Question
lynette

when planting new roses, does the base of the stem rest above soil level or below it
- if so how many inches/ cms below?

also any tips for planting new roses where old roses have been?
i replace soil about 1 foot wide diameter by 1 food deep with rotted manure and loam
and add special packet of fungi for the roots.

thank you again

philip

Answer
I always plant the bud union about three inches below the soil so that is I do get a very cold snap in the winter, there will be at least enough cane left to start over again and make a new rose bush. It also saves one having to mound up the roses in an area that doesn't get nasty, long cold winters.
Roses usually deplete the soil of most nutrients. If you are using the same hole, just clean out about a bucket full of soil. Then replace it with soil from another area of the garden where there are no roses near by. Tests have proven that rose roots can emit sort of a gas that can cause dieback if the soil is not replaced. What use usually do is ideal for a new rose bush.