Roses Aren't Easter Eggs

Written on the 28 May 2014

With the onset of autumn often comes the request from our customers for roses, as rose bushes start appearing in some larger nurseries, hardware chains and grocery stores at this time. However there are a few good reasons why we prefer to wait until the more traditional time of early winter to get our roses in store.

Being deciduous shrubs, roses are best sold and planted in winter when they are dormant and don't have leaves. This means less shock for the plant and gives its root system a chance to establish over the cold winter months before leaf and flower buds start appearing in spring. But competition between the large chain stores means that rose plants are appearing in stores earlier and earlier, to the point where I've even spotted them in some stores in April. This is achieved by artificially forcing plants into dormancy, resulting in early leaf drop. The problem with this is that the plants are then placed in a warm environment such as a supermarket where roses will often reshoot, meaning that they go into shock once planted outside in the cold. Especially given the unseasonable warmth we've been having this autumn, it's just too early to be pulling roses out of the ground.

All this is why we sell our roses in early winter. They are potted up (not sold in plastic which can cause the roots to sweat), using quality potting mix with added fertiliser which provides the necessary nutrients for up to 6 months of healthy plant growth. So come in and see us in June for a wide variety of healthy, happy roses.

Happy gardening!