting season, my guides to planting bare root shrubs and trees, bare root hedging and the UK winter garden jobs calendar will keep you busy until spring.

Happy gardening!