Plant a Rose and Perennial Garden

When to Plant: Fall to early spring
At Its Best: Early to midsummer
Time to Complete: 3 hours

Suggested Plants:
white spike speedwell (Veronica spicata alba)
rose 'Auscat'
white violas
Trifolium repens 'Purpurascens Quadrifolium'
hardy white geranium
lady's mantle
black snakeroot (Actaea simplex) 'Brunette'

Materials Needed:

• spade
• heavy-duty gloves
• bamboo stake

• composted organic matter
• all-purpose granular fertilizer
• mycorrhizal fungi

Prepare to Plant

Dig a bucketful of organic matter into the planting area and mix it evenly with the soil. Then dig a hole a little deeper and twice as wide as the pot that contains the rose.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Check Planting Depth

Place the rose in its container into the hole and, using a bamboo stake, check that the graft union (the swelling at the base of the stems) will be below the soil surface when the rose is planted. Remove the rose and apply some general-purpose fertilizer to the base of the hole.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Apply Mycorrhizal Fungi

Water the rose and leave to drain. Apply mycorrhizal fungi to the base of the hole, following the directions on the package. The roots must come into contact with the fungi granules after planting as these help the rose's root system to establish. Wearing gloves, tip the rose from its container and plant in the hole.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited