How to Grow Roses

Roses are the most beloved of all English flowers. Their timeless beauty, fragrance and varied habit make them a versatile shrub that can be used in many different garden designs. Growing roses doesn't require expert skills, just a bit of knowledge and a little care.

Roses are the crown jewels of the cottage garden, but with so many colours and varieties of rose, they can form the backbone of a range of formal and informal garden styles. They come in many shapes and sizes, from tiny patio roses to huge tree-climbing rambling roses and broad groundcover roses.

Most people choose roses based on the colour, shape or scent of the flower, but as with any plant, you want to make sure that the rose you love will thrive in your garden. Fortunately, there are so many varieties of rose that it's easy to find cultivars that suit your personal preferences and your space. Modern varieties of rose are repeat-flowering, meaning you can enjoy blooms all through the summer. For multi-season interest, choose a rose that produces hips – these fruits add bright colour to your garden well into the winter months. Wild roses, ramblers and shrub roses tend to produce the best hips.

Roses are easy to plant and grow, but they do suffer from a number of pests and diseases, and most roses need careful, specific pruning to produce their best flowers. In this guide, I'll cover everything you need to know to grow healthy, strong garden roses.

 

Where to plant roses

Most roses prefer sun, but there are many varieties that grow well in partial shade and in north-facing gardens. Avoid very windy sites, as strong winds can cause roses to "rock", damaging their roots. Roses prefer fertile soil that's moist but free draining. If you have clay or sandy soil, digging organic matter into the soil can help improve it, but you may be best off choosing a rose that is happy with the conditions. Old-fashioned shrub roses often grow well on clay, whereas species roses such as Rosa Canina tend to be more tolerant of poor soils. 

When choosing a rose to cover an arch or pergola, remember that climbing roses typically flower repeatedly throughout the summer, whereas most rambling roses give you a single, dramatic burst of blooms, usually in early summer. Miniature or patio roses are perfect for growing in pots due to their compact size. Ground cover roses also work well in pots.

You can also grow roses as a hedge. Wild roses, such as dog roses (Rosa canina), and Rosa rugosa are popular roses for hedges, but you can also use upright bush roses such as Rosa 'Queen Elizabeth'.

 

When to plant roses

You should plant bare root roses during the winter months, from November to March. If you're buying a large number of rose bushes, for example, to plant a hedge, it's more economical to buy bare root plants.

You can buy and plant container roses at any time of the year, though it's best to avoid planting during long dry spells or when the ground is frozen. Autumn is the best time, as the rose can grow strong roots over the winter to support its beautiful flowers the following year.

 

How to plant roses

Water your rose before planting. If you have a bare root rose, soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours. While you're waiting, you can dig over the ground, adding in organic matter if the soil needs improving. Then dig a hole slightly deeper than the roots of the rose and break up the soil at the bottom.

Whether you're planting a bare root rose or a rose grown in a container, sprinkling mycorrhizal fungi on the roots will help them take up water and nutrients more efficiently, giving you a stronger plant.

Place your rose bush in the hole. How deep to plant your rose is the subject of debate, but most experts recommend planting it so the graft union (the point at which the grafted rose joins the main rootstock) is a couple of inches below the soil surface. Gently firm the soil and water it well, then add a layer of mulch around the shrub to lock in the moisture and suppress weeds. 

If you need to support your rose, for example, if it's a tall, top-heavy variety, add the stake or obelisk at the time of planting to avoid disturbing the roots. Avoid planting a climbing rose right up against a wall or fence; instead, plant it around 45 cm away to give the roots space to develop.

When planting a rambling rose next to a tree, you need to give it a bit more space. Plant it at least a metre away from the trunk, so the roots aren't competing too much, and angle the plant towards the tree. Tie a stout cane or stick to the tree for the rose to scramble up.

Planting roses in pots

If you want to grow roses in pots, it's best to choose a patio or miniature rose, as these are specifically bred for container growing. You can buy climbing roses that are suitable for growing in pots, for example Rosa 'Mamma Mia'. You can grow larger roses in pots; just make sure your pot is wide and deep enough to accommodate the roots.

Make sure your pot has good drainage and fill it with peat-free multipurpose compost. Position your rose in the pot and fill around it with compost until the base of the stems are a couple of inches below the surface. Water it well.

 

How to care for roses

Newly planted roses need watering during summer for the first couple of years. Once established, roses can usually draw enough water from the soil, but in prolonged dry spells, water your roses deeply once a week, using a full watering can of water per plant.

Roses are hungry! To get the best out of your roses, mulch them annually in spring with well-rotted manure. Feed roses in early spring with a specialist rose fertiliser. If you have a repeat-flowering rose, feed it again in mid-summer, after the first flush of flowers.

When growing roses in pots, water them regularly to make sure the compost stays moist, and feed the plants every two weeks during spring and summer. Once your rose starts flowering, use tomato feed or another high-potassium fertiliser to maximise your blooms.

Roses are hardy plants and most don't require additional protection from the cold. Roses grown in containers will benefit from being moved to a sheltered area over winter, and wrapping the pot in fleece or hessian helps protect the pot and the roots from frost damage.

The main risk to roses in late autumn, winter and spring is wind rock. This is when strong winds blow the rose around, causing the roots to loosen and lift. If you have a large shrub rose that's exposed to strong winds, you can minimise the risk of wind rock by pruning stems back by a third in October.

How to deadhead roses

Deadheading roses encourages the plant to produce more flowers, particularly for repeat-flowering varieties. Rather than just snipping off the faded bloom, use sharp secateurs to cut the stem back to just above a leaf with five or more leaflets. This ensures the stem is strong enough to support new growth.

If your rose produces hips, then you face a choice when it comes to deadheading: either remove the flowers to encourage more blooms or leave them to fade naturally to allow the hips to form. Personally, I opt for the latter, and not just because I'm lazy when it comes to deadheading. The hips provide a vibrant autumn display of colour that lasts into the winter months, as well as offering food for birds (and humans – rosehip syrup was considered a nutritional supplement during World War II due to its concentration of Vitamin C).

Pruning roses

Different types of roses have different pruning requirements. Read our complete guide to pruning roses for detailed information on how to prune climbing, shrub, bush and rambling roses, as well as what to do when you don't know which type of rose you have.

Once you've pruned your rose, give it a good mulch and feed it with rose fertiliser in spring.

 

How to propagate roses

The easiest way to propagate roses is by taking cuttings. Growing roses from seed is time consuming and may be frustrating, as rose seeds tend to have a low germination rate, but if you want to try growing your own hybrid varieties, you could give it a try!

How to grow a rose bush from cuttings

Growing roses from cuttings is easy and has a good success rate. Softwood cuttings taken in spring or early summer are the fastest to root. Take cuttings from new stems that are around the size of a pencil, below a faded bloom. You can often get several cuttings from one stem.

Prepare your stem by removing the flowerhead and dividing the stem into sections. Each cutting should be around 6–8 inches long; snip the top just above a leaf node and the bottom just below a leaf node. Remove any thorns (if you can) and the lower leaves. Dip the base of each cutting in rooting gel or powder and bury it three inches deep in a pot of compost mixed with grit or perlite. You can place multiple cuttings in one pot. Water them well and place in a propagator or cover with a plastic bag. Once you can see roots coming through the bottom of the pot and the cuttings are growing, you can separate your plants and move them to a new home.

You can also propagate roses from semi-ripe cuttings taken in late summer or hardwood cuttings taken over winter, but these can be harder to root.

 

Rose bush pests and diseases

Roses are susceptible to a number of diseases and pests, but don't let this put you off growing them. There are steps you can take to protect your roses from disease, and most common problems aren't fatal. If you have to remove a rose because of disease, don't plant a new rose in the same spot.

Black spot on roses is very common, particularly in wet summers. This fungal disease weakens plants and causes black or purple blotches on leaves, which may also turn yellow and fall off. Planting salvia close to your roses can help prevent black spot (find out why in our guide to companion plants) and healthy, well-fed plants are less likely to suffer from the disease. Clear away fallen rose leaves and prune any infected stems in winter to minimise spread of the disease.

Powdery mildew is another common fungal problem which can result from poor air circulation around plants and overly dry soil. To reduce the risk of mildew, plant your roses in a sunny spot and water them well during dry spells. Allowing sufficient space between plants and pruning out branches to give an open structure can also help.

Orange spots on rose leaves are a symptom of rose rust. Good air circulation can help prevent this, but if you spot signs on your rose, remove any affected leaves and stems. 

Rose dieback may be a result of poor care, adverse weather conditions or disease. You can reduce the likelihood of dieback by cutting back to a bud when pruning and making sure your rose isn't struggling due to lack of water in summer. If you see signs of dieback, remove the affected stems.

Aphids on roses are common, and populations usually peak in early summer. They're hard to eradicate completely, but you can keep aphids under control by checking your roses in spring and removing any you spot and making sure you have plenty of predators in your garden by planting flowers for pollinators.

If you spot tightly rolled leaves on your rose, this could be a symptom of rose sawfly. The rolled leaves contain sawfly eggs, so if there are only a few on your rose, it's best to remove them. However, if many leaves are affected, leave them on the plant, as it will suffer more if you remove the foliage than from the effects of the sawfly.

 

Our favourite varieties of roses

Rosa 'Queen Elizabeth' is a glorious disease-resistant floribunda rose with clusters of large, fully double pink blooms. Its long stems make it a good option for cut flowers. Plant it at the back of a border to make the most of its height.

Rosa 'Arthur Bell' is a repeat flowering variety, giving you fragrant yellow roses from mid-summer through to the first frosts. The golden yellow colour fades to cream as the flowers age, adding a wonderful depth to the display.

Rosa 'Mamma Mia Courtyard' is a compact climbing rose that's been bred to flower at the bottom as well as the top of the plant. It flowers prolifically with beautiful pink roses, and it will grow well in a pot as well as in the ground.

Rosa 'Absolutely Fabulous' has won numerous awards in rose trials for its clusters of primrose yellow flowers and its resistance to disease. Grow it in a border or in a pot on a patio, where you can enjoy its distinctive liquorice scent.

Rosa 'Ruby Romance' is a miniature rose with vibrant ruby red flowers that bloom throughout the summer. A perfect red rose for pots and patio gardens.

 

FAQ

Are roses toxic to cats?

Roses aren't toxic to cats, though if your furry pal gets tangled in a rose bush's thorns, they won't be happy! In fact, placing thorny rose cuttings on empty flower or veg beds is a good way to stop your cat using them as a toilet. While a little nibble shouldn't harm pets, it's always best to try to prevent them from eating garden plants.

How do I take cuttings from roses?

The easiest way to take rose cuttings is to snip off a stem of new growth beneath a faded flowerhead in early summer. Trim off the flowerhead and snip the stem into 6–8 inch lengths, cutting just above a leaf bud at the top and just below a leaf bud at the bottom. Dip the base in hormone rooting powder or gel and place the cutting in a pot of cutting compost. Roots should develop in weeks, but leave the cuttings in the pot until you see new growth appearing.

How do you plant roses?

Soak your bare root rose or pot rose with water before planting. Dig over the ground to loosen the soil, then dig a hole deeper and wider than the rootball. Plant your rose so that the grafting joint is a couple of inches below the surface of the soil. Backfill the hole, firm the soil gently and water well. Sprinkling mycorrhizal fungi on the roots of your rose when you plant it can help it establish faster.

How do I get rid of greenfly on roses?

Greenflies and other aphids are a common pest for roses and are almost impossible to completely remove. The best way to control them is to inspect roses in spring and remove any greenfly you find. Encouraging predators like ladybirds into your garden can also help keep greenfly under control.

When do roses bloom?

Roses bloom from early summer. Some varieties produce a single flush of flowers in June or July, but many modern roses are repeat-flowering and continue blooming through to the first frosts.

How do I deadhead my roses?

Deadhead rose flowers as they're fading by cutting back the stem to a leaf with five or more leaflets. The more you deadhead, the more flowers you'll get! If your rose produces hips, then stop deadheading in mid summer, to get an autumn and winter display of beautiful hips.