I am no expert, but the soil you describe sounds pretty heavy. If you have a
lot of clay you should try to lighten it a bit for drainage with some
organic matter like peat. Remove soil from the hole and mix it with
amendments. Plan on adding compost to the hole and then a few more times
this year as a side dressing, around the plant. Here in the Minneapolis, we
have heavy clay soil from the Missisippi and some people dig out the normal
soil or make a raised bed and grow in a mixture of just compost and pea
gravel (compost alone being too dense for proper drainage.)

It's not just the composition of the soil that matters, you might test the
soil too to see what its Nitrogen-Phosforus-Potassium composition is, so
that you add the right kind of fertilizer if you need it. Also, whether
your soil is acid or alkaline, you can add lime, epsom salts etc. Roses are
generally heavy feeders, need lots of water but good drainage and depending
on the rose, you may have a primadonna or a forgiving variety. Good Luck!

mm

"Don P" wrote in message
...
My wife is planning on growing some roses in our front planter and I would
like some advise on the soil.
It seems to be a combination of clay, sand, and earth
can we put anything in to make sure the roses take and grow for us.
We are planning on putting in a rose called Flotilla ??? it's a small,
somewhat flat, reddish bloom with a yellow center, (bought them at BJ's
club
this weekend)
Any views on the best way to go about the plantings?
Can they be trained to stay small with trimming?
We want them to remain under the window which is about 3 feet of the
ground
I know its a lot to ask but this is our first try at growing roses.
TIA

--
Treasure Today You're Not Promised Tomorrow
Don