Doris, the way I understand it, roses take in nutrients from the tiny white "feeder" roots, not so much the big roots. I always thought that if you need to trim the bigger roots to make them fit in the hole you dig, or a pot, you could do that and, like pruning the canes in the spring, it would encourage new growth. [experts, correct me if I'm wrong] Feeder roots stay at the top, dont go that deep. Dig a good sized hole - I am not good at dimensions, but maybe 2' across x 2' deep and ammend with good soil - compost, mushroom compost, bagged rose soil, sand/bark mix, etc. I am assuming you are dealing with bare root roses? If a root is too big for the hole, just trim it/them. I have never had any trouble planting roses this way. Fill in dirt partway, then water well then rake the rest of the dirt over the rose roots. Mulch, keep watered. When I plant bareroots that are still dormant, I make a collar out of newspaper folded and stapled together, put it over the rose and fill in with soil. This keeps the wind from drying out the canes, keeps them moist when you water. When the rose starts leafing out and it gets warm, you can remove the collar and let the dirt fall off by itself. Hope this helps! Judith

There are a number of reasons why people plant the pots. 1. It's a good way to winter a potted rose. The ground does provide good insulation. 2. It's a protection against voles or moles or whatever from eating the root ball. 3, You can temporarily plant the pot to see if the rose will grow in that spot, i.e. enough sun. There are probably other reasons as well but you get the idea. However, I don't think it would aid in drainage for you. Even though the potting soil will drain better where will the water drain to? It will stay in that heavy clay soil against the pot and not drain away freely as it needs to. Eventually the pot will fill up and be too wet for the rose anyway. I have lake bed clay soil as well and it is a problem but I just dig big, deep holes and hope for the best. I usually know right away if it's not working and there's too much water by the rose's behavior. Then I dig it out and try again. I did do some deep roto-tilling on the new bed we made and that seemed to help a lot with breaking up that layer of clay. The soil beneath it wasn't nearly as dense and with the clay broken it drains pretty well now.

"I plant potted roses anytime I can work the soil, including now while the temps are so high. as long as you don't disturb the roots ball and water deeply and often until the roots are growing into the surrounding soil, they'll be fine. Soil falling from the root ball when it's removed from the pot will cause loss of tiny feeder roots. This loss prevents water from being taken up by the plant until these feeder roots can grow back. Meanwhile the top growth will wilt and any flower buds will be lost. I give this intruction sheet to all who buy roses from me. No one who's followed them has ever had a problem. Planting a potted rose When planting a potted rose bush, care must be taken so soil doesnt fall from the roots or tiny feeder roots will be lost causing the plant to be stressed. I overcome this problem by doing the following. First prepare the planting hole. Dig it twice as wide and deep as the pot. In the bottom portion of the hole mix horse manure or an organic fertilizer with the soil. With a sharp razor knife cut the bottom from the pot. Then cut down the two opposite sides of the pot about two inches. Using masking tape, rubber bands, or string secure the two cuts then continue cutting the sides to a point halfway down. Secure these the same as the top cuts were secured. Continue cutting the sides down all the way. They'll be held together buy the tape, etc. Holding the bottom, place the pot into the hole. If the bush is a grafted plant, position it so the bud union (swollen knob/graft point from where the canes grow) will be 4-6 inches below the soil surface in cold winter growing zones. Adjust the depth accordingly in warmer climates up to even with the soil surface. If the bush is on itÂs own roots, position it so itÂs no more than an inch deeper than in the pot. Slide the bottom from the pot. Pull soil into the hole until it come to the lower tape/rubber band/string. Cut the tape/rubber band/string on both sides of the pot and continue filling the hole to just under the top tape/rubber band/string. Cut the top tape/rubber band/string and fill the hole so just the tops of the two pot sides are above the soil. Pull them straight up and complete filling the hole. Do not tamp the soil. Settle it with a hose set to just a trickle so all the water stays on the soil around the bush. There should be a depression around the bush. Add more soil until most of the depression is filled. Until the bush is growing well, water daily soaking the area well. Planted this way, the bush will not know itÂs been transplanted and should show no signs of stress. When watering, make sure you apply enough so it gets to the roots. A light sprinkling only wets the surface. This can cause the feeder roots to grow towards the surface. In dry spells the bush will wilt. Watering deep eliminates this problem and causes the roots to grow deep enabling them to better withstand periods of no or little rainfall. A five gallon bucket with a 16D nail hole in the bottom side and filled with water, then placed next to the bush will supply the needed water with no runoff. All the water will soak into the soil at the base of the bush. In sandy soil do this daily until the bush is growing well. In clay soil, do this when the leaves show signs of slight water distress but at least every other day until itÂs growing well.

As long as the ground is not frozen, you can plant a rose. Even if it burns, cut it back. However, if this is a full plant, I would opt to keep it inside until weather is nice, taking it in and out during the warmer parts of day for sunlight and bring it back in, plant it later and trim it up a bit.