Bare root roses are becoming available at local garden centers and on-line. Many a newbie rose gardener has been ushered into the world of roses with a bare root rose purchase. Below I’ll tell you what to look for and how to plant your new rose.

Bare root roses have three different grades. Grade 1 are the best and will be the easiest roses to establish. The middle level is grade 1 1/2. These roses take a bit longer to get started, but with a bit of attention will become the same high quality plant as a grade 1 rose. Lastly there is grade 2, these are the leftovers. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned gardener my advice is to stick with a grade 1 or 1 1/2. Grade 2 roses are often sickly and frequently fail to grow properly even with the best care.

Bare root roses can be found everywhere right now from big box stores to local nurseries. I’ve grown beautiful bare root roses I purchased for $5, so you can find a great plant anywhere. Where you purchase your roses from has more to do with available selection, but also quality and health. If you’re a new rose gardener a nursery is probably your best bet. If you’re seasoned feel free to pick through the bargain stores.

The key is to select a plant that looks healthy. A healthy bare root rose has decent sized healthy green canes and a root ball that doesn’t appear soggy or dried out. Avoid bare root roses that have a lot of wax on their canes or any brown canes. Usually the health and size of the canes will tell you a lot about the quality of the root ball. Puny undersized canes often have a root ball to match. Healthy robust green canes often have a nice sized root mass when unwrapped.

Once you bring your rose home you can plant it after the ground has thawed. You’ll want to dig a hole that is wider than it is deep. About twice as wide as the hole is deep should be a good estimate. Next you’ll want to place a pile of dirt in the center of the hole and shape it like a cone with the point up. This will make it easier for you to spread your rose’s roots evenly once you have it in the planting hole.

Now open the plastic covering the roots of your rose. Your rose will adjust more easily if you soak the root ball in a bucket of water overnight or for half a day before planting. Once your rose is ready to go into the planning hole, spread the roots over the cone shape you’ve created and then back fill with dirt.

Depending on your zone you either want to leave your rose’s bud union above, at, or below the soil line. A good reference is to plant your bud union below ground if your soil regularly freezes solid. If you're in a middle zone, such as zone 6, the bud union would go at the soil line. If you find yourself in one of the warmest zones, like zone 8, you would put your bud union above the soil line. If you aren’t sure try leaving the bud union slightly higher than you think is needed, if the bud union is planted too low it can become diseased.

Now just water your bare root rose well and wait for the new canes to sprout. Before you know it you’ll have a beautiful climbing rose or rose bush in your garden. Growing bare root roses is both easy and economical, so give one a try. You’ll be surprised at what that little dormant rose can do.