How to Grow an Orange Rose

Plant roses in mid-spring after the last frost. Roses do best with early starts in slightly cool, moist weather. Plant the roses in early morning to avoid stressing the plants.

Choose sites where the roses will get 6 to 8 hours of bright or indirect sun every day, quick year-round drainage and good air circulation. The bushes don't bloom without light or air, and rot in standing water. Give each bush 3 to 5 feet of space.

Amend 2-foot-square sites for the roses, to a depth of 12 to 14 inches. Dig into the soil to loosen it, pull out rocks and old roots, and turn in 6 to 7 inches of organic compost. The compost enriches soil and maintains moisture for these hungry, thirsty plants. Mix bone meal or rose starter fertilizer into the soil for quicker root establishment.

Plant orange-blooming cultivars such as Gingersnap, Strike it Rich, Honey Perfume, Hopscotch, Light My Fire, Rio Samba, Sedona, Tropical Sunrise, Tropicana, Tahitian Sunset, Tuscan Sun and Las Vegas for a range of orange blooms in the garden. Dig holes just deep and wide enough for the root balls; roses do best when their crowns sit at soil level.

Water each bush with 1/2 gallon of water during the planting to settle soil around the roots. Lay 2 inches of organic mulch over the soil and up over the base of each rose bush to keep them moist and warm during establishment.

Maintain weekly waterings of 2 to 3 inches of water for healthy growth. Give the rosebushes water-soluble rose or bloom fertilizer every 7 to 14 days, per manufacturer directions, and expect first blooms in 1 to 2 months.