I might put the compost back if you are in a basically hot area. One can cover most of the ground, just not right on the canes.

I would put compost or manure

Is it okay to put a small amount of garden pebbles right up against the canes of the rose, to prevent the compost from sneaking up to the canes over time? The only downside I could see to that is the pebbles might get hot if it was a hot summer day. I think roses tolerate heat pretty well but just checking before I do it.

If something touches the canes the rose won't die. Just use some good compost to feed your soil and if it happens to touch, so be it. It will decompose into the soil quickly anyway

Here, I think it is too hot to put rocks close to a rose base. Roses love sun, but I have had heat damage on canes and some roses have a baked underwatered effect with too much heat.

Do not let compost brush up against the canes.

Consider my experience.

My first shipment from Palatine - 3 roses - was planted in pure compost. In 2017. 100% compost. The bud unions were buried 3 or 4 inches below ground. The soil level for each planting hole has been maintained since then, with supplemental soil once a year.

All that compost and soil enveloping the canes as they arise from the bud union. Several inches below ground.

Soil. Canes. Compost. Canes. Soil. This can weigh on one’s mind.

I keep telling myself everything will be ok, but that doesn’t seem to help.

Best not to let this happen to you.

Maintain diligence.

You can’t overthink this too much.

He's joking westes and in a different climate.

So that there’s no confusion: those roses (Poseidon, Kosmos and Sunny Sky) were planted in planting holes about 16-17 inches deep and maybe 2 feet wide, and filled with 100% compost. From my yard. No mineral soil. I’ve mentioned this here before. And the top of each bud union was positioned 3 to 4 inches below the soil line. The roses are doing fine.

As you have been spending time on the Container Gardening forum, westes, hopefully you can talk Al into starting a discussion here on drainage in the outdoor garden bed setting.

@rifis I think hydrology of containers is the difficult topic. The hydrology of a garden bed is much easier: just answer the question where is the water table? If the water table is far underground, then you are going to get away with really awful water-retentive soil mixes, including high clay content and high compost content. If the water table is near the surface, then you need to think about a way to raise the bed above ground level, to get the roots out of pooling water.

All the soil science books I have read have made the point that compost should never be more than about 5% to 10% of a soil mix. Above that, you run the risk of fungal diseases, particularly if you over water or your water table is high. I think your roses got lucky to survive in 100% compost. You would have been better off mixing 5% compost into your existing soil and then putting a heavy compost layer above the soil line, to act as a mulch and to provide ongoing nutrients to the roots through the water passing through the compost.

OK, folks, 'splain it to me. I live in a cold climate. I bury my grafts about 4 or 5 inches deep when I plant. What the heck is the difference between planting them deep and putting soil around the canes from put some mulch or compost around the canes? I can not see that it would be any different at all.

@seil your description of the two options is not clear. Who here was talking about piling soil around the base of the plant?

The reason to put compost on the top of the soil is so that the rich nutrients in that compost can descend down into the soil and be taken up by roots. That compost is very moisture retentive and helps to retain and slowly release moisture as well. The compost also helps to slowly condition the soil. But compost is a perfect breeding ground for mold and fungus, so planting the roots of most plants directly into a soil mix with too much compost tends to risk diseases like root rot.