Winter and Bare Root Roses

‘Mr. Lincoln’ Hybrid Tea Rose

I absolutely love roses.

In fact, at one time I had over 40 different roses growing in my garden.  I planted them all myself (well, with my husband’s help).

My love for roses is one of the things that pushed me into getting degree in horticulture.

That was when we lived in our first home in Phoenix.  When we moved, it was so hard for me to leave my beloved garden and especially my roses. Sadly, the new owner removed them quickly.

Now, I don’t have 40 roses growing in my current garden – but I do have several rose bushes that I love, growing in my garden.

Believe it or not, it is time to plant roses if you live in zones 8 – 10.  For those of you who live in cooler zones, you can start planting in spring 🙂

‘Rio Samba’ Hybrid Tea Rose

Growing roses isn’t hard.  Selecting and planting are rather easy as long as you follow a few guidelines.

I blogged about how to select roses in my other blog for Birds & Blooms, which you can read here.

So, I promise to talk about how to plant bare root roses next.

I just love that there is something to do in my garden in the middle of January, when so many of my other plants aren’t busy and don’t need my attention.

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I hope your New Year’s is off to a good start and that your resolutions are going strong…

I don’t make resolutions since I don’t keep them.  I do however, have an ‘unofficial’ resolution that I have to work on every January…..to lose the 5 lbs that I gain every year around the holidays 😉

Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."