You haven't stated what you plan to do with them, will you be potting them or will you be planting them. If planting them, you want to dig a large hole, I dig mine 24 inches by 24 inches. Then depending on your soil you will need to amend the soil going back in the hole. I will not chime in on how to amend your soil, as I am not familiar with your soil. The key is to make sure it will drain well. Roses like alot of water, but do not like to sit in water. For me, I have red clay so I use 1 part clay, 1 part peat moss, 1 part quality top soil, and add a little bone meal to the soil when planting. Do not fertilize in your first year, let your rose work on building strong roots. Spraying is not always necessary unless you live in an area prone to black spot than you will want to use a fungicide. Personally I wouldn't do this unless you start seeing black spots on your leaves. If that happens come back here and we can all give you advice. If you pot them, you want to use a soil without fertilizer, and a large pot, I suggest a 20 inch pot. Some people amend the soil for potting, I add a bit of cow manure. Many of us do things a bit differently but with all the same goal. A good well draining soil. How you plant your roses is important for its longterm life.

Can you post photos? If they are bands, then you may want to plant them into a larger pot to allow them to grow roots for the next few weeks, find a potting mix (not potting soil). I don't do any soil amendments in the hole before planting.

Water is what your plants need now, I don't recommend fertilizing.

I can say that Burgundy Iceberg will need a fungicide spray when it grows up a little more, I'll ask a couple of friends about Oh My. Maybe not this year, but next year, and you want to start application early, before you see blackspots.

BTW, not all roses need a fungicide spray, there are varieties that grow well in NJ without synthetic chemical fungicides.

Welcome!

Roses love full sun.

I'm not sure where you are planting your rose or if your an organic gardener but if you tell us, we'll all chime in.

I've always planted my roses with a mixture of manure, including chicken manure, sand & soil. If you're planting them in the ground, dig a hole and fill it with water. How quickly it drains will help you figure out what type of soil you have. If you're planting them in pots, try to stay away from clay pots they absorb moisture from the soil like a sponge.

Roses really aren't too picky. They just want a little attention, but sometimes they thrive when ignored! Plant your roses, keep them watered, deadhead the spent blooms and enjoy.

You have the best resource at your fingertips. The rose forum is a great place to meet other gardeners, share information & pictures and get all your questions answered.

Carlota

If roses were that hard to grow they wouldn't have survived for the thousands of years they have in many untended places all around the world. Relax!

You've already gotten a lot of good advice but if they are small plants it might be best to pot them up for a bit until they get some good root and top growth on them. However, in NJ they won't winter in pots with out some serious protection. So you will probably need to get them planted out in the garden a good 6 or 8 weeks before your first frost date so they can settle in. If you leave them in the pots the best place to winter them is inside an unheated, but insulated, garage. You do have to water them some at least once a month all winter to keep them alive.

Hi! Thanks for all the advice so far. I am planning to put them into the ground. I have rocky, moderate clay soil. I was thinking of doing the following as far as planting:

dig a hole 2' by 2' and 2' deep and basically dump the soil elsewhere. Then replace with 1 part Fafard top soil. 1 part composted manure and 1 part other amendment - probably Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost (i find their products to be very high quality). Based on everyone's comments I will not fertilize this year - I normally don't anyway. In the spring I simply side dress with compost.

I do get Japanese beetles (I grow hollyhocks which they love) but I suspect when they are tiny, they won't get bothered but I'll keep an eye out.

I am not a strict organic gardener but I try to use as little chemicals as possible. For example, the vast majority of weeds I hand pull, but Virginia creeper, I used Round-up on since I didn't see any other way to get rid of it.

Roses like alot of water,

That's what I always thought before having them in our garden.

But it has my experience that once they are established they are one of the more water conserving plants that I have.

What am I missing?

Thanks Linda. I will add back in some of the clay in that case.

Much native soil, few if little amendments. If you want to do it really right, dig a bed, and mix in about an inch or two of organic matter.

You will need a plan for overwintering. Planting them in early September will probably work, though keeping them in an attached, unheated garage is another option. Whatever you do, don't smother them with piles of leaves or other so-called winter protection. Every time it goes above freezing it will cause problems.

I agree with Diane that the Burgundy Iceberg will need a serious spray program. I had to go to Texas to see Iceberg with flowers and leaves at the same time, and Burgundy Iceberg is simply a sport with the same (lack of) blackspot resistance. If you don't want to get into that kind of chemical intervention, there are other roses that will do much better.

You know, I've been thinking about it and I forgot to mention a deep drink with rooting vitamins. I'm not sure how hot it is where you are right now, but summer planting can be a shock to your roses. Before replanting in the summer I usually give my roses a healthy drink with vitamin B.

Really though, roses are a fun, relaxing hobby. Go with your gut and enjoy your first blooms. Since you like to be organic where possible try not to worry about a few bugs etc. If you do get rust or black spot there are some very skilled organic gardeners here who have methods for dealing with those issues. To prevent disease water at the base of the plant, not on the leaves and keep your rose bed free of debris.

Happy planting!

Carlota

a2zmom(6a - nj), I would not do much to the native soil. You run the risk of creating a "bathtub", where the soil in the hole is soft, but the outside is not, and too much water is held inside. Best to do what mad_gallica said, amend the entire bed, let it sit for a couple of weeks, then plant..

I agree with everyones advice on amending just a hole. It can create conditions that will kill your roses. I did that in the beginning and kill several. It took me a long time to understand my soil. It is fantastic mid-wesrtern loom. But it has a deep sandy, silt with green clay mix in as a subsoil. All of my beds are raised at least 6 inches and one as much as 2 feet. They all slant to a drainage spot. But thats here where some of the best perennials seldom survive more that two years. They rot if we get to much rain.

For my area an inch of water a week is a death sentence for a rose. Yes they like a moist soil but they also like to dry out a bit once established. If I get my roses in early while my ground is still wet from winter they seldom need more than one additional watering. The roots well follow the water down where there is always moisture available.

Do you have any shrubs? I would suggest planting the roses the same way you did your shrubs and mulch well. Next year when you fertilize keep your clay soil in mind. You will not need nearly as much fertilizer as you here about here. Just like your perennials feed the top of your soil with good organics and let the worms do the work for you. Roses are tough shrubs and really do not need much pampering. Well except Burgundy Iceberg that will need a spray program. Unless your area is a dry environment like southern Ca.

Relax enjoy your roses everything will eventually fall into place.