When to plant Roses
Calendar windows
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Overwinters outdoors in a temperate garden.
Practical notes
Plant bare-root in winter with the graft union 5 cm below the surface in cold regions, and prune hard in late winter — roses flower on new wood. Never replant a rose where a rose has just been.
Knowing when to pick
Cut for the vase early in the morning, at a stem with five leaflets, when the bud is just breaking. Deadheading to the same point keeps repeat varieties flowering until October.
Storing the crop
Recut the stems under water and they last a week in a cool room. Petals dry well for potpourri; hips make a good syrup.
Crop rotation
Permanent planting: never replant a rose-family plant straight into its own old site.
Grows well with
Watch for
Full guide: roses diseases and pests (5) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.