How to Grow Roses for Valentines

Gather a handful of soil from the location where you want to plant your roses. Spray the soil lightly with water and work it in your hand until it is damp throughout. Squeeze the soil in your fist and note whether it forms a compact ball. If it does not, you have sandy soil.

Examine your hands for red-brown stains and note whether the soil feels sticky. If so, you have clay soil. If the soil is sticky but does not stain your hands, you have clay loam soil. If the soil is soft but only slightly sticky, you have pure loam soil. If the soil is not sticky but feels gritty, you have loamy sand soil.

Consult a map of USDA growing zones and identify your location. Read the information included on the packaging of roses at the nursery or online to find out soil types are preferred by different varieties and in which zones they thrive. Select the winter hardy rose variety that is right for your soil type and zone. Choose climbing, bush or low shrub styles in your preferred colors.

Plant the roses in a well-draining area that gets full sun for most of the day. Use the spade to work 1-2-1 fertilizer, which contains more phosphorous than nitrogen or potassium, into the planting area to provide nutrients for your roses during the winter season.

Dig a hole deep enough to bury the root ball level with the original soil line. Unwrap the root of the rose and settle it into the hole. Fill the hole around the plant with soil and pat the top down gently.

Give your roses 3 to 4 inches of water a week for the first year as long as there is no snow on the ground and temperatures stay above freezing. Skip watering if snow is present and cut back during freezing temperatures. Prune the roses regularly to remove dead heads, leaves or limbs and to encourage blooming.