I have gotten several roses from Roses Unlimited over the years. I have never followed any of their directions. I plant the rose directly in my soil, fertilize with David Austin Rose Fertilzer or 2 tbsp Osmocote depending on what I have around, water well and watch it grow. I can't believe the wretched "soil" they send the plants in, with the pot only half full and the roots not much bigger than a band. Those poor roses will do anything to get into dirt. I used to add things like alfalfa meal and compost, but now the roses just get planted.

Rebecca

No you do not... Our native soil is good here so I just plant straight into our native garden soil... Use a good quality potting mix of your choice if your putting into containers...

Thanks for all the advice guys, very helpful! Jessica you mentioned RU's soil mixture being perfect for rooting cuttings? And that got me to thinking. I've been trying very hard to root my very first cuttings (I'm definitely a beginner gardener!); I'm just curious, could I reuse the leftover soil, or would that be a bad idea?

erin I don't know it this would work for you. I have good luck with it thou. I made a spot on the north side of my house. It's right up against the house so there is no sunlight. I put one layer of concrete edgers to make a 3x4 foot spot. then filled it with good bagged garden soil. I put in some small hosta and a couple of ferns in the front. Other wise the soil would be too wet after rains. In the back I put in cuttings and ignore them. When I see a flower I dig them up and place in a pot until they are larger.

I'm not doing difficult to root roses. They are mostly shrubs and floribundas. The more vigorous roses root the easiest. Ground cover types are very stubborn. About the only success I have with them Is to dig a trench by a low branch. Then bury all but the tip and hold in place with garden pins. Keep the brach attached to the mother. This takes a full year. When winter begins thou I must remember to cover the tip or winter will kill it and cut it lose from the mother plant.

Back to up the top part I raised the bed to provide a nice light weight soil that would drain well. Nearly all have rooted That I take at the proper time. My experiments are far less successful but fun.

I have clay soil and I put my roses directly in the ground the first week of May. I added a little compost and fish fertilizer to the bottom of the hole. Heaven on Earth has already had 5 blooms. Dark Desire has 2. Still waiting for Karl Ploberger and Plum Perfect to bloom but the are growing.

Ooh Patty, that's genius, sounds so simple, and low maintenance! Thanks for the tip!

For those who haven't visited RU, here's a bit about how they root their roses.

First take the heat of a summer in the up country of South Carolina. Add the humidity of being near a creek and surround by tall growing pine trees.

Stick the cuttings in appropriate soil and place in mist chambers.

What works in California may not work in South Carolina and vice versa.

Someone in Virginia has great success using Hartz kitty litter (pre-kitty use).

One person up in Canada said his best success was in a sand that he got from a stream bed near his house.

A good friend near me had excellent results sticking twigs in the ground (valley fill) next to a creek fed by a free flowing spring in front of her house.

Builders sand on a mist table works for me, in shade, with fairly high ambient humidity. (But not for all classes of roses.)

South Carolina has totally different soil then you have in Western Mass. The instructions for the soil given by Roses Unlimited really are great for those of us that live here. I follow most of the instructions, but that is because our soil is red clay hard as a rock. I definitly do the 1/4 clay, 1/4 peat moss, 1/4 good soil, 1/4 peat moss when filling my hole. I also do the 1 cup super phosphate. I used to live up in your area, and there is no way I would do this where you live! I dream of having the rich soil of your area now! I do dig a hole two feet by two feet, which takes me a few hours, as its like chipping away at soft rock here. So in summary, RU gives some great instructions but I really think they developed those tips for the soil of South Carolina!

My clay in Maryland is soft with the occasional pebbles. Especially this spring with all the rain. Takes me 20-30 minutes per hole. Previous home owners covered it with landscape fabric and mulch. Now it is full of worms.

Tend to agree with mz that RU's soil mixture recommendations for garden planting are specific to their area. Wouldn't try it here. I do follow their advice & routinely bump up gallons into 2-gallon pots to grow on, and sometimes again into gradually larger pots to get a hefty root system before planting out, as much as a year or more later, in this country garden with its many curious creatures. "For best results - step plant up to 2 or 3 gallon container, grow off for several months, & then plant in rose bed..."

Regarding shipping cost comparisons between RU with its half full pots of light propagating medium & Chamblee's with its full pots of heavier mix with bark fines & chips:

Chamblee's 2014 - 9 roses shipped @ $3.03 via FedEx Ground

Chamblee's 2015 - 9 roses shipped @ $3.50 via FedEx Ground

Chamblee's 2016 - 9 roses shipped @ $4.65 via FedEx Ground

Roses Unltd 2016 - 9 roses shipped @ $6.00 via UPS Ground (+ $5 packing fee)

The interesting part is that RU is 385 miles from my address & Chamblee's is 1,173 miles from here - 3 times the distance.

Wow, so Chamblee's shipping is much lower, good to know!