Have you ever gotten a little pot of miniature roses as a gift? They’re so sweet! The flowers are bright and cheerful all week and then-suddenly they dry up and drop dead. Sad. With Valentine’s Day upon us and Mother’s Day a few months away, these miniature potted roses will be abloom in stores near you. If you want to extend their lifespan, it is possible to keep miniature potted roses alive with a little bit of work.

Why are my miniature potted gift roses dying?

Here’s what I discovered the hard way: miniature potted roses aren’t grown to live beyond a few weeks after you get them home. It’s a sad fact, but very true. Not only are the little plants pot bound and squished four to a pot, roses are unlikely to get the amount of sun they need while indoors. With the deck stacked against them from the start, it’s not surprising that they don’t survive much longer than a vase of cut flowers. You can, however, help them have better odds at life.

How to save miniature gift roses

Twice I’ve taken potted roses and saved them from dying, even if they are pretty close to death. Here are the steps I followed:

1. First, the roses need to be separated from each other. To do that, remove the pot and place the plants in a bucket of water. Though you’re supposed to leave them in for only an hour or two, but I left them all day and it was fine. Swish the plants around to remove as much soil as possible.
2. Next, work on gently separating the plants from each other. Try to keep as many roots on each plant as possible, though some ripping apart of the roots can’t be avoided. Now, you should have four bare root rose bushes.
3. Plant them immediately! Don’t delay. Prepare a large pot for each one or a hole in the ground. I’ve done both.The location should be in full sun, but take care to shade the newly potted roses for a few days by putting a box or bucket over them until they acclimate to their new setting.
4. Water them every day for a week if it doesn’t rain.

The success rate for this is high. My first batch of roses had a 3/4 survival rate and they’ve lived for a year and a half so far. I tried operation save the roses two more times since, with 100% and 75% success. According to the employees at Trader Joe’s who also try to save the little sad roses, I’m doing pretty good at it. If they all bloom again this year, I’ll have a rainbow of peach, pink and yellow roses-all brought back from the brink of death.

Keep miniature potted roses alive

By following the above steps, your roses should be separated from each other with room to grow and flourish. While they aren’t as easy to grow as succulents, by putting them outside after the frost and keeping them watered, you have given them the best shot at life. Now, if you live in a zone where roses can live all year, you can just water the roses weekly and prune them in the fall. If you live in zone 9 or above, the roses will need to overwinter in a pot indoors in a sunny location. Any tips my readers have to keep miniature potted roses alive over the winter are highly appreciated.

So that’s it-you CAN save miniature rose bushes from dying. They can bloom again and actually grow to be good size little plants. If you try to keep miniature potted roses alive, let me know how it goes for you. While you’re busy keeping those roses alive, try a fairy garden!