GROWING ROSES

Many people will tell you they don’t grow roses because of the amount of work involved. I haven’t found that to be true. With a minimum of time and effort roses will provide you with blooms every two to three weeks from spring until early fall, often right up until the first frost.

PLANTING

I’ve found it pays to buy roses from a reputable nursery rather than the less expensive ones you find at large chain stores. Bare root roses are less expensive than those already potted and blooming.

Place the bare root rose in a bucket of water as soon as you bring them home. They will be fine for several days until you can plant them. Dig a hole deep enough so the graft is about one inch below ground level. This is the little knob at the base of the bush, just above the beginning of the roots. Dig a wide enough hole so you can easily spread the roots out. Water thoroughly.

SUMMER MAINTENANCE

Roses are heavy feeders and will need a good fertilizer. Apply early in the spring, and then monthly. Unless you live where winter temperatures never drop below freezing, stop fertilizing in August to allow the rose to begin to rest for the winter.

They also need lots of water; about one inch a week. It’s best to water them at ground level rather than using sprinkler. This will help avoid the fungal infection known as black spot. A soaker hose is ideal for this, but if you don’t have one, simply place the hose at the base of the bush and allow to run for five to ten minutes on each bush.

You will want to keep your rose bed free of weeds. I like to mulch my rose bed with grass clippings. This saves on the amount of weeding I need to do plus helps to preserve the ground moisture. It’s best to avoid using grass clippings for the first mowing or two after an herbicide has been applied to your lawn. Wood chips are also an option for mulching. I just don’t like working with them myself.

Clip off the rose hips once the flower has finished blooming and lost its petals. This will encourage further blooming.

DISEASE AND PESTS

Aphids and black spot are two of the main enemies of roses. An application of a herbicide and a fungicide about once a week will solve this problem. I like to buy liquid concentrate and mix it in a sprinkling can. This avoids any problems with drift on a windy day, and more thoroughly soaks the leaves.

WINTER CARE

After the first frost you will need to cut your bush back to about twelve inches and cover well with the leaves and the grass clippings you’ve used to mulch them during the summer. There are foam rose cones sold to place over the bush for winter protection, but I haven’t found them to be all that effective. In the spring, remove the blanket of leaves and mulch once the danger of freezing temperatures is past.

BOUQUETS

I love having a bouquet of roses on my table. I cut them either early in the morning or in the evening; place them in a container of water up to their necks for an hour or so, or overnight before arranging them in a vase. I find the blooms will last several days by doing this.

For those who would like roses in the garden without all this work, a good option is a variety known as Knock Out Roses. They are extremely hardy and disease resistant and bloom continuously all season. They are not ideal to use as cut flowers as their stems are generally rather short, but do make an impressive display in your yard.