- For optimal results and a long season of first-year performance, plant your encore roses in the spring after the ground has thawed. Alternatively, you can plant the rose trees out in large containers at least two times the diameter and depth of the root ball. Select a location for your encore that has a full sun exposure or one with light or dappled shade. At planting, remove with clean, sharp pruning shears any dead, damaged or diseased canes or any canes that cross or abrade one another, to prevent damage and improve air flow. Always cut at least 1/2 inch above an outward-facing bud or leaf axil to encourage outward and upward cane growth.
- Till up the planting area to loosen the soil and remove any stones or hard clods of clay. Amend the soil with well-aged manure or compost as needed, and work into the soil well. Dig a hole that is one and a half times as deep and wide as the root ball of your encore rose. Sprinkle a slow-release organic fertilizer into the bottom of the hole. Do not use a chemical fertilizer this way, as it can burn the rose roots. Mound up a small pyramid with the soil at the center bottom of the hole, and set the rose plant down over it, spreading the roots evenly. Backfill remaining compost and soil around the root midway up the hole, and water well. Continue to fill the hole with soil, and compact gently around the roots with the palm of your hand or heel of your shoe to collapse any air pockets that may have formed. Water well again around the roots and dripline. Apply Rose-Tone fertilizer each month from April through August. Deadhead roses as they fade, and prune annually for shape and height in the fall.
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