Are You Ready to Grow Beautiful Roses?

Well are you ready?

Roses are arguably the most beloved flowers in the world. They symbolize love, friendship, and sympathy with an elegant beauty.

They're also known for being one of the most fragile and time-consuming flowers you can attempt to grow on your own. They can catch diseases like they can sway in the wind, right?

So why take the time to learn to grow these beautiful, elegant flowers?

Because they are beautiful elegant flowers! Plus the rumors are not all true - any gardening enthusiast can successfully grow gorgeous, healthy roses with just some reliable information...

...and a little tender loving care as well.

If you want to make your garden come alive with the beauty of the worlds most beloved flower - well then you need...some advice.

Give me 20 minutes and I'll give you all the expert advice you need to start growing your own gorgeous, healthy blooms right outside your front door.

If you are an admirer of roses, you can become the envy of friends, family, and neighbors with some expert gardening advice.

It is true - they do have a reputation for being hard to grow and maintain. And some are harder to grow then others.

So let me clear up the rumors for you right now:

If you are not an experienced gardener, you should NOT grow hybrid teas roses.

On the other hand, feel free to add life to your yard with Landscape roses (perfect for the novice gardener), Shrub roses, or Old Garden roses. Anyone can learn to successfully grow these beautiful plants - all it takes is the love of gardening and a little time.

If you feel adventurous and have some time, you can learn to plant hybrid teas right outside your front door.

Or take life a little easier and fall in love with any of the other less-maintenance flowers that the rose family provides! If you want to be the envy of friends, family, and neighbors - just read on!

The idea of a beautiful garden in your front yard, side yards, backyard, or all four must look beautiful inside your imagination.

I can tell you this - if you can appreciate the beauty in your mind you have what it takes to maintain and grow beautiful healthy roses. All you need is a little guidance.

Even the novice gardener can start growing healthy, successful plants. (You just need to pick the right species)

Choosing the Right Rose for your Garden

There are literally hundreds of types that you can grow in your garden. With such a selection to choose from, it can be extremely difficult to choose the one that's right for you.

To make this task a bit easier, I've added some crucial factors that you should consider, and some of the different types to aid in your search.

Color may seem like a trivial matter, but it is usually a factor to those that want to grow roses. Usually it is simply a matter of personal preference.

The final growth height should be considered as it would be unattractive to grow roses that are higher than the area of the garden that it grows in. Some varieties can grow to be as high as 20 feet.

If you live in an area that is prone to cold winters, you would certainly want one that could survive during the off season.

If certain fragrances invoke an allergic reaction, you would want to plant blooms that have a softer fragrance than the others.

You would certainly want to learn what the advantages and disadvantages would be if you were to choose certain types over others.

You will want to consider the size of your garden space, so that you can ensure proper exposure to the air and other elements as well.

If you are hoping to make your roses into bouquets, you will want to know if they can be cut. Hybrid teas can. Some varieties will fall apart at the petals if they are cut.

You should also consider what other types of flowers or plants you intend on adding to the environment. You want to add plants and flowers that will not create a damaging environment to your rose's ecosystem.

Some Common Types

After you get a sense of the type that you would like to plant, you will naturally want to know which type best fit your ideas for planting. There are too many to list here, but I can list some of them for you. You should consult your nearest garden center for advice on whether your choice is fitting to your garden's abilities.

Landscape

Landscape are great for the novice gardener. They are disease resistant, and require a little bit less maintenance. Hybrid teas are not good for the novice.

Climbing

These are different from the regular roses that are planted as they are trained to grow upward like vines. Most people like to use these for trellises, or buildings. Some of them are hybrid teas, wichuraine, and large flowered climbers. They are a beautiful addition to the look of one's house.

Shrub

Shrub roses like the beautiful rugosa are both long blooming, and disease resistant. These are also great for the novice planter. They are gorgeous even when they are not in bloom because the foliage is so pretty.

Old Garden

These are not very good for those with severe allergies to strong fragrances because they have a strong fragrant odor. However, they are disease resistant and continue to bloom for months at a time.

The Modern

These are very special because they are the result of cross breeding the hybrid tea with the polyanthus. They are also referred to as Floribunda. They are a beautiful combination of the best those two flowers have to offer. They are long blooming, fragrant, and they are great for cutting.

Miniature

Miniatures are exactly what they sound like. They have all of the fragrance and beauty , but they have smaller blooms. They are great for indoor planting.

Planting Roses

Here are some of the best ideas and tips for planting.

Check with your local gardening center or florist for the best type to grow in your climate. If you are a novice, you should look for disease resistant types because they require a lot less maintenance.

When planting roses, you want to pick a spot that is well lit in the morning. You also want an area that is sunlit for at least 6 hours a day. They need a great deal of light if they are to grow properly.

Pick an area that has plenty of well drained soil. Great soil has a PH level where the amount of acid in the soil is at about 5.5-7.0. You can get a testing kit for your soil at any garden center.

Organic matter like manure or lime helps to nourish the roots of your plants. You should soak the roots in water or puddle clay for many minutes, and cut off the root's ends that are broken.

The first 3-4 weeks after planting , you should water them often. Usually this is when the top 2 inches of soil is dry. Roses need a lot of hydration and food to remain healthy.

Four weeks after planting, you should start soaking the bed every 2 weeks or so. You should do this in the morning for the best results.

Begin fertilization approximately 3 months after planting. Use 3-6 inches of mulch to control the moisture, temperature, and to stops weeds from coming up. Mulch also helps to lock in the vital nutrients they need in order to remain healthy.

Planting in the Spring is the best.

You want to plant in an area that is well circulated with air,as they will not grow in an enclosed or tight area

Dig a hole that is two times bigger than the amount of space that your roses take up. It makes it easier to plant them and creates a spaced area for them to grow with freedom. Poor circulation can cause fungal diseases. Using a larger hole also makes it easier for you to pull them up later and pot them if you'd like.

Caring for Your Roses

Taking proper care can seem like a very taxing, and time consuming thing to do, but the results of such care far more than make up for it. Unfortunately, they are the most difficult flower to manage and keep healthy; however, all good things require high maintenance.

There are many small things that have to be done to keep them looking their best, but all of those small things add up to one very large one. Here are some great tips for the regular upkeep of your roses.

You should prune in the early spring. Or at least once the others start budding because the buds will eventually become new branches later.

You should cut the dead and damaged branches first. Next, you should cut all but five of the leftover healthy branches. They should end up at about the thickness of a pencil.

Cut the bushes by approximately one third or one half, depending on how tall you want them. Cutting above the outward facing buds, which are the buds that are on the outside of the bush because this will help the bud to grow upward; which will make the center of the bud open up for better air circulation and shape.

You should always sharpen your hand shears before pruning, and prune the climbers with caution. The branches have a tendency to overlap and you wouldn't want to prune the wrong branches

Mulching is necessary because it helps to keep your maintenance down a bit. Mulching means a lot less watering, weeding and helps to prevent diseases. The best mulches are organic ones like wood chips, pine needles, and grass clippings.

Protect your bushes during the winter months by adding a few extra inches of soil to the base of your plants. This should provide the extra needed heat in the winter.

You should feed them water often, but lightly. When you water avoid directly watering the foliage because it will cause fungal diseases. Remember you should water at the roots.

Keep the area around your roses cleared to prevent them from getting locked in an area that doesn't provide enough circulation.

Cold Climate Roses

Most roses will grow just about anywhere, and in any type of climate. Certain types do not function very well in cold climates, but will grow just as well in any other. Hybrid Teas are not however, a cold climate rose. They must be grown in a warmer climate like Florida. They simply don't have the necessary winter protection that some cold climate flowers have.

If you live in an area that is prone to harsh winters, you will likely find it relatively easy to find good, cold climate roses at your local garden center. It is necessary to plant cold climate varieties in areas that are prone to cold winters because planting anything else would be a waste of your time as they couldn't survive properly during the winter frost.

Cold climate roses are great for many reasons. They are very low maintenance flowers, especially good for the novice. Cold climate roses also have their very own protection set up against diseases and bacteria that can plague any flower. Here a brief list of cold climate roses . Naturally, there are many more, but to list them all would make up the entirety of this guide.

The cold climate roses are as follows:

Rugosas

Griffith Buck

Modern Roses

Centrifolias

Species Roses

Gallica

Alba

Shrub Roses

These are just some of the cold climate varieties that will thrive during the harsh winters of some localities. If you live in an area that is prone to harsh winters, you may want to see if your local garden center has any of these to start with.

I wish you every success in growing roses - you'll soon see why they are considered so beautiful....