The Beauty of a Rose....

If you measure your skill as a gardener by the beauty of your roses,  don't leave things to chance. For perfect roses you must pamper your plants. Strong, healthy buds will produce the most beautiful blossoms. To stop your rose bushes wasting precious nutrients on weak shoots, nip out any old and withered ones. Also check for branches that may be tangled together, as weak, damaged or brittle stems provide easy access for disease spores.

Hard pruning should always carried out in winter - so February is the ideal month to give your roses some care and attention . You can prune roses time until mid-March , so begin by cutting stems back by two-thirds. In any rose garden there are some general requirements. Roses do need a rich garden soil, sunlight, and plenty of water it they are to thrive. So let's begin to learn rose gardening with where your roses will "live."

The Rose Bed

Almost any soil is, or can be made into, nutrient rich garden soil. The best option for your rose bed is a well-drained, fertile, light soil around two feet deep. A pH between 6.0 - and 6.5 is perfect. Ensure that your rose bed gets at least 4 hours of full sunlight a day, with 6 hours being best.

Buying Your Roses:

There are many wonderful types of rose available at local nurseries and garden centers. They will come as either "bare root" roses, or in pots (packaged).Bare-root roses come with the roots protected in a moist packaging substance. Purchase these roses as close to planting time as you can, and plant them while they are dormant. Depending on your climate, the best planting time is late winter or early spring, after any frozen ground has thawed, so February is the ideal month to trend to your rose garden.

How To Plant Bare Root Roses:

1. Before attempting to plant,  remember to soak the roots in water overnight.

2. Dig a hole and create a small mound of soil in the bottom of it. Put the plant on the mounds, spreading the roots evenly around the soil.

3. Place the plant so the bud union is at the same level as the ground surface.

4. Cover the roots with loose soil and press gently with your fingertips. Add more soil until the hole is half full, then fill with water, making sure the liquid has been absorbed.

5. Fill the hole with soil, and you're finished!

How To Plant Container, or Packaged, Roses:

1. To plant the rose while it is still dormant, take it out of the box and plant it like a bare-root rose.

2. If the rose is growing (showing leaves and flowers), cut the bottom of the container off, and cut several openings on each side. You want the roots to be unrestricted.

3. Set the rose in the planting hole to the right depth. Fill the hole with soil and water.

Mulching Roses:

Mulching your roses is good for any soil and in any climate. It is extremely helpful in dry areas. Mulch keeps the soil temperature steady, and prevents heavy rain from causing the top soil to cake up. Mulching also helps to controls weeds.

Watering Roses:

Roses need to receive 1 inch of water per week. What's the best way? Watering deeply once a week, instead of watering lightly more often. Overhead sprinkling is great when done in the morning. This lets the foliage dry out before nightfall. Using soaker hoses or other drip-irrigation systems may be a more convenient way to water your roses.

Winter Treatment:

It's fairly easy to help most roses get safely through winter. Start by shoveling a protective mound of soil around the base of the rose. Then add a few scoops of mulch around the base, and they should stay well insulated.

Pruning Roses:

As you learn rose gardening, you'll find that much satisfaction comes from pruning your roses. By pruning, you remove old wood and encourage sap to flow into younger and stronger branches.

Most roses need moderately light pruning. Prune roses in late winter or in early spring, as soon as the buds begin to swell, but before they start to open. In warm climates, pruning can be a year-round activity.

Of course, there is more to learn about rose gardening... but these basics will see that you're off to a good start. The main thing is to enjoy the beauty and blessings our roses bring us every day!