THE PROS OF PLANTING BARE ROOT ROSES
It's hard to believe we're already bidding farewell to November's Holiday Prep theme. I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with love and joy, surrounded by those who matter most. Unfortunately, two members of our household caught the seasonal bug, leaving me exhausted this week. Fingers crossed I stay healthy! As we move into a new month, I'm excited to delve into a topic I truly adore—bare root roses!
We just launched our 2025 Bare Root Rose Collection Preview on our website TODAY. Yes, it's that time of year again! Here at our farm, my team has been working tirelessly all year to prepare our new collection just for you. Right now, they're being harvested, and soon we'll be hard at work cleaning, sorting, grading, tagging, and storing them in our coolers, all ready for the shipping season. It's a labor of love, and we take so much pride in ensuring that you receive the healthiest, most viable bare root roses possible.
Whether you're just starting out with bare root roses or you're a seasoned pro, the next two months, we'll cover everything you need to know to have success with your bare root roses. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage, settle in, and let's explore the wonderful world of bare root roses together! You'll be amazed at how easy and rewarding it can be to nurture these beauties in your garden.
So what exactly is a bare root rose? A bare root rose is a dormant rose plant sold without soil or a container around its roots. At first glance, a bare root rose might resemble a lifeless stick, devoid of leaves or blooms, but it's merely resting during its winter slumber. Bare root roses are available seasonally during winter and early spring (depending on your growing zone) and must be planted before warmer weather arrives, allowing them to naturally emerge from dormancy in their new home. Most commercially available bare root roses in the U.S. come from California, Arizona, and Texas, and are harvested in the fall of their first or second year. After harvesting, the soil is shaken from the roots, and the roses are graded, watered, and stored in a moist, cold environment to simulate dormancy.
Planting bare-root roses comes with lots of great perks, making them a popular pick for gardeners and flower farmers alike. They're usually more budget-friendly than potted roses, which is great if you're planting a lot or adding to your collection. Plus, you get access to a wider range of varieties, including some rare and unique options, so you can really tailor your garden to your taste. Since they're planted during dormancy, these roses focus on building strong roots early on, which means healthier, more vigorous growth down the line. Without the soil and pots, they're lighter and easier to handle or ship, making the whole planting process a breeze. And because they're sold dormant, you can plant them at just the right time for the best start and flourishing growth.
The next two months my newsletter will be focused on doing a deep dive into all thing bare root roses. Like grafted vs. own root, rose types, how to plant, what are rose grades and so much more. I'm going to cover it all because I want 2025 be the year of the ROSE for you!
For this week's action step, I encourage you to take a sneak peek at our 2025 Bare Root Rose Collection, now featured on our website and the catalogs & rose lists from your your favorite local nurseries! It's the perfect time to begin your research and craft a wishlist of your must haves. You can also check out the Help Center on our website filled with articles about all things bare root roses. I'd really love to hear from you too. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to submit your bare root rose questions for me to answer so I can help YOU can grow the most amazing roses in 2025!
LET'S GET GROWING,
THE LIST: THINGS I'M LOVING THIS WEEK
- My grandmother often jested that if she couldn't EAT it, READ it, or PLANT it, she didn't want it! I miss her terribly around the holidays. As I grow older I'm a little more Charlie Brown about it all during this season of excess and materialism, I increasingly appreciate her wisdom as I shop for holiday gifts this year.
- Eat it: I love chocolate and local Sacramento based chocolatier Ginger Elizabeth never disappoints. You can't go wrong with any of their chocolates and the Raspberry ROSE Jam is like a party for your breakfast toast.
- Read it: If you're looking to expand your knowledge of zinnias, Tiffany Jones's BOOK on zinnia breeding is a must-have. Together with my friends Kori Hargraves from Dawn Creek Farm and Erin Benzakein from Floret, she has sparked a renaissance in the zinnia breeding world. I'm thrilled to learn from all of them. The Zinnia Breeder's Handbook would make a wonderful holiday gift for the gardener!
- Plant it: Attention zinnia enthusiasts! Mark your calendars: Blomma Flower Farm's premium zinnia SEEDS will be available for purchase on January 30, 2025. With limited quantities and exceptional quality, these seeds are a must-have.
- Plant it: We have a LIMITED stock of pre-cooled tulip bulbs remaining, making them the perfect Christmas gift ready to be planted!
Q & A: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q: What exactly is gall in roses, and is there a chance that some bare root roses we have purchased from online nurseries are infected with it? It seems to be a hot topic on rose Facebook groups periodically, and I don't know if I have ever actually checked for it when I receive my bare roots. FB groups act as if it is the dreaded leprosy of roses...is it something to be really worried about, and if it is, what is the action plan for an avid rose grower?
Nena from Stevensville, Montana - Zone 5b
A: Hi Nena! You've asked a great question, and I'm eager to dive in. Buckle up because it's a long answer this week! I always share this advice with my clients and members of the Menagerie Academy: take everything you read in a Facebook group with a grain of salt. While the information shared there might contain a kernel of truth, it's often exaggerated, much like the "sky is falling" mentality you described—and this applies not just to roses, but to most topics. The reality is that gall should indeed be taken seriously by any reputable rose nursery. However, as I'll explain further below, it's not an issue that should cause sleepless nights.
So, what is gall in roses? Gall refers to abnormal, tumor-like growths that can form on a rose's roots, stems, or crown. The most common type found on roses is crown gall, caused by a soil-borne bacterium called Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This bacterium is extremely common (like as common as herpes/cold sores or chicken pox/shingles in humans) and likely is already in the native soil somewhere in your yard already. It infects the plant through wounds, stimulating the production of irregular tissue growth. The galls are usually rough, knobby, and woody in texture. They can vary in size, starting small but potentially growing quite large. While a few galls may not seem alarming initially, severe infections can restrict nutrient & water uptake and weaken the plant, making it more susceptible to stress and other diseases.
Are your bare root roses at risk of infection? Agrobacterium tumefaciens can affect roses, especially if they are handled roughly, leaving wounds exposed. Grafted roses are particularly vulnerable, as the bacteria can enter through the bud union. Even at reputable nurseries, where stock is meticulously inspected, it's possible for infected plants to occasionally slip through since it's such a common bacteria. At Menagerie, we employ (as do our partner growers) a comprehensive inspection and treatment protocol from the moment our roses are planted. Every propagation cutting is treated with Galltroll-A to prevent infections from the start. During multiple post-harvest stages—grading, bunching, and order fulfillment—plants are meticulously hand-inspected, ensuring at least five points of human oversight. We conduct soil solarization annually to maintain bacteria-free soil and rotate our planting locations, ensuring roses follow a three-year planting cycle. While it's not impossible to receive a bare root rose from us with a gall infection, our rigorous mitigation process makes it highly unlikely. Most reputable nurseries follow protocols similar to ours to ensure the health and quality of their bare root roses.
How to accurately identify gall. Over the years, I've received many messages and photos from people confusing galls with normal root growth, particularly in own-root roses. That's why I'm thrilled you asked this question, as it's crucial for rose gardeners to understand a rose plant's normal anatomy. This knowledge helps accurately distinguish between galls and normal plant growth.
Should you worry? While crown gall sounds like a menace (and FB groups can make it feel catastrophic!), its impact depends on the severity of the infection, the variety and the conditions in your garden. Most roses thrive just fine and you likely won't ever know they are infected with gall unless you dig them up and inspect the roots. Severe infections however can significantly weaken a rose, especially in poor soil or high-stress environments. The bacterium can persist in soil for years, potentially infecting future plantings. For an avid rose grower, it's smart to stay vigilant but not paranoid. Routine inspection and proper sanitation can mitigate most risks. No need to run around like the sky is falling!
What should you do when you receive a bare root rose? Inspect a rose when you receive it and look for unusual growths or swelling around the bud union (on a grafted rose) or roots. Healthy roots should appear uniform without any lumpy tumors or woody galls. (They do look like tumors and trust me when I say that it will be easy to spot if you have one on a plant.) Handle roses carefully to ensure you're not wounding the rose further during planting, as this creates an entry point for bacteria. Treat the roots/plant with a bactericide solution (such as copper-based fungicides, Gallex or Galltroll-A ) before planting, especially if you're worried about contaminated soil in your own garden. Consider planting in a new, uninfected location if you've had issues with crown gall before. If you think you've found gall on a rose you received from a supplier, don't plant it, and contact them to verify if the growth you suspect to be gall actually is. If it is, they should give you a full refund or replacement.
JOIN THE FUN!
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You can also find me on Instagram for more rose garden inspiration and exclusive behind-the-scenes moments. You can check out my favorite rose varieties and browse garden supplies at the Menagerie Shop! I also have all of things I love for my home, garden and life in easy to find collections on my Amazon Storefront and my new ShopMy Page. I truly enjoy hearing from you, so please don't hesitate to send in any questions you'd like me to answer. Have a great week!
Photos by: Jill Carmel Photography
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