BARE-LY THERE NOW IS THE TIME TO BRING BARE-ROOT ROSES AND FRUIT TREES INTO YOUR GARDEN.

Byline: Elizabeth Smilor Correspondent

Avid gardeners are now wrestling over bare sticks in pots or plastic bags at local nurseries. They know the value of a bare-root rose or fruit tree - and they know the buying season is short.

``Bare-roots are only available this time of year,'' says Keith Zary, vice president of research for Bear Creek Gardens/Jackson & Perkins Wholesale in Somis. ``These roses have just been dug, they're very fresh and full of energy. And it's the easiest way to plant them.''

The same holds true for trees, says Tom Spellman, southwestern sales manager for tree grower Dave Wilson Nursery. ``The bare-root season is very short, from mid-December to Feb. 1. I would not recommend buying one after March 1.''

That's in part because most bare-roots are now put in containers and need to be put in the ground while they're fresh and not rooted in the pot.

``The term 'bare-root' is really a misnomer,'' says Kathy Post, an associate at Sperling Nursery in Calabasas. ``It used to be growers would lay them in a peat moss and wood shaving mix and nurseries sold them that way. But that was too hard on the roses because the roots would dry out, so growers started packaging them in plastic or biodegradable boxes.''

Armstrong Garden Centers sell roses in a plantable fiber pot. They stopped selling them bare because the roots would dry out when customers pulled them from the trough and did not re-bury them, says Chris Greenwood, public relations director and chief rosarian for Armstrong.

Sego Nursery in North Hollywood continues to sell truly bare-root roses from a bin. ``You get to see the roots,'' says assistant manager Dean Murakami, in explaining why they sell them bare. He says they prevent them from drying out by placing the better ones at the front of the bin and pulling those for customers ready to buy. Once a rose is pulled out of the moist mix, it's put in a pot for the customer to take home or to display in the store, Murakami said.

Zary, who oversees the rose research facility for Jackson & Perkins, the world's largest rose producer, says if you can see the roots, look for ones that are supple, moist and plentiful. If the roots are planted or covered, choose the rose with a plump, green cane.

The cane is important, and a label on the packaging should also help you pick a strong plant. Better roses are graded 1, 1 1/2 or 2. The best grade is 1, which signifies the strength and thickness of the c blooms. Most rosarians do not recommend a grade 2, although they may cost less. On better-graded roses there should be a color description and a petal count.

``It should look healthy,'' says Zary. ``If the cane is shriveling, they probably cut the roots off too much when it was packaged.''

The same holds true for bare-root fruit and ornamental trees. They should appear strong and healthy, says Spellman.

``The misconception when buying a bare-root fruit or ornamental tree is to pick the biggest one. Bigger isn't always better,'' says Spellman, who lives in Upland. He actually recommends cutting off the trunk at 36 to 48 inches to encourage low branching and easy-to-pick fruit.

The two most important factors to consider when buying a fruit tree are its ripening time and chill-hours requirement. Chill hours are the hours in late fall or early winter below 45 degrees. In Southern California, only trees with a low chill-hours requirement of 500 or less will thrive.

Armstrong Garden Centers only stock trees that will do well in the area of each store, says Greenwood. Inland areas generally have more chilling hours than coastal areas.

Secondly, know when the fruit will ripen on the tree, especially if you plan to plant more than one of a single variety.

``Look for successive ripening,'' Spellman says. ``Nobody needs 600 peaches in a week, but we could all use 400 at the rate of 100 a month.''

What's new

Every year, a plethora of new roses are introduced.

``There's a color for everybody,'' says Dr. Tommy Cairns, Studio City resident and past president and consulting rosarian for the American Rose Society. ``Just like fashion, we want the latest colors, the latest varieties. If you want to keep up with fashions, buy the new ones.''

The most notable new roses are the All-American Rose Selections winners, which are chosen after two years of thorough testing. This year's three winners are Day Breaker, a floribunda with multishade blooms in yellow blending to pink and apricot; Honey Perfume, an apricot-colored floribunda with a spicy scent; and Memorial Day, a pink hybrid tea with a classic rose fragrance. Both Zary and Cairns recommend these three roses.

Other new blooms to consider are Disneyland, a floribunda Zary describes as a ``happy rose''; Heaven on Earth, a floribunda shrub great for perennial borders; Home and Family, a white hybrid tea with a licorice scent; and High Society and Social Climber, two new climbing roses.

For those who like the ``tried and true,'' Cairns recommends Double Delight, a creamy white hybrid tea with a red edge that has been a favorite for more than 20 years, and Iceberg, a white floribunda seen in many Southern California gardens. To see many varieties, go to www.jacksonandperkins.com.

If it's a fruit tree you're looking to add to your garden, there are some new offerings. Sperling Nursery in Calabasas recently received a shipment of apple, peach and nectarine EZ-Pick trees from the L.E. Cooke Co. in Visalia. These trees are 5 to 6 feet tall, and the abundance of the fruit hangs from branches only 10 to 18 inches from the ground.

``Most of the time when you buy bare-root trees, it's a stick with no branches. What we've done is trained them to branch lower,'' says Lloyd Cassidy, sales representative for L.E. Cooke Co.

The small size also allows home gardeners to plant several trees in close proximity. Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery points out that any tree can be trained to branch low and fit in a tight space. His Web site, www.davewilson.com, includes instructions for planting multiple trees in one hole. It also includes Spellman's top 10 low-chill selections for Southern California.

Among his favorites is a newer fruit called a pluot, a cross between a plum and apricot. The pluot is popular at Sperling nursery, says Post, as are trees grafted to produce more than one type of fruit, such as one that yields peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots.

``The most important piece of advice is get it as soon as possible,'' says Spellman.

Make the cut on established rosebushes

While newly purchased bare-root roses won't need pruning, established roses in your garden should be pruned in late January. Here's how:

--Cut off anything thinner than a pencil and any crossing or dying branches.

--Reduce hybrid teas by half and floribundas by 1/4 to 1/3 their size.

--Remove all leaves.

--Cut back watering and don't fertilizing until March.

Source: Sperling Nursery

How to plant your bare-root stock

FOR FRUIT TREES:

--Cut trunk off at about 36 to 48 inches to encourage low growth and branches. Even if tree has developed small little branches, these can be cut and tree will sprout new branches lower to the ground. (EZ-Pick trees do not require this step.)

--Test soil drainage by digging a 1-foot hole and filling it with water. It should drain within three to four hours. If it does not, consider another location or raise the bed by mounding dirt in the hole or making a raised planter.

--Dig a hole about 1 1/2 times the size of the root ball. Place tree in hole. You can plant multiple trees in one hole or very close together.

--Fill with soil amended with organic compost.

--Water deeply.

--Mulch with organic compost.

--Fertilize once trees have six to 12 inches of new growth. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer. Fertilize lightly three to four times during the growing season.

--Summer pruning is recommended for controlling the size of your tree, but all trees are different. Consult a nursery for more assistance or go to www.davewilson.com.

Source: Dave Wilson Nursery, L.E. Cooke Co.

FOR ROSES:

--Soak roots in a bucket with vitamin B1 concentrate (1 tablespoon per gallon) and water for one to two days.

--Dig a 2-by-2-foot hole. Don't plant a $10 rose in a 50-cent hole and expect a miracle.

--Fill the hole with water to test drainage. If it does not completely drain in 30 minutes, you may have a drainage problem. To fix it, dig a little deeper and place a layer of small stones in the hole.

--Mix 1/3 original soil with 1/3 potting soil and 1/3 peat moss. Create a mound at the base of your hole and spread roots out over it, or place a biodegradable pot in the hole.

--Fill in with soil mixture, keeping the bud union about 2 inches above ground.

--Water deeply.

--Cover with mulch for protection.

--Fertilize after six to eight weeks or once rose has leafed out.

-- Fertilize again in June and August.

--Remove spent flowers for continuous blooms from April through December.

Source: Dr. Tommy Cairns, past president and consulting rosarian for the American Rose Society

CAPTION(S):

14 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- 11 -- cover -- color) Clockwise from top left: City of San Francisco, Heaven on Earth, High Society, Honey Perfume, Disneyland, Julie Newmar, Memorial Day, Day Breaker, Nancy Reagan, Home and Family, Social Climber.

(12 -- color) Bare-root season is very short - mid-December to Feb. 1 - so buy and plant now.

(13 -- color) Cutting off the trunk at 3 to 4 feet will encourage low branches and fruit growth.

Photo courtesy of Dave Wilson Nursery

(14 -- color) no caption (roses)

Box:

(1) Make the cut on established rosebushes (see text)

(2) How to plant your bare-root stock (see text)