How to plant bare-root roses, trees and hedging (UK)

By Sophie Sparkes · October 2026 · 7 min read

Every winter, nurseries lift dormant roses, trees, hedging and fruit bushes from the field and sell them with no pot and no soil around their roots. Bare-root plants arrive looking like a bundle of sticks, but they are usually much cheaper than the same plant in a pot, come in a far wider choice, and often establish better. The catch is timing and a little care on planting day.

Short answer: plant bare-root plants between November and March, while they are dormant, on any day the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for an hour or two, dig a hole wider than the roots but no deeper, and plant at the same depth the plant grew before (look for the soil mark on the stem). Firm the soil, water well, and stake trees low. If you cannot plant straight away, heel them into a spare patch of soil.

When is bare-root season?

Roughly November to March in the UK. Plants are lifted once they have dropped their leaves and gone dormant, and they need to be in the ground before they start growing again in spring. Planting early in the season, in November or December, gives roots a few months to settle in before spring, while the soil is still slightly warm. Avoid days when the ground is frozen solid or so wet it sticks to your boots.

What you can buy bare-root

• Roses: bush, shrub, climbing and rambling roses.
• Fruit trees: apples, pears, plums and cherries.
• Hedging: beech, hornbeam, hawthorn, privet, blackthorn and mixed native hedging, often sold as young "whips".
• Soft fruit: raspberries, blackberries, currants and gooseberries.
• Ornamental trees such as birch, rowan and crab apple.
• Herbaceous perennials such as peonies.

When they arrive

Unwrap the package straight away and check the roots are moist. If you can plant within a few days, keep them in their wrapping in a cool, frost-free shed or garage, with the roots damp. If it will be longer, or the ground is frozen, heel them in: dig a shallow trench in spare ground, lay the plants in at an angle, and cover the roots with soil. They will sit happily like this for weeks. Never let bare roots dry out, even for an hour on a windy day.

How to plant bare-root: step by step

1. Soak the roots in a bucket of water for an hour or two before planting. Do not leave them for days.
2. Trim any broken or damaged roots back to healthy growth with clean secateurs.
3. Dig a hole wide enough to spread the roots out fully, but no deeper than the roots. Loosen the soil at the bottom and sides with a fork.
4. Check the depth. Look for the dark soil mark on the stem showing where it grew in the field, and plant at that same level. Lay a cane across the hole to check.
5. Backfill with the soil you dug out, gently shaking the plant as you go so soil settles between the roots.
6. Firm the soil with your heel to remove air pockets.
7. Water well, even if the ground is damp, to settle soil around the roots.
8. Mulch with compost or bark, keeping it a few centimetres clear of the stem.

Roses

Plant bare-root roses with the graft union, the knobbly swelling where the stems meet the roots, at or just below soil level. Planting it slightly deeper helps steady the plant in windy gardens. Avoid planting a new rose where an old rose grew for many years, since roses often struggle in that soil, a problem known as rose replant disease. If you have to, replace the soil in the planting hole or use mycorrhizal fungi on the roots, which can help them establish.

Fruit trees

Fruit trees are grafted too, but here the rule is the opposite: keep the graft union well above the soil, usually 5-10cm. If it is buried, the top part of the tree can grow its own roots and lose the effect of the rootstock, which controls the tree's size.

Staking trees

Bare-root trees need support while their roots establish. Use a short stake so the bottom third of the trunk is held firm while the top can move. That movement helps the trunk thicken and strengthen. Knock the stake in before planting, on the side of the prevailing wind, so you do not drive it through the roots. Attach the tree with a proper tree tie, loosen it as the trunk grows, and remove the stake after one to two years.

Planting a bare-root hedge

For a hedge, plant along a trench rather than in single holes. A single row with about 3 plants per metre suits most gardens. For a thicker, faster hedge, plant a staggered double row with about 5 plants per metre. After planting, cut back fast growers such as hawthorn, blackthorn and privet by about a third to make them bush out from the base. Beech and hornbeam need only a light trim of the side shoots. Keep a strip about 50cm wide either side free of grass and weeds for the first couple of years.

Raspberries and peonies

Raspberries: plant canes about 40cm apart, in rows about 1.8m apart if you have more than one, and cut each cane back to around 25cm after planting to encourage strong new shoots.

Peonies: plant the crown so the pink buds, or "eyes", sit no more than about 5cm below the soil surface. Planted too deep, peonies often grow leaves but never flower.

Aftercare

The most common reason bare-root plants fail is drought in their first spring and summer, when the roots are still small. Water thoroughly once a week during dry spells from April to September, soaking the soil rather than giving a quick sprinkle. Keep weeds and grass clear around the base, check tree ties after winter storms, and firm back any plants lifted by frost.

Bare-root questions

When is bare-root season in the UK?

From about November to March, while plants are dormant. November and December are ideal, as the soil is still slightly warm and roots can establish before spring.

Can you plant bare-root plants in frost?

Not when the ground is frozen. Wait for a milder day, and in the meantime keep the plants in a cool, frost-free shed with their roots moist, or heel them into soil that is not frozen.

How long can bare-root plants stay out of the ground?

A few days in their packaging if the roots stay moist and the plants are kept cool and frost-free. For longer, heel them into a trench of soil, where they will keep for several weeks.

Should I soak bare-root roses before planting?

Yes. Stand the roots in a bucket of water for an hour or two before planting. There is no need to soak them for longer than that.

How deep should I plant a bare-root rose?

With the graft union, the knobbly swelling where the stems meet the roots, at or just below soil level. Plant slightly deeper in exposed, windy gardens.

When should I plant a bare-root hedge?

Between November and March, ideally earlier in the season. Plant in a trench at about 3 plants per metre for a single row, or 5 per metre in a staggered double row for a thicker hedge.

Why is bare-root cheaper?

There is no pot, no compost and far less handling, and the plants are grown in fields rather than containers. That makes bare-root plants much cheaper than pot-grown ones, especially when you need a lot, such as for a hedge.