I have never really included roses in my garden. I am told that rose care is easier than you think—anyone can grow them successfully. This year I found a beautiful salmon orange colored rose at the local shop and I brought it home.
Plant your roses in a sunny location with good drainage. Fertilize them regularly for impressive flowers. Water them evenly to keep the soil moist. Prune established rose bushes in early spring. And watch for diseases like powdery mildew or black spot.
If you’ve been afraid to start a rose garden, the truth is, roses are no more difficult to care for than other flowering shrubs. Follow these ten essential rules to grow your own beautiful roses:
Roses can be bought already potted in soil or as dormant bare-root plants. Each type has benefits. If you’re a novice rose grower, like me, container roses are a great way to go because they are easy to plant and establish quickly. They can also be purchased at local nurseries throughout the growing season, allowing you to plant them when climate conditions are ideal.
Bare-root roses arrive dormant. They offer the widest selection of varieties, but require more care and attention months after planting. One of the biggest advantages of bare-root roses is the greater selection of varieties available. In addition, bare-root plants are an economical and convenient way to order plants by mail that you can’t find at a local nursery. Unlike container roses, however, bare-root plants need to have their roots soaked overnight in water before going in the ground, and the roots must be kept moist the first few months after planting.
There are numerous classes of roses, ranging from micro-miniatures to grandifloras and from ground covers to climbing roses, with some classes containing hundreds of varieties. While it may be tempting to fill your rose garden with a wide assortment, you are likely to end up with a disorderly array and too many plants for the space. A few well-chosen varieties will give you far more satisfaction than dozens of mismatched plants that don’t work in harmony.
For the healthiest plants and abundance of flowers, roses need six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, placing your rose bush next to a south or west facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.
Roses thrive in well-drained soil that is rich with organic matter. In heavy clay soil, mix in compost, peat moss, and other organic matter to improve drainage. In lean, sandy soils, adding compost will help to retain moisture near the plant’s roots.
The best time to plant roses is in the spring, after the last frost, or in the fall at least six weeks before the average first frost in your area. This gives the roots enough time to burrow into the soil before the plants go dormant for the winter.
Bare-root roses are typically available only in early spring and should be planted soon after you bring them home. Roses growing in containers give you more flexibility in planting time and can go into the ground whenever climate conditions are agreeable. For the best results, plant roses on a calm, cloudy day. Planting on a hot, sunny day or during a summer heat wave can stress any type of plant.
The size of the hole in which you plant your roses is one of the key factors to getting them off to a good start. Whether you are planting bare-root or container roses, you need to dig a hole deep enough and wide enough to accommodate the plant’s roots and to allow for good drainage, since roses don’t like wet feet. If you are planting several rose bushes together, space them at least 3 feet apart to give them ample growing room.
Mix a generous amount of garden compost, peat moss, or other organic matter with the soil that was removed from the planting hole. Use some of this mixture at the bottom of the planting hole and place the plant. The rose’s crown should be at ground level in mild climates, and 2 to 3 inches below ground level for cold climates. Fill the hole partially with the soil mixture and add a slow-release fertilizer. Water thoroughly, and then finish filling the hole with the remaining soil. Water again, then mound loose soil around the canes to protect the rose while it acclimates to its new site.
To produce an impressive show of flowers, a rose bush needs to be fertilized regularly. Organic methods provide a slow, steady supply of nutrients. Monthly applications of compost, composted manure, and other organic and natural fertilizers, such as this organic fish emulsion, work well. Organic amendments also help to encourage beneficial soil microbes and a well-balanced soil pH.
Slow-release fertilizers, like Organic Fertilizer Spikes, supply the right balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other minor nutrients and also give rose bushes the nourishment they need for optimum growth. The nutrient content in synthetic fertilizers is higher than what you’ll find in organic amendments, so fewer applications are necessary - typically once in the spring and once in the fall. For newly planted bare-root plants, apply organic amendments to the soil at planting time, then wait until after the plant has produced its first blooms to apply chemical fertilizers so you don’t burn the new roots. Whatever type of fertilizer you use, be sure to follow the product label for quantity and frequency of application.
Roses do best when soil moisture is kept uniform throughout the growing season. The amount and frequency of watering will depend on your soil type and climate. Roses growing in sandy soils will need more watering than those in heavier clay soils. Hot, dry, and windy conditions will also parch roses quickly. How you water is as important as the frequency. Water at the soil level to avoid getting the foliage wet prevents disease such as black spot and powdery mildew. Using a soaker hose is recommend to deliver water directly to the roots and avoid wetting the leaves. Experts recommend the equivalent of 1 inch of rainfall per week during the growing season.
“Modern roses don’t need as much pruning as most people think. However, an established rose bush appreciates a basic pruning in early spring,”
It’s almost impossible to kill a rose bush by over pruning, but if you follow a few simple rules, the results will look more professional and result in a healthier plant. A good pair of bypass pruners (not anvil style) and rose pruning gloves can make the job even easier.
First, remove all dead and damaged canes (any that look brown), then cut back a third to a half of the previous year’s growth until you find healthy, white centers inside the cane. If you live in a climate with a dormant season, the best time to do a hard pruning is in early spring, around March or April. However, you can lightly prune your roses all season long to keep them well-groomed.
The only other pruning needed for most varieties of reblooming roses is deadheading to encourage blooms throughout the season. Just cut back below the first five-leaflet stem to promote regrowth. If your rose bushes are “self-cleaning,” which means they don’t develop rose hips, no deadheading is needed because the blooms will drop off automatically and the plants will keep on producing more flowers.
The best way to prevent rose diseases is to choose disease-resistant varieties. These roses are bred and selected to resist the most common rose afflictions, including powdery mildew and black spot.
* Powdery mildew typically appears during the summer, especially when the days are hot and dry and the nights are cool and wet. The tell-tale signs include leaves that curl and twist and the development of a white, powdery down on the leaves. To avoid powdery mildew, water plants at ground level in the morning, since wet leaves, especially overnight, provide the perfect growing environment. Pruning a rose bush to allow air to circulate through the foliage also helps prevent this powdery growth.
* Black spot is a waterborne fungal disease that appears as circular black or brown spots on the top side of leaves, starting toward the bottom of a bush and working its way up, eventually causing defoliation. Prevent this disease the same way you prevent powdery mildew, by improving air circulation through the plant and watering at ground level. A simple mixture of baking soda and horticultural oil can help fight the spread of black spot, or use an organic 3-in-1 fungicide.
* Pesky insects that like to feed on rose bushes include aphids, Japanese beetles, spider mites, and sawflies. Most of these pests can be controlled with neem oil or insecticidal soap. In the case of aphids, a blast of water from a hose in the morning is often the only treatment necessary.
For the most part, roses are tough and resilient and will thrive with minimal pampering. Newer varieties of roses are much more vigorous and much more disease resistant than older varieties.”
Of course, one of the greatest pleasures of planting garden roses is the harvest. Roses have long been prized for their beautiful and fragrant cut flowers, but no roses are lovelier than those gathered fresh from your own garden. Here are a few rules of thumb for preserving your cut roses as long as possible:
Roses will last the longest when they are cut immediately after the bud stage, when the petals are starting to open.
Use hand pruners or garden scissors with sharp blades to cut the stems without damaging their water uptake channels.
Cut roses when they are dewy fresh and hydrated, either early in morning or during the evening, so the plant isn’t stressed from hot weather and sun exposure.
A 45-degree angle cut of the stems prevents them resting flat on the bottom of the vase. Trim the rose stems right before putting them in a vase to eliminate any air bubbles that will prevent them from taking in water.
Strip off any lower leaves that fall below the water line to avoid rot and bacterial growth. Above the water line, leave as much foliage as possible, which will help to draw up water.
Change the water frequently — daily if possible — to remove any bacteria. Also re-cut the flower stems every few days to improve water absorption.
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