Topic: bare root roses - how to plant?

[antipodes]

A friend who strangely enough didn't want the old roses growing in the garden of her new house has given them to me. They are currently bare root and all pruned.
I thought of putting them in my allotment since I don't have a balcony or anything But I have never planted these before. ANy tips?
I wondered if they should be kept away from any particular fruit or veg types (I do have flower beds so they can go there).
Also should I mulch them during the cold weather? They are small bushy types she says, red ones (I am not a rose fancier I am afraid - I like them, just don't know how to grow them. To tell you the truth I just couldn't stand the idea of her chucking them out...)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Put them straight out, prune right back if it hasn't been done already, and keep watering copiously if the weather doesn't do it for you. Then take your time and dream up a planting scheme. I bet your local library has books on roses which might give you some ideas.

[grawrc]

Well don't plant them where roses have been before, although if you're not a rose fancier that's relatively unlikely anyway. Dig a hole deep enough to spread out the roots, add some bone meal or fish blood and bone and mix into the soil before planting the roses, spread out the roots and don't plant deeper than the former planting mark. stamp in well to firm up the soil round the base and water copiously.

[antipodes]

ok thanks for that advice. Yesterday I didn't want to keep them in my car boot! so I took them to the lottie, put them in one of my big clear plastic delivery bags and covered the roots with sand to stop them getting tired out. I will get down there tomorrow and plant them out. I suppose it is one of those situations where, if it doesn't work, there is no regret because they would have just been binned anyway (I love roses so really I am thrilled to have them, even though I don't have that much space for them). I will send pics :D