The Rose Garden

Pruning your roses is an essential part of rose maintenance. There are many ways and opinions on the best way to prune, when the perfect time to prune is, and which roses need pruning. Many seasoned rosarians have their favorite tested methods.

Pruning roses is not as complicated as some people think. To make it easy, there are 7 basic rules to follow when pruning your roses. If you keep these rules in mind, you will be rewarded with the most beautiful rose bushes.

The first rule in pruning roses is to remove any dead or dying growth. In doing this, your bushes will look good and will be free from signs of diseases. Removing the deadwood will discourage insects from making your rose plant their home. Insects love rose plants so keep an eye out for them while pruning.

Second, you should keep the center of your rose plant clear. This helps keep your bushes clear from pests and insects and allows good ventilation, which reduces the likelihood of fungus growth and other diseases.

Third, it is important to keep your rose plant away from other bushes so that their growth will not be impaired. If your rose plant is disturbed or overcrowded by other plants it may not grow, as you desire.

Fourth, you must shape your rose bushes while they are growing. This will prevent the roses from growing too wildly. If you do this, your roses will grow properly in the right direction. You will notice some roses growing in different directions. These are roses, which have not been shaped during growth.

Fifth, you must use sharp pruning shears. This is important so you make a clean cut and don’t effect the areas that you are not pruning. If you use a pruning shear that is not sharp, it may result in uneven branches, which can hinder or result in uneven growth.

Sixth, you must clean your pruning shears so they are free from diseases or fungus spores. The shears should be kept dry to prevent rust formation which makes your shears dull. If your shears are not sharp, you will have a hard time cutting the desired parts and will end up damaging the branches.

And lastly, you should seal the cuts you have made so that they will be free from disease. Using Elmer’s glue works well and it is inexpensive.

Roses are considered tolerant plants so pruning roses is important to keep them free from diseases and insects. If you follow these basic rules, your roses will flourish and live for many years. It only takes a little patience and your efforts will be well rewarded.

While it is true that you will spend more time on rose maintenance than most other plants, the care you give them during the growing season can be done easily while simply enjoying the blooms. Many people choose not to grow roses because they believe that they entail too much work.

Following these simple steps will make your roses beautiful and keep the plants healthy.

Fertilize your plants every three weeks during active blooming with a complete fertilizer formulated for roses. Roses need a balanced diet, as do most plants. You will want to choose fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This is often made easier by simply choosing one of the many brands of rose food available at any home and garden center.

Watch closely for pests and diseases and react quickly to destroy them. Black-spot, mildew, and blight together with insects, such as Japanese beetles, are some of the more troublesome rose disease and insect problems. Control is easy and prevention is practical with the regular use of chemicals that controls most fungal diseases and detrimental insects. Use pesticides labeled for roses as needed and weekly fungicide applications to control powdery mildew and black spot. Always apply according to label directions.

If you do not care to use pesticides on your plants there are organic methods for dealing with many insects. Pesticides do not differentiate between the good bugs and the bad ones and you do not want to kill beneficial insects. There are organic soaps available for purchase that will deal with most insects. You can also purchase beneficial insects at your local nursery like the praying mantis or lady bugs.

Roses require about an inch of water per week per bush. Watering bushes during dry periods will ensure continuous flowering during the growing season. Drip irrigation is best to water slowly, thoroughly, and deeply without wetting foliage.

This can be accomplished by purchasing soaker hoses. These hoses are snaked through your rose bed, preferably under the mulch to hide the hose, and attached to a regular hose when watering. This way watering is a simply matter of just turning on the spigot once a week. Keep the plants mulched with pine needles or bark to conserve water, cool the soil and discourage weeds.

Remove spent blooms to keep plants blooming and encourage new growth. Cut flowers regularly to enjoy inside as well. Practice disbudding to encourage the growth of larger blooms. Disbudding is the early removal of bloom buds. This practice removes the competition for nutrients to the buds that remain.

On Hybrid Tea roses, you will see that the terminal bud is the first to form. This is the bud on the very tip of the stem. Shortly after, secondary buds are formed around the terminal bud. Removal of these secondary buds early on sends the rose’s energy to the terminal bud producing the larger bloom.

The removal of these secondary buds should be done early in their development. You simply pinch them off with your fingers.

When walking through your rose garden, look for any diseased canes, dead wood, and/or suckers. Cut these away anytime they occur, but do not prune severely in the summer.

Finally, pull out any weeds as soon as you see them. Once different weeds get established in your garden, they can be difficult to control. I would advise to never use any type of weed killer – regardless of what the commercials may say – around your roses.

The roots are very close to the surface and even the most careful application can result in the death of half of your favorite bush. It is an avoidable nightmare.

Planting a rose garden can greatly enhance your landscape. However, it intimidates many beginners to try to grow roses. Rose growing is thought to be quite difficult by many.

Reports of roses getting such things as powdery mildew can make the novice fearful of giving rose growing a try. Yet, by paying attention to four basic elements, your rose growing can turn out to be a huge success.

1. Soil – The best soil for a rose to grow in is if it has a pH from 6.5 to 6.8. The soil must have good drainage for rose growing. You are able to promote a soil’s drainage by using peat moss.

2. Irrigation – The best thing to do is to give your rose bushes a good drink at least twice a week. If you give your roses two deep waterings each week, this is better than four less thorough waterings. It is best to try not to water your roses late in the evening. This could foster powdery mildew which is a common disease among roses.

3. Spacing – If you do not adequately space your roses, you are inviting powdery mildew to form on your roses. It is best to let them breathe. Be sure to follow the spacing requirements that are indicated on the plant label when you buy your roses.

4. Sun – Roses enjoy six hours of sunlight each day. It is preferable to have the roses get morning sun rather than the afternoon sun.

There is nothing more beautiful than a rose bush in full bloom. Do not let the growing of roses intimidate you. Just follow the above tips and you are bound to be a success at rose growing!