Q.Rose In Clay Soil
I have a bought a Generous Gardener climbing rose for the front of the house. When I dug down I found the soil to be very clay. I dug down about 40 cm. And cleared a square hole. Put a few litres of water in to see if it would drain and it did not. Do you think the rose will survive in this? Any help much appreciated Regards, James

For your clay soil issues I recommend the following: Dig the planting hole at least 45 cm deep and 50 to 53 cm square. On the downhill side of the planting hole dig a trench out away from the planting hold 110 cm or longer. Line the drainage trench with pea gravel to about half its depth and cover with landscape fabric, then fill the rest of the way with amended garden soils. Plant the rosebush in amended garden soils for good drainage to the newly created french drain trench. This will help carry water away from the rosebush so that it does not drown the root system. Planting rosebushes in heavy clay soils can be like planting them in a pot with no drainage holes in it. The root system gets rotten and thus the rose drowns. How long it takes for the demise of the rosebush depends upon its will to survive. Provide the drainage and the rose should do fine for you. Enjoy your new lovely rose!