Taking a little more time when planting roses will get them off to a good start and is one of the secrets to growing roses. While roses such as the shrub roses are practically carefree, caring for roses can be more demanding than caring for other flowering plants.

The place you choose for planting roses should receive around 6 hours of sunshine a day, in the south that should be morning sun. The area should have good air circulation as one of the causes of disease in roses is poor air circulation.

When planting roses be sure to dig a hole a least twice the size of the rootball. The reason for the large planting hole is to give the roots plenty of room to grow and spread. When planting bareroot roses you should dig a hole two feet wide and deep and mound soil in the center of the hole to spread the bareroots over. (Remember-The roots on bareroot roses should be kept moist if you are unable to plant them immediately.)

Set your rose into the planting hole, but before you go shoveling that soil you took out back into the hole, amend it. Replace at least half of the dirt with organic matter such as compost, or peat moss. Mix the organic matter wth the soil and fill the planting hole almost to the top. Water well and let the water drain. You will need to add more soil, tamping it down to get rid of any air pockets and then water again. Keep your rose well watered. If rainfall does not provide at least an inch of rain each week, you will need to water.

Although roses look fragile, with a little care in planting, site selection and type of rose; you should be able to grow beautiful roses.