6 Easy Steps for Planting Bare Root Roses

January is Bare Root Rose Planting Season in Santa Barbara

It’s that time of year again in Santa Barbara. Before you prune any roses or tree you may already have (a blog that will be coming shortly in January), you should consider whether or not you’d like to include new roses and fruit trees in your garden this season. You will see them at every nursery and hardware store, but what is the correct way to prepare and plant them in Santa Barbara?

As always, our staff at Down To Earth Landscapes, Inc. is here to assist you with practical tips and suggestions on your latest project.

Like many other plant material, roses go dormant in the winter. They thrive in summer heat, but they also need their time to rest and rejuvenate. In California, we often need to force that sleep by cutting back the canes in a way that causes them to come back healthier. Roses that are cut back in that extreme way and are wrapped in plastic bag without soil in preparation for being planted or that come in cartons full of damp organic soil are called bare root.

The most important thing to note about these plants is this: the roots must stay moist. If the roots dry, the plants will die.

Our Six Step Approach for Planting Bare Root Roses

Step 1: Unwrap the rose, shake off the packaging material and cut off the tag. Prune broken root material. Plunge the rose into a bucket until submerged—for at least 30 minutes. Vitamin B1 can be found at your local hardware store. This will keep the roots from going into shock.

Step 2: Dig the hold in which you wish to plant your rose. The whole needs to be approximately two feet wide and one foot deep.

Step 3: Amend your soil. Refer to our previous blog regarding soil types and amendment (or give us a call) if you are unaware of the soil type you have. Use an organic matter specifically for roses in your soil amendment.

Step 4: Form a ten-inch-tall cone of soil in the bottom of the hole and center the rose on top of it. Spread the roots down the sides of the cone. Pull back fill into the hole, firming it with your hand (never your foot) as you go. Your hands will aerate the soil. Your feet will compact it.

Step 5: When the hole is filled, water until the soil around the plant turns to mud. Gently rock the rose back and forth to settle it in and to allow air pockets to bubble up through the mud. This process is known as “puddling in.”

When you’re done, the rose’s topmost roots should be barely below the soil surface, and the graft (the swollen part just above the crown), if the rose has one, should be well above the soil surface.

Step 6: After puddling, add enough backfill to level the soil. Make a three-inch-high watering basin about ten inches from the base of the rose. Stick a label in the ground beside the rose and you’re done.

If you follow these tips, come spring you will have beautiful roses. Roses bloom early in Santa Barbara. We often have first bloom by Valentine’s Day. Wouldn’t it be nice to give your sweetie a long stemmed rose from your own garden?

In our next blog, we will explore bare root fruit trees, as it is also the time of year for those.

And, as always, we are here to help if you need us. Share your rose garden challenges in the comments below.

Comparing a Landscape Contractor, Architect and Designer

Santa Barbara Landscaping Contractors

Down to Earth Landscapes Sr Team

When to Hire a Landscape Architect, Landscape Designer and/or a Landscape Contractor

As a state licensed landscape contractor, we value the role of each one of our fellow landscaping experts. We recognize that each of us have a role to play in making a project beautiful, functional and safe. Because this is the case, we thought it would be helpful to our readers to help you differentiate between a landscape disciplines to better prepare you for planning your next landscaping project.

Landscape Architects’ Role and Responsibilities

You should hire a landscape architect anytime need plans that will require sign off by a city inspector. If you have a question, remember this: It is never a negative thing to have an architect on an extensive landscaping project. As the name suggests, this field is a sub-specialization of the field of architecture. Landscape architecture is an interdisciplinary field encapsulating the following:
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Why Install Outdoor Landscape Lighting?

Santa Barbara outdor landscape lightingThe Benefits of Installing Outdoor Landscape Lighting

Santa Barbara homeowners sometimes leave outdoor landscape lighting as an afterthought to the work they are doing on their property. In fact, lighting might be the most overlooked facet of a landscaping project.

At Down To Earth Landscapes, Inc, we like to offer a different way to think about landscape lighting. We believe that it is central to any landscaping project. Consider it the icing on the cake for your new landscape design and installation. Why should sundown prevent you from enjoying a newly landscaped front or backyard?

Creating Mood and Atmosphere

Landscape lighting adds accent to a space and can set a particular mood and create atmosphere. At night, outdoor landscape lighting draws the eye toward the parts of the garden you wish to highlight. It fills the space with warmth, opening it up, and is often entertaining those who encounter it.

Safety Considerations

Beyond aesthetics, however, perhaps the most important reason not to neglect your landscape lighting is safety. Lighting protects you from falls and offers the illusion that you are home when you cannot be there to keep an eye on your property.
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