How to Plan a Rose Garden

Here is a mini course in starting a rose garden:

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Water
• Soil
• Fertilizer

1. Choose a location in full sun, which roses need for optimal blooming.

2. Prepare the soil by mixing or tilling in lots of organic matter, such as compost.

3. 
   rose varieties

   There are hundreds of rose varieties, so choose something you like. Factors to consider include flower color, size of the rose bush, habit (tall climbing, low-growing ground cover), and disease resistance.

4. Now, you're ready to plant:
   First, water the rose thoroughly the day before (if it’s a container rose). If it’s a bare root rose, soak the roots in a bucket of water an hour before planting.

5. Dig a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball and the same depth. Set the root ball in the hole and fill around it. In warm climates the graft, a slightly raised bump on the stem a couple inches above the roots, should be planted above the soil line. In cold climates, the graft should sit an inch or two below ground level.

6. Water thoroughly and keep soil moist, but not wet, until root systems can establish.

7. Layer several inches of mulch around the base of the plant.

8. Roses are heavy feeders. After your rose has been in the ground for a month or so, you may want to start fertilizing with a rose fertilizer, following package instructions.

Tips & Warnings

• If you added lots of organic matter at planting time, and mulched with organic mulch, you may need little or no supplemental fertilizer.

Resources

• http://www.rose.org/

[poetryman69]

on 5/17/2009 cool, I may put in a rose garden in a year or two