Bare root roses are the most common form of roses for spring and early season planting, and come in two types: grafted and own root.
Grafted roses, sometimes referred to as budded bare root roses, have roots that belong to a different variety of rose than the shoots. While the shoots will grow into the variety of rose you've selected, the root variety has been specially grown and developed for hardiness, improved resistance to common diseases, and improved resistance to certain weather conditions. The roots on any grafted rose you receive are usually already two years old, so they'll establish in your garden more quickly when planted.
Own root roses are grown from rose shoot cuttings and develop their own root system. Unlike grafted roses, both their roots and shoots come from the same variety of plant.
All Jackson & Perkins bare root roses are maintained in a suspended state of growth in our state-of-the-art wet cooler, so they'll be delivered to you with no foliage or blooms. The wet cooler has a uniform storage temperature set just above freezing and uses a fog system to provide consistent humidity of 100%, ensuring the roses remain fully hydrated and don't exit dormancy before leaving our facility. While you might see some variance in size, even within the same variety of bare root rose, all our roses meet the same rigorous standards of quality.
So, not sure which type of bare root rose you should choose? Don't worry, we've got that covered. We've researched which varieties of bare root roses grow better as grafted or own root, and both types can be planted in the early spring months, so just choose the variety of rose you're most interested in and get planting.
Though you might be surprised or intimidated when you receive a box of bare root roses filled with roots and shoots, rest assured, with the proper care, these little bundles will grow into stunning roses.
Container roses are typically available in 2-quart sizes or larger and come with established foliage that may or may not have blooms. While bare root roses should generally be planted in early spring, container roses allow you quite a bit more flexibility in planting time, from spring all the way through fall in many zones. Fall can be a good season to plant container roses because it allows them enough time to establish themselves before cold or freezing temperatures arrive.