Preparing Your Garden for Spring: Bare-Root Roses Tips

Two vibrant Summer of Love roses in shades of pink and peach, set against a blurred green background of foliage, showcasing their delicate petals and appealing shape.

In the world of rose growing, we are poised at the start of a new season, although we are still in the depths of quite a cold winter in Australia. Late winter in a cool climate is tied up with soil preparation, digging holes for planting new bare-root roses, and waiting to begin pruning.
There is much to be done, but it is challenging at times due to the weather. I always have great intentions, but sometimes my hands get so cold after an hour, I end up back inside, hoping for the weather to warm up.

Despite the numbing frost, my soul is blooming like spring.
Debaish Mridha– American physician, philosopher, peace activist,

Close-up of two blooming roses with soft peach and pink hues, surrounded by green leaves.

The bare-root roses have been planted. It is a fresh start each year when the new roses arrive, exciting and full of promise. As a gardener, I always have good intentions similar to New Year’s resolutions and hope that nature will back me up with good conditions, especially at the start.

The bare-root roses are ordered in the summer when roses are in full bloom in the garden, and it is easy to see which are non-performers or ailing and which roses are impossible to manage and might need to be moved. Winter is the ideal time to relocate any roses or other plants and shrubs that are in the wrong position, don’t have enough sunlight, or have too much. Or they may do better in containers and pots, or vice versa, rather than in the garden.

“You are responsible for your rose”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince

A close-up view of a blooming peach and pink 'Summer of Love' rose, with lush green leaves and stems visible in the background.

Presently, I’m halfway through the usual pre-spring redesign for the coming season, taking two steps forward and one step backward each time I’m able to get out in the garden; huge piles of weeds and perennials are piled high, many roses have been repositioned and a few tossed that were not doing well.
A hospital for ailing plants is a thing of the past, and I am only attempting to grow hardy plants these days in my limited space.

“If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener”
J C Raulston

Close-up of vibrant Summer of Love roses, featuring large, multi-colored petals in shades of pink, coral, and creamy white against lush green leaves.

Vita Sackville-West’s quote above serves as a poignant reminder that one cannot simply plant and walk away with roses. There is a need to keep a careful watch on them through the entire year so they are not damaged by frost, snow, heat, snails, other pests and weather damage. And of course, not neglected by the gardener. In a nutshell –

Ten Pointers for Perfect Roses

Observe daily for pests, take action immediately and tend to the roses weekly
Water -deep soak every fortnight for 1.5-2 hours
Fertilise in spring, summer and autumn. Additionally pamper the roses in summer with a fish emulsion of eco-seaweed or maxicrop to promote strong healthy foliage and growth
Provide air circulation and don’t over crowd the rose garden beds
Soil should be well-drained Ph 6.5
At least 6 hours of sunlight per day
Keep the rose garden well mulched with lucerne hay, sugarcane mulch, straw, old dry natural cow manure but do not use pine bark
Spray regularly with eco-seaweed and eco-rose to prevent blackspot and other diseases
Hard prune from July to August depending on the climate, spray with lime sulphur and a light prune after Summer
Keep the rose garden weed and pest-free. Deadhead spent blooms, and leaves to promote new growth

“I’m holdin’ out for spring. We can’t let winter win.”
Ed Sheerin

There are always feelings of guilt when plants do not do well or succumb to disease especially when away from the garden. Last season being the first in the new garden, the new problem was the challenge of snails. So, my aim this coming year is to keep them in check and provide more air circulation from the start. A few roses struggled last year once they lost their foliage from hungry snails, and it took a long time for the plants to recover; Jubilee Celebrations and Scentimental roses in particular.

Close-up of a pink and apricot rose in full bloom, showcasing its soft petals and vibrant colors against a blurred garden background.

This season considerable thought has gone into the selection of new roses. In particular I’m looking forward to having Summer of Love Rose in the garden again. This is a spectacular rose that changes with the weather. At times it can be bright and vivacious or pastel and charming. In essence it is a white, yellow and coral rose with high-centred blooms, perfect form, and a spicy, sweet scent in warm weather.

“SUMMER OF LOVE is, without doubt, simply stunning – every perfectly formed bloom will take your breath away with its beauty! ”
Diana Sargeant

Close-up of peach-colored Summer of Love roses with soft pink edges, surrounded by green leaves.

Summer of Love rose bushes are upright, elegant shrubs between 150 and 185 cm tall. They are a Floribunda and Hybrid Tea rose bred in 2017 by Rosen Kordes, Germany, as part of their Nektar Garten collection.
The shrub is adorned with very long-lasting, showy roses; buttery apricot-yellow in the centre, with tinges of salmon and coral as the rose unfolds, and fades to creamy white and yellow. The rose has a high resistance to diseases, is low maintenance and highly recommended.

My Summer of Love roses are in the ground now, awaiting Spring, in a new garden bed with full sun exposure. Most of the images today are of The Summer Love Roses that were previously grown in a hotter, rural location. Over time, we can see if they will reach the same intensity of brilliant colour when grown in a cooler climate.

Close-up of a delicate pink rose with layers of soft petals, basking in sunlight.

Although we hibernate to some degree in a cool climate and spend less time out tending the garden the enforced rest for ourselves and the garden is important. The rest prepares us for the renewal of spring. We need the annual chance to deeply rest, relax, and rejuvenate, and so too, do the plants. In fact some plants and roses require the cold winter or period of dormancy to withstand the harsh weather and will then emerge stronger in the spring.

“If you think my winter is too cold, you don’t deserve my spring.”
Erin Hansom

Close-up of vibrant pink and yellow Summer of Love roses in full bloom, showcasing their delicate petals and rich color against a blurred background of white flowers.

There are advantages to a cold winter for gardens; the cold cuts down the number of pests like mosquitoes, flies and thrips, and kills off some diseases. The cold air supports germination and allows the plants to gather strength for the growing season ahead. The hard shell around some seeds is weathered by the frosty ground and windy conditions that may help break down the seed’s shell, making them ready to sprout once the warmer weather arrives.

“You are reborn with the roses, in every spring”
Jaun Ramon Jimenez

A close-up of a blooming Summer of Love rose, showcasing its soft pink petals with yellow tones in the center against a backdrop of lush green leaves.

For better or worse, living and gardening in a cool climate makes you appreciate the changes of four distinct seasons. In areas of distinct seasons, there is no choice of the weather so, it makes you appreciate the differences and live in the moment, making the best of each day. I plan my garden time around the weather and take advantage of sunny days which also develops more patience a must for gardeners.

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring.
George Santayana – Spanish American Philosopher

Contrasts are fabulous. To experience the cold or wet, windy weather means more enjoyment and appreciation of the warmth of summer days. The seasons provide a natural rhythm to the year and are a great way to measure time in the garden. I love living with the four distinct seasons that we have in regional Australia. There is always something to look forward to and beauty in each and every season.