Tips For The Rose Gardener

Rose Garden - Photo: Pxhere

Rose gardens are probably the most popular type of garden in the world, ranging from Marie Antoinette’s famous gardens before the French revolution to a few shrubs tucked in a tiny backyard. With their wonderful scents and lovely blossoms, it is no wonder these surprisingly sturdy plants are so popular. After all, no other flowers are used as frequently as roses to symbolize love and friendship. If you’d like to grow beautiful roses in your yard, try a few of these simple rose gardening tips.

1. Roses need to eat regularly, just like any other living thing. Start feeding your roses before you even place them in the planting hole by adding a scoop of compost.

2. Use specially formulated rose food to help your roses really bloom. If you prefer organic methods, give your roses each a small scoop of Epsom salts, a banana peel, and some rotted compost. They will absolutely love these homegrown garden remedies.

3. Roses need to breathe. Be sure you don’t allow other plants to get to close to your roses. Keep weeds away from the base of your roses with a 2 to 4-inch layer of rotted compost or chip mulch, but be sure you don’t place these weed barriers right against the rose’s stems.

4. Mulch also helps keep your roses from getting too dry. Mulch retains water, so your roses need to be watered less frequently during the summer months.

5. Trim out dead wood. Rose canes that are brown and dead may even be harboring insect pests, so remove them immediately. Always make a clean cut instead of crushing the canes as you remove them.

6. Prune out canes that cross over other canes. Those sharp thorns damage the rose’s outer skin as easily as they snag your hands. Always prune a cane above a bud that faces away from the inside of the plant. This bud will react to the pruning by sending out a new shoot.

7. If your roses are infested by aphids, spray them with insecticidal soap.

8. Always remove pruned canes and spotty leaves from the ground. If you don’t, any fungus on them will re-infect your roses when there is a heavy rainfall.

Finally, the most important rose gardening tip may just be to wear long sleeves and thick gloves when you are working with your roses. A rose thorn can really hurt, especially if it becomes deeply embedded in your hand.

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Joyful Autumn Rose Growing

Autumn Rose - Photo: Pixabay

The autumn months of September and October are when roses perform at their peak. After faithfully following proper rose procedures up to this point, now -- at last -- you should begin to reap the rewards of full, vibrant, glorious blooms. 

Your work isn't quite done yet, however. Although autumn is the best growing time, it's also the time you must prepare your rose bushes for winter coming onslaught. 

Producing those beautiful blooms you are so proud of is hard work -- for your rose bushes, too. They need a lot of water to fuel the flowering process. Continue to water them deeply, as often as needed to maintain growth. Watering daily is okay if you are showing them off, just be careful and observe closely so that you do not over-do the watering process. You want beautiful blooms, not drowned roots. 

Continue using water-soluble compost through the end of September. Consider a commercial bloom-boosting fertilizer. The large number in the middle of the formulation is your cue -- nitrogen, PHOSPHORUS, potassium (potash). 

Black spot and mildew are dangerous because conditions for their growth are ideal, so keep up with a vigorous spraying program through the end of October. Stop all fertilizing by the end of October, to let your roses begin the hibernation process. 

You can continue to cut rose bouquets through October without causing any harm to the bushes. To encourage rose hips to form, just remove the petals of the dead roses. 

Fall just happens to be the right time to start planning next year's garden. Order new flower catalogs for your research during the dark and dreary months of winter. This is my favorite part -- all fun and no work. To get your best selections possible, place your new roses order early. Rose growers know when the best time is to ship new bushes to your climate zone.

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Rose Gardening Tasks Early Spring

Rose - Photo: Pexels

When should you start preparing your rose garden for the onset of spring and summer?  Well, if you live in an area where you can start seeing the promise of spring in late March or early April, then you're an "early spring" rose, gardener. However, if you live where March and April still bring icy rain and snow, then just keep waiting out old man winter until your turn at spring arrives and then follow the tips in this article.

Early spring is a time of great activity in the rose garden as you prepare for the beautiful buds that will be sprouting almost any day. Here's a summary of what needs to be done in order to prepare your roses for the tough growing season that lies ahead.

If you covered your roses with dirt or mulch, your first step is to gently remove the protective materials so you can introduce your dormant bushes to the warming spring sun and rains that lie ahead.

Before beginning your spring pruning activities, cut back any dead and damaged canes that did not survive the winter. Be sure to clear away any debris and residue from around the bushes as well.

Prepare the soil to nurture your plants by adding some organic compounds. You can either buy pre-packaged organics from your favorite garden supplier, or you can mix up your own recipe using composted manure or mushroom compost, or any of the usual meal blends which can include alfalfa, cottonseed, fish or blood meal.  See below for some suggestions.

Work your soil with a spade or hoe if it has become too compacted during the winter or if you notice standing water after watering your plants. Roses require well-drained soil to thrive.

After soil preparation is done you can plant any new additions to your garden including container-grown roses.

Next, it is time to begin your fungicide spraying regiment either immediately or, if you prefer to wait, approximately 14 days after you complete your pruning.  Opinions on the best time differ. The choice is yours.

Remember to rotate through different fungicides during the year to prevent any fungi from becoming immune to any one product.

Don't use any pesticides unless you see evidence of damage, but remember to keep a sharp eye out for aphids which are as much a sign of spring as April showers are. Hit them with a blast of water to remove them, or apply insecticide in a mister to the affected areas.

Imagine how hungry you'd be if you just woke up from a long winter hibernation! Well, your Roses are hungry too. The best way to coax them from dormancy to budding is to feed them now and every other week through the remainder of the growing season. Water well after feeding!  Feed with a fertilizer balanced for Nitrogen (N), Phosphates (P2O5) and Potash (K2O). Nitrogen stimulates the growth of leaves and canes and increases the size of the bush. Phosphate stimulates the growth of roots, canes, and stems and speeds up flowering. Potash stimulates the production of top quality blooms and improves the drought and disease resistance of the plant. A well-balanced fertilizer with these elements is 10-10-10. 

Another popular spring fertilizer is Osmocote which is a controlled release fertilizer that releases nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium depending on soil temperature. The 18-6-12 (8 to 9-month term) formulation is recommended for this area. Osmocote is also available with trace elements added in a product with the name of Sierra 17-6-10 Plus Minors Controlled Release Fertilizer

There! Your rose garden is ready for spring, but remember your work is far from over. If spring is near then summer can't be far behind. Read our summer article at http://www.RoseGarden-How-To.com to learn how to prepare your roses for the coming summer heat.

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Maintaining Your Rose Garden

Rose - Photo: Photo: Maxpixel

Gardening is an art. And of all the flowers that bloom in the whole wide world, the rose is the most celebrated. The rose is a beautiful flower and naturally, you have to maintain it properly. There are a few steps for planting a rose and they are as follows:

The best time for planting rose beds is in the spring. You can plant them in early spring or mid-spring according to your convenience. But one thing you should remember that if you plant it in mid-spring then you have to be careful that all the frost has dissolved.

A warm climate is necessary for this activity. Choose a spot carefully because roses require proper sunlight (at least 6 hrs.) to bloom nicely. Roses also like soil which is drained properly, however, water is also necessary for blooming roses. If you don't water deeply enough then the roots will become shallow.

To encourage big and beautiful blooms fertilizers are also necessary. You have to fertilize the plant once every six weeks. To avoid any type of fungal diseases and infections, spray a mix of dish soap and baking soda.

Lastly, exercise extreme precaution. Roses cannot adjust to extreme temperatures. If you are a gardener from a warm climate, then plant your roses where they will receive the morning sunlight.

In cold countries, roses must get exposure to the high noon sun. To reiterate, an important thing you should keep in mind is that roses do not like extremes of heat and cold.

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The Secrets Of Organic ROSE GARDENING

If you listen carefully and keep your ears close to the ground, you'll hear the latest buzzword loud and

clear: Organic Farming!

A view of Ruston's Rose Garden at Renmark, South Australia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Organics are the ideal way in which to protect your loved ones, your domesticated pets, and even the

environment from damaging chemicals. Roses are pretty, elegant, and a real treasure to have around the house.

In case you like roses, try to grow them organically - it is cheap and easy. The real secret of a successful organic rose garden is a quick look at how the natural world works. Once you understand this, then looking after your own organic rose garden will be a piece of cake.

The first thing you need to do is to plan, plan, and plan. Start with where you wish to see your roses

grow, what colors and hues they must sport and envisage what they will look like when they are fully

grown. Evaluate the other colors in your garden or your window will, see the colors of the walls, the

other flowers, etc.

Contrast works very well with roses. Brighter shades look nice in front of darker walls, and roses must set your walls or your house in sharp profile. Don’t even begin to think of large size, award winning organic roses.

Naturally grown roses don’t grow so big. But they are safe, they are healthy, and they don’t pollute your environment which is saying a lot! A yard full of organically grown roses, setting off the house that it encloses, aah, that is the home one dreams of coming back from work to. Don't you agree?

Understanding Types Of ROSE GARDENS

Roses are a rage. Whichever country you go, whichever part of the globe you trek, a rose has a universal appeal across cultures. Let us discuss the intricacies of this beautiful flower, from a horticulturist's point of view. Roses can be classified in several types and so can rose gardens.

Roses in bloom at Ishida Rose Garden in the city of Odate, Akita Prefecture, Japan
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gardens can have rose species from the genus Rosa. These look very attractive because these rose flowers can grow to be big in varying colors of white, red, or pink.

Old European Garden Roses are hybrids that were popular before the Rosa chine sis took prime place of beauty in the 18th century. The good old garden rose, humble yet popular, is perfect for new gardens.

It weathers extreme cold very well, can be resistant to many rose diseases, looks lovely when it blooms and emits a heady fragrance.

New age roses, better known as modern roses a man-made variety made from a cross bred tea rose. Several rose gardens contain such roses along with a selection of shrub roses. These are popular because they look pretty, are tough and durable, and very tolerant of most types of rose diseases.

If you feel particularly adventurous, you might commission a botanist to cross-breed and create your

own distinct type of rose. It will cost a small fortune but it will be worth the extra cost. Organized in various and varied types, a rose in any incarnation rules the world of the flowers.

That truth never changes.

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