When do I plant roses in Indiana?

When to Plant Bare-Root Roses in Indiana

If you buy bare-root roses they need to be planted when they are still dormant. That, in Indiana, would be in early spring. 

As soon as you get your bare-root roses unwrap them (assuming they are wrapped) and plant them as soon as you can. 

If there’s a delay in planting keep the plants moist. You can keep unplanted bare-root roses for a few days if they are placed in a cool location and are kept moist – particularly the roots. If the plants are kept in a warm location you’ll find that they begin to sprout and mold can become a problem.

I prefer to ‘heel-in’ bare-root roses until I’m ready to plant them. To do that, simply dig a trench that’s long enough for your roses (no spacing is required between the roses). The trench will be around eight inches or so deep – plenty deep enough to cover the roots and the graft union. The trench will be located in a cool part of the garden that receives little to no sunshine. 

Keep the trench well watered but don’t water it so much that the soil becomes overly wet.

When you’re ready to plant your bare-root roses use a pruner – a pair of secateurs – or a sharp knife to cut off any stems and roots that are damaged in any way. Damage may include disease, die-back, or broken stems. Cut off any broken taproots as well. 

You may wish to submerge your new roses in water for a few hours prior to planting. Either that or make sure they are well watered once planted, which they should be anyway.

When to Plant Container Roses in Indiana

Roses grown in containers can be planted throughout the entire growing season in Indiana. 

If you can’t plant your new container-grown raises right away then simply leave them in the container and make sure they are given some water to keep the contents of the container damp (but not soaking wet).

I do prefer to plant container-grown roses well before the end of the growing season. Indiana summertime temperatures are rarely excessive so summertime planting is also fine. The reason I prefer to plant a little earlier in the season as opposed to a month or so prior to fall is that I want my roses to become established in their new home. To put on some root growth in particular.

If the ambient air temperature and soil temperature are around freezing the plants will be ‘forced’ into dormancy. At which point no growth will occur until warmer temperatures once again arrive in late March or early April.

Image by David Mark from Pixabay