Rose Care
A rose is a rose is a rose . . . and they’re not difficult grow!
Everybody loves roses: formal gardens, cutting gardens, climbing on trellises and arbors, abundantly blooming hedges. The possibilities are endless. Don’t be afraid to consider roses in your landscape plan.
Guidelines for successful cultivation:
- Roses require at least 6 hours of direct sun per day, and the more sun, the better. There is one rose that can handle shade and is a climber, that was introduced a few years ago, is called the Zephirine Drouhin Rose.
- We recommend fertilizing your roses once a month, April to August, using a product containing ample amounts of phosphorous to develop a strong root system, that’s combined with a systemic insecticide.
- Pruning technique is not difficult – each species has certain requirements that are easy to implement. Check with your local garden center or nursery for proper techniques according to variety.
Organic controls for cultural problems:
- Fungus or powdery mildew are best controlled with a solution of baking soda and water applied weekly on the foliage in the morning hours.
- Black spot can be avoided with proper watering techniques. Never water the foliage. Black spot travels with water from plant to plant. Pick off diseased leaves and discard away from the planted area.
- Mulching is crucial for rose garden success and aids in proper moisture retention, cutting down on the amount of disease and insect infestation. 2” of mulch (cedar recommended) annually will suffice.
- Insect problems can be avoided with simple procedures such as manual elimination of aphids or encouraging ladybug activity.
- Japanese beetles should be manually removed and immersed into a solution for drowning. Beetle bags are not recommended unless the entire neighborhood utilizes the technique. Without neighborhood cooperation, you will only succeed in attracting all the beetles to your property.
Differences between Roses:
Hybrid Tea Rose remains the standard rose of the floral industry. It has well formed large flowers, high centered buds, each flowering stem typically medium to tall in habit with long cutting stems.
Floribunda Rose is a medium size flowers mostly borne in clusters, often more compact in habit with medium length stems.
Grandiflora Roses have large flowers mostly in clusters, usually taller in habit with
individual stems within each cluster suitable for cutting.
Polyantha (Shrub) Roses carry smaller flowers borne in very large clusters, usually compact in habit with medium to short stems.
Miniature Roses are small flowered roses with proportionately smaller foliage, often very compact in habit, with shorter stems that can still be used for cutting.
Climbing Roses are those roses with long canes that can be trained along fences, trellis and walls, variable flower size, form and mature habit.
Rosa Rugosas, also known as the beach roses, do very well in sandy soil and are very thorny. They have smaller flowers, single petal, in cluster and are fragrant. Attractive for wildlife and are a source for rose hips.
Winter care is crucial to the survival of your rosebushes.
Generally speaking, most roses should be mounded with soil after the ground is frozen. This is an important requirement. Mounding with soil prior to soil freeze will hold the warmth in the root zone and then freeze the roots when temperatures go below freezing. Mounding the soil after ground freeze insulates the root system and keeps the roots in a ‘refrigeration’ state. Adding mulch after ground freeze aids insulation and protects against the freeze/thaw syndrome, windburn and dehydration.
