Caring For Roses
The Basics Of Caring For Roses
Caring for roses need not be terribly difficult. To be at their best, there are certain things that must be done, yet care is really quite simple.
The first step in caring for roses has to do with location. Location isn't just where you plant them in your garden, but where you live. Chances are your local nursery stocks rose plant varieties well suited for your locality. All too often we purchase a rose plant we particularly like, only to find that no matter how well we care for it, the plant just does not do well. Most roses are at their best in a temperate zone. There are varieties however that will not survive in USDA Zones 1-3, or may bloom for a season or two but struggle or die if a winter is unduly severe.
Variety vs. Location - Roses can do well in very hot climates although some varieties are susceptible to sunburn, and varieties whose stems do not have lots of leaves generally do not do well in hotter climates. Where there are cool summers, varieties that have many petals sometimes fail to open at all, and you are left with nothing more than a large bud or ball, maybe showing the color of the bloom but not much else. These same roses, with many petals, are at their best in warm weather, as the blooms open slowly, whereas roses with few petals would tend to open very quickly and the blooms will not last long. Even the flower color of a given variety may change somewhat in accordance with the climate the plant is grown in, all the more reason to select varieties with some care. It doesn't hurt either to purchase only premium bushes. The performance of deeply discounted plants may reflect their price.
Picking The Spot - The next step in caring for roses is to plant them in the right spot and follow the proper planting procedure. A rose plant that is given a good start may provide plentiful and beautiful blooms year after year, while a rose in the wrong spot or simply stuck in the ground may never grow or bloom to satisfaction. Roses are definitely sun loving plants, and can almost always be planted in full sun in temperate and cool climates. In hot climates, protection from the mid-day sun is usually advisable, and take care not to place roses where they may get an excess of reflected light (and heat), against the south-facing wall of a light colored house for example. A little filtered shade during the hottest part of the day will benefit a rose bush in most any location.
Space Is A Key - Roses like room. In formal rose garden you won't find them bunched up against one another, but each rose bush is given its space. When planting rose bushes then, one needs to know what size the bush is expected to attain, in terms of spread, so that the plants can be spaced accordingly. Some varieties are bushier than others, and most varieties tend to be bushiest in warmer climates and not as much so in cooler climates. Planning and laying out a rose bed, taking into account not only the color scheme that's desired, but also taking into account the anticipated sizes of the mature plants can be a challenge, but is an enjoyable one, and a lover of roses wouldn't have it any other way. Typically the spacing between plants will be 3 to 4 feet in cooler climates and up to 6 feet apart in warmer climates.
Planting - Plants are usually purchased either bare root (almost always bare root if they are shipped), or in pots. If the roots have dried out on a bare root plant, it can usually be returned to normal by sticking the roots in moist soil or sawdust for a few days. Then the plant can be placed in its intended location. When in pots, the plant is generally ready to go into the ground. In either case, it's important that the planting hole be large enough so that the roots can spread out. Any broken roots should be pruned off before planting, and a little mound should be left in the center of the planting hole so there won't be an air pocket under the roots once the hole has been filled in. Just making the planting holes large enough and filling them with soil that will drain easily can make the caring for roses much less of a chore in the months to come.
Watering And Feeding - Watering, feeding, mulching, and pruning, round out the care needed throughout the growing season. Roses are thirsty plants and heavy feeders. The best way to water a rose bed is to flood it, or at least give it a good soaking once a week, as opposed to sprinkling it every day. Watering by laying a hose on the ground and letting it run, or even using a soaker hose, is better than spraying the leaves, possibly inviting leave spot and other diseases. Fertilizer can be worked into the soil before new growth begins in the spring. After that the roses will benefit from feeding at 3 to 4 week intervals until the end of the growing season.
Pruning and Mulching - Proper pruning is one of the most important elements in caring for roses. Pruning is usually done conservatively, though at the end of the growing season many rose bushes can be trimmed back by a third to a half. Blooms come on new wood, but it is the old wood that stores the plant's nutrients, so by keeping as much of the old wood as possible, one will end up with a larger, stronger, and better blooming plant. Mulching is an option, but may be needed in some locations to keep the soil moist, and a good mulch always helps keep weeds away. Mulching and flooding a rose bed with water don't always mix well, but just don't compromise on the watering.
Roses often require a bit more attention than do other plants, but that may be one reason why people enjoy growing them. Caring for roses isn't all that complicated once you think about it.