The mild temperatures of December and the modest rainfall have allowed many roses to continue growing and blooming, but this year is passing away and a new gardening season beckons us. Planning is essential for a successful outcome. There is still time to prepare a planting space for new acquisitions you want in January or February.

January and February are excellent months for planting roses in the valley. Roses planted now have mild conditions and plenty of time to establish their root systems and form relationships with soil fungi. A wide selection of roses are available this month and next at home improvement centers and nurseries. Mail order plants tend to be fresher as they come from the source.

Whatever their source, roses usually come to you in one of three forms: "bare root," potted, or packaged. Bare root plants are usually packed in wood chips to keep the roots damp and viable. They are the slowest to thrive and it is best to get them early and plant them immediately so they have the maximum amount of time to become established. Potted roses make the quickest and most successful transition to the garden, but they tend to be more expensive and not as varied in selection.

Now is a good time to "shovel prune" (i.e. dig up) rose bushes that didn’t perform well, and rather than tossing that plant in the green waste barrel, consider giving it away. Some plants that do poorly for you may perform better for someone else. That doesn’t mean that you’re a failure; it’s just that another garden may have just the right combination of environmental variables that the particular rose variety needs for success. If you don’t have a friend or relative who wants your cast-off rose bush, why not pot it and give to the Temecula Valley Rose Society for their planned plant sale in May? If possible, please include the name of the rose.

This will leave you with a vacant spot in your garden where you can plant a new rose bush. However, because the previous rose did poorly, it’s a good idea to assess the spot. Many gardens in our area have a very dense layer of clay beneath the topsoil that can prevent drainage. Even with our recent Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] rains, holes you dig in your rose garden should not show standing or pooling water. If they do, you’ve got a problem that isn’t going to be solved by planting a new rose. You can try digging deeper to see if you can break through that layer in order for the water to percolate away. You can also apply a "soil buster" product available at local stores that specialize in soil conditioners. You may also apply some gypsum powder at the bottom of the hole in hopes that it may help loosen the clay.

If you do dig the hole deeper to improve drainage, you’ve created new challenges: loose soil reintroduced into the hole will tend to settle with each watering and if your soil is high in clay, packing down the soil can press out air pockets and make the soil less permeable to water and to roots.

To avoid these problems, fill the hole with a good potting soil formulated for roses. Before you place the new plant into the hole, press the soil down firmly. The "bud union" or base of the plant should be 1-1/2 to 2 inches above the soil line. Mix some organic fertilizer that is slightly higher in phosphate into the soil at this time of year when planting new plants. The long lasting, slow breakdown/release of the fertilizer will make nutrients available by the time the soil warms up in spring.

January is a good time to plan your pruning schedule, but it may be a little too early to actually prune, depending on your microclimate. Pruning too early runs the risk of exposing tender new growth to killing frosts. I recommend holding off until at least mid-January. A good rule of thumb is that new growth appears about three weeks after pruning, so the major annual pruning should be completed by the end of February if you want major blooms to appear 8 to 12 weeks later.

I will also be giving a free pruning demonstration at Rose Haven Heritage Garden on Jan. 19, 2013. Rose Haven is located at 30592 Jedediah Smith Road (the cross street is Cabrillo Avenue) in Temecula.

For more ideas or tips, visit the Temecula Valley Rose Society’s Rose Haven Garden at 30592 Jedediah Smith Road or TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org.