Over the years, roses have gotten a bad reputation. Many people think they are difficult to grow and maintain.  If you are thinking about starting a rose garden do not let this rumor stop you from planting these beautiful flowers.  While rose gardening can prove to be a bit challenging, with a little hard work, time and patenice, you can be the envy of your neighorhood. 

When starting your rose garden, there are several rose types to choose from.  You will have to decide which rose type you would like to plant. You have a choice between bare-root, pre-packaged, and container-grown roses.  Bare-root roses are sold in the winter and early spring. Many people order these roses through the mail. They should be planted after the last frost in your planting zone is over. Plant these roses when the ground has warmed and is easy to work.  Pre-packaged roses are bare-root plants that are sold in a bag or box that has material around the roots to retain moisture, such as sawdust.  Container-grown roses are grown; you guessed it, in containers.  They will be either budding or already in bloom when they become available in the early spring. You can get these roses at your local garden center or greenhouse.

Planting roses is not much different than planting any other type of plant.  The most important thing for roses, is healthy soil and a prime planting location.  It does not matter whether the roses you bought are bare-root or container-grown, the planting methods are going to be the same as any other plant.  Make sure the spot you choose drains well, roses do not like to stand in water for long periods of time. This can rot their roots, nothing like planting your rose only to watch them die, because of poor drainage. Roses love plenty of sunlight, morning sunlight is best, this will dry the leaves and help prevent your roses from getting diseases. Roses need at least eight hours of sunlight a day.  Do not overcrowd your roses, they need plenty of room to spread out and grow. It is a good idea to check the rose you intend to plant for its size when it is mature, to be sure it will have plenty of room to spread and grow. Before planting your roses, always remove any dead leaves. Also cut off any thin or decaying shoots.  Damaged or very long roots also need to be trimmed back, this helps for making a healthy plant.  Bare-root roses need to be soaked in water about 4-24 hours to rehydrate the roots before planting. When digging the hole for your rose plant make sure it is large enough for the root growth of the rose, usually twice the size of the plant. This will also give you plenty of room for pruning and encourages air circulation around your rose plant. Adding compost or mulch to the hole before planting is a great idea. Roses love the added nutrients compost and mulch gives.

Roses are greedy and just a bit needier than other plants. Roses like the same things other plants get, but they take a bit more.  One thing to remember when rose gardening is that roses are heavy feeders and need several fertilizer applications.  Start fertilizing in early spring and stop in early fall, six weeks before the first frost. This gives your roses time to harden off and go dormant for winter. Stopping to late will encourage new growth, which can be injuried or damaged by winter. Make sure you do not over-fertilize and water your rose plants after each feeding. Roses require large amounts of water; about a gallon per plant each week. Thorough watering twice a week should be enough. When there is little rain, more manual watering maybe required.

Pruning is an essential part of rose gardening.  This increases the amount of blooms on your rose plants and will encourage healthy plant growth.  Many varieties of roses have different pruning instructions. Reading about the different rose types will help you understand when and how much to prune each year.

The main thing to remember when rose gardening is to water, remember roses are needy and greedy plants. Watering leads to a healthy garden, which is less prone to disease. Another thing about rose gardening is the amount of fertilizer and nutrients you give your roses.  Pruning is also an important part of growing roses, this needs to be done on a regular bases to keep your rose garden under control and healthy.  Even though rose gardening takes time, hard work and patenice, many people think they are a very unique plant. Roses have a wonderful scent, great blooms and are a welcome addition to any garden space.

Written by ATrujillo I work from home and enjoy writing articles about different subjects. If you care to learn more on rose gardening please visit this site at http://www.rosegardeninfo.com and learn more rose gardening tips and how to’s to grow a big, beautiful rose garden.
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