Growing Roses Begins Right Here
To get full benefit of rose gardening, complete a rose garden design before planting your favourite roses. This will bring out the true beauty of these wonderful flowers. Proper pruning and regular care will ensure continued enjoyment of your roses.
Bush Rose Planting
Water your plant a few hours before planting. Roses love to grow in an open sunny position. Growing roses require slightly acidic soil that is rich in humus and loamy. The soil must drain well.
Never plant new roses were old roses grew. I always remove all the old soil and replace it with new rich soil. Roses will not thrive in old nutrient poor.
Take the full size of the plant when mature into consideration when positioning your roses. Many gardeners make the mistake of planting too close to a wall or a pathway. I often see plants leaning forward from a wall because of this. Leave ample space even though it may not look good when the plant is young.
Growing roses in pots at nurseries is becoming very popular. This makes the planting of your roses easy. Planting to the correct depth is important. Make sure that the plant is planted at the same depth as in the nursery bag. Do not plant it too deeply. Watch out for the budding union. It must be above ground. Prepare your soil well and dig a hole wider than the diameter of the pot and deep enough. Gently remove the rose from the pot or nursery bag. Do not disturb the roots. Place the root ball in the hole. Take care that the budding union is just above the ground level and gently fill in with soil on the sides. Firm the soil as you progress. When the hole is ¾ full, fill the hole with water.
Wait for the water to seep away, before filling the hole to the top. Level the soil out and leave a slight depression for watering the plant.
Planting Bare-root Roses
If your plants are dry and wilted, put them in a bucket of water for two hours. If the stems look dry and wilted bury them in moist soil for three days. When you dig them up cut back all the dead wood and damaged roots. Prune each stem just above the outward facing bud. Preserve and protect the fibrous roots of your growing roses.
Prepare your soil well and dig a hole that is large enough to accommodate the roots when combed out straight. Form a mound, at the right level in the hole. Spread the roots over the mound in a fan shape. Take care that the budding union is just above the ground as I mentioned before.
The roots must be directed outward and downward, comb them and separate them gently with your fingers. Start filling the hole with the humus rich mixture. Pour the mixture between the roots and firm as you proceed.
Never tread the soil down hard because you will over compact and harden it. This will prevent good drainage, the plant will become waterlogged and root rot will set in. Fill the hole half way with soil and fill to the brim with water, wait until the water has drained away. This ensures that all the air spaces are removed between the roots.
Fill the remainder of the hole with soil. To make watering more effective leave a shallow depression around the base of the plant. Break the soil around the plant, and cover the ground with mulch.
The mulch should prevent weed growth. I always remove weeds with a handheld fork or another small gardening tool. I don’t want to damage the little fibrous roots that are essential for good nutrient absorption.
Container Rose Gardening
Growing roses in containers is very satisfying. The container gardening information and guidance that I’ve described here is also applicable to growing roses. Never disturb the roots of roses when you plant them in a container.
Don’t trim the rose plants unless it is necessary. Water your plants well before you plant them. Follow my guidelines for planting a container .
Planting and Staking a Standard Rose
Growing roses as standards is very satisfying. Prepare the plant, soil and hole as you would do with bush roses. Insert a sharpened wooden stake into the ground before you plant the rose. Metal stakes get too hot and burn the plants.
Attach the plant to the stake after planting the rose as described above. Use special plant ties to prevent damage to the plant stem. Check the stem often and loosen the ties if they get too tight.
Well growing roses is not so complicated after all. You are now well on your way growing roses that are healthy and strong. Just keep on doing it right and the roses will reward you with the most beautiful flowers and fragrances. Enjoy your roses.
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