If you like roses, you can use them for both function and beauty to enhance your grounds. You can use roses as creepers, hedges, climbers or vines or just simply to add a splash of color to your flower beds.
The inventors of roses were tireless and enthusiastic and every single year a bunch of new species crop up. Recently the newest varieties to pop up are; the floribunda rose, Jiminy Cricket, and a softer, pinker hybrid tea rose the Queen Elizabeth and a brighter yellow hued peace rose. With the over 5,000 different roses available today, once you begin growing your own roses, you will no doubt find out which ones you prefer from season to season.
Just like it is with any plant you select, you need to make sure your plant is healthy. The stems need to be a healthy shade of green and not shriveled and brown. Just remember that because something is expensive does not mean it is the best choice, it may even be a newer variety that is popular and well spoken about and therefore becomes a favorite.
There are two kinds of roses; bush roses (like shrubs) and climbers (which need a support system). In the bush rose family, the most common kind is a hybrid tea rose, which accounts for over 60% of all roses bushes grown in the U.S. Other major bush kinds are polyanthas (which grow in large clusters), fioribundas (larger than polyanthas), and the perpetual hybrids (great growing with a good crop in June and which continue growing through the summer). The climbers are ramblers, which are long pliant chains that have smaller clusters of roses and are great for use in wall covering, fences and banks. Climbers are called pillar roses which are adept at growing on buildings and posts, and the climber hybrid tree.
When planting roses, a good quality garden loam is needed. The loam needs to have leaf mold, compost, peat moss and manure and the flower bed should be prepared as far in advance as possible to allow time for the soil to settle. Fall time is ideal for planting roses, however you can choose to plant your roses in the spring time too.
It is necessary that once you get your roses, to plant them immediately. If the roses have become dried out, you will need to soak them down in a bucket of water before planting. Trimming the roots at this time is another good idea to do now, paying attention to any that are loose, long and broken. You need to dig a hole large enough to allow the roots room to expand and the rose is placed correctly when the bud is just below the surface of the ground. Hybrid teas should be about 18 inches apart in either direction and branches need to be pruned back within 6-10 inches from the soil.
To properly grow any flowering plant such as roses, they need to be cultivated, sprayed and pruned and if the flower bed is well cultivated you do not have to be overly concerned with watering. If you encounter watering problems in the heat of the summer time, it then becomes necessary to water them to the point of soaking on a weekly basis.
To protect against bug infestation, it is necessary to use an insecticide spray approximately every 10 days. You can winterize your roses by molding a mound of sod around them after the first frost or you can use a mix of straw and evergreen. In colder areas of the country, it is necessary to take down the supports of vine roses and put canes on the ground, the peg and cover with mounds of dirt to protect.
