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Great news! Rose supremo, Gardener Ben, (TikTok #gardenerben: YouTube @the_gardenerben), has recently chosen some of our favourite bare-root roses to review on TikTok. His phenomenal collection already includes many an Ashridge gem and he’s taking delivery of his new acquisitions for prime bare-root planting time between November and March. Have a look at the varieties he’s picked at the end of the blog. Must have been quite tricky for him - we’ve an incredible 160 plus varieties of UK grown bare root roses for sale – a rose for all occasions we’d like to think!
Bare-root roses are 18 month old dormant plants, lifted between November and March for packing, delivery and planting virtually straight away. They have short, pruned stems with no foliage and fluffy roots with no soil. They are – let’s be honest – pretty underwhelming on the visual front. However…
They may look like ugly ducklings, but the advantage of bare-root roses over potted roses is that they arrive dormant, ready to roar into action when the warmer weather arrives. They’re more cost effective (no soil so cheaper packaging and transport costs), more environmentally friendly (no plastic pot) and establish more quickly and easily as energy resources go into vital root growth rather than leaves and shoots.
Separate the stems and keep them in a cool, dry place for up to two weeks. Before planting, soak them overnight in a bucket of water. You’ll have received clear instructions with your order, but if you need more help, we’ve made a quick and simple video to show you what to do.
Once upon a time, a lonely Prince lived in a kingdom far away. One day, his Fairy Godmother knocked at his window, carrying a strange little package.
‘This is my gift to you,’ she said. ‘This is bare-root Rose, and she will be your friend.’
The Prince unwrapped his present and gazed at it sadly.
‘But Fairy Godmother, she’s so ugly. She’s just a funny little twig with fluffy bits at one end. I am used to beautiful things in my palace.’
‘Don’t worry, dear Prince, she will be beautiful. She’s just dormant.’
‘What?’ cried the Prince, who was not very clever. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Just fast asleep – like your aunt, Sleeping Beauty, was for 100 years,’ answered Fairy Godmother patiently. ‘All you have to do is plant her…’
‘What?’ shrieked the Prince, who was beginning to panic. ‘I can’t do that – I don’t know how to plant bare-root Rose! I’m not a gardener!’
‘Dear Prince,’ said Fairy Godmother kindly, ‘It’s so simple, anyone can do it! Just dig a hole, add some Rootgrow, put bare-root Rose in the hole, snuggle her up with good quality soil, water her regularly and wait until Fairy Spring waves her magic wand. It’s not rocket science, dear boy, and there’s even an Ashridge video to show you how to do it.’
‘And what happens then?’ asked the Prince.
‘In spring, bare-root Rose will spring into life!’ chuckled Fairy Godmother.
The Prince groaned.
Despite the awful pun, the Prince did as he was told. Rose turned out to be a hybrid tea bearing magnificent single scarlet blooms. And in the nearest village lived a girl called Belle – or was it Beauty?
History never related.
In the next door kingdom lived another Prince. This Prince was a tricky number and thought he knew the lot. His Fairy Godmother also gave him a bare-root Rose. He was singularly unimpressed and, not bothering to watch the Ashridge video or ask advice, he plonked his ill-received present in the ground, fluffy bits upward, and promptly forgot about her.
‘What a muppet,’ thought Fairy Godmother. ‘Those fluffy twiggy bits are the roots waving around in the air.’
Bare-root Rose died and his Godmother turned the ungrateful Prince into a snail.
Moral of the tale; plant bare-root stock the right way up – fluffy roots downward. Upside down plants tend not to survive.
Frankly, a bit of a show off! Ideal as a centre piece, this tough, hardy and elegant arching shrub rose grows to 8ft and bears dramatic, crimson red blooms once in spring to mid-summer. These are followed by splendid hips, which bring not only colour to winter gardens, but provide an invaluable food source for our feathered friends. RHS AGM, RHS ‘Plant for Pollinators’.
This heroic floribunda repeat flowers from June onwards with an unflagging, show-stopping mass of huge, fully double, cherry red flowers. Against glossy dark green foliage, the effect is stunning. Super healthy, super disease resistant, super easy going and definitely easy on the eye, no wonder it won Rose of the Year in 2018. A triumph of modern breeding if ever there was one. RHS AGM.
Cheerful and ever popular, Chinatown is a deliciously scented repeat flowerer that blooms reliably from June to September. Clear yellow flowers are often blushed with pink borders – a lovely combo over deep green shiny foliage. Despite its sunny, summery appearance, Chinatown is stoically weather resistant and remains almost oblivious to rain or wind. Large and upright, it’s great at the back of a border or grown as a fragrant hedge. RHS AGM.
This ridiculously pretty floribunda rose is a repeat-flowering stalwart for the front of borders (or low hedge). Coral pink camellia-esque blooms are borne in abundant trusses of up to 8 aloft dark green foliage. Small, sturdy and compact, Fascination reaches 2 ½ feet in all directions and certainly sings for its supper. Rose of the Year 1999, RHS AGM.
Aptly named for the Goddess of Love and Beauty, this charming hybrid tea vaunts rude good health, pale pink, fully double flowers and a light refreshing scent. It flowers repeatedly from mid-spring to late autumn with tightly petalled blooms that unfurl into frilly confections as the flowers fade. It grows 3ft tall,1 1/2ft wide and – a bonus for our capricious summers – doesn’t sulk in the wet. RHS AGM.
This is cognitive dissonance at its horticultural peak! The hoary name belies a diminutive stature (just over 2 ft tall) and an enchanting appearance with large luminous lemon-yellow flowers tinged palest pink at the edges. Grandpa Dickson is a hybrid tea that repeat flowers from June to autumn and is fabulous planted in groups but small enough to grace any container. RHS AGM
Ashridge has been supplying premium bare-root roses since 1949, so we know a thing or two about them! But if you don’t just want to take our word for it, trust our 5-star reviews on Feefo. We were also proud to be rated a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025, and we stand behind all our bare-root plants with a 1-year plant guarantee. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a budding rose enthusiast, we make it simple and reliable to grow stunning roses straight from dormancy to full bloom.
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