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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All About Rose Gardening Pitfalls

Rose Rust Disease - Photo: Flickr

You might feel your rose gardening ventures are thwarted at every step - what with the hard winters wreaking havoc on the tender roses. Then the strong summer heat with the blistering sun and monsoon rains lashing down on them, you might wonder why you bother at all. Well, there is more bad news.

Rose Gardening Fungus - This white, powdery mildew is deposited on the top and bottom of leaves and stems. It corrodes the growth of the plant and ultimately kills the flowers and stems.

Rose Garden Rust - This is an orange powder which appears on the underside of leaves and has the same detrimental effects as rose gardening fungus.

Rose Garden Black Spots - As the name suggests, these appear as tiny black spots on the leaves and the stems of your rose plants. If you ignore these, they just might destroy your rose garden in no time at all.

Rose Mosaic Disease - This appears like an intricate yellow-green mosaic pattern and is amongst the most deadly rose viruses that can affect your plants. Apparently, there is no viable treatment for this disease.

If you are aware of these pitfalls then you are also armed with valuable knowledge. There are several solutions and remedies for such rose gardening problems.

The first step is to know the problems. If you are aware of the possible issues then you can also take preventive steps to solve the problems. So take heart, read more articles like this one, and your rose garden will never face any pitfalls. 

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Be An Exhibitionist: How to Show Your Roses

Rose Show 2011 - Photo: Wikimedia

Now that you have a rose garden you are proud of, it's time to take the next step and let others see the beauty of your roses. Rose shows and exhibits are exciting events where you get a chance to see how your roses stack up against other rosarians'. It doesn't matter if you win -- the experience alone will be fun, and you'll learn a lot. 

Visit a Rose Show

Before entering your own roses, visit a few rose shows to see how everything works. If at all possible, get permission to enter the preparation room to see what experienced displayers do before the judging begins. 

Get The Rule Book

Get a copy of the rulebook from the American Rose Society. Visit their website at www.Rose.org for more information. 

When you decide you are ready, look for a show that's close to home to limit your travel time and expenses. Many exhibits offer special judging classes for beginners, so try to find one of those for your first time.

Follow this timetable and you'll be ready to face the judges on the day of your show: 

30 Days Before The Show

It's easiest to start with 1 single bloom on a stem, so select the 1 rose you will be showing. Be sure to pick a rose with a sturdy and straight stem. 

Begin preparing the rose for exhibit by cutting off all of the buds that are forming on the side of the stem between the top and the leaf. This focuses all the nutrients on the single bloom at the end of the stem. 

Support the cane of your selected rose by staking it with a bamboo stake and some rose or twist ties. This protects the cane and helps to support the rose as it grows. 

Spray fungicide when needed, and promptly remove any aphids or spider mites. Aphids can be removed by spritzing with soapy water. Spider mites can be lightly sprayed with plain water. 

Water your roses as you normally would, and apply organics and fertilizer as needed. 

Put together your toolkit for the day of the show. Most experienced rosarians carry the following in their kits:

American Rose Society Rule Book 

Shears 

Several soft cloths 

Cotton swabs (such as Q-Tips) 

Plastic wrap 

Small, soft artist's paintbrush 

7 Days Before The Show

Cover your selected bloom at night with a baggy that's secured below the bloom with a tie. Remove the baggie before the sun rises in the morning. Do this every night until you leave for the show. 

2 Days Before The Show

Cut the rose, with the stem a bit longer than usual, because you will be re-cutting it on the day of the show. 

Place the rose in a florist's bucket, cover the bloom with a baggie and tie it off below the bloom. Place the bucket and rose in the refrigerator. 

Morning of The Show

Remove the rose from the refrigerator, place the container and rose safely in your car, grab your kit and head for the show! 

Author: Ron King

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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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