Smart Rose Shopping: Bare-Root vs. Container

Affordable bare-root roses are widely available in garden centers, nurseries, and mail-order catalogs.

1. If you purchase bare-root (dormant) roses from mail-order sources, you'll find a tremendous selection. Buy from a nursery in your region where plants are grown in comparable conditions. Average price: $15-$18.

2. Bare-root stock suffers less shock from travel and transplanting than potted stock. Available at garden centers in early spring as boxed or plastic-wrapped roots in peat moss. Selection limited; quality varies. Average price: $10-$12.

3. If you buy potted plants at a nursery or garden center, look for healthy specimens with abundant foliage on several strong canes. Plant in spring, summer, or fall. Average price: $16-$22, depending on size and type.

4. Roses grown on their own roots (not grafted), known as own-root roses, are becoming the plant of choice among many rose gardeners because they tend to live for generations. These require several years to establish. Choose from mail-order sources; plant in spring. Average price: $15.

Learn how to use your own roses to make fragrant water.