Plant bare-root roses in late autumn

Use this guide when you have ordered or bought bare-root roses, which arrive dormant with no soil around their roots. Plant them when the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Have a spade, a fork, a bucket of water, well-rotted organic matter or compost, and a cane to check planting depth ready.

Step by step

1. Check the roses when they arrive

   Unwrap them as soon as they arrive and check the roots are moist and the stems firm and green under the bark. Stand the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours before planting. If the ground is frozen or sodden, heel them into a spare patch of soil or a large pot of damp compost and keep them somewhere cool but frost-free for a short time.