How to Use Groundcover with Roses

This article will teach you how to plant roses in an area with groundcover.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A rake
• Water
• Fertilizer
• Pruning shears

1. You will need to remove the groundcover in the spots where you plan to plant the roses. This will help the roses get established; otherwise, the roots will compete for water and nutrients

2. 
   soil

   You will also need to prepare the soil well for the roses to do their best.

3. Eventually the groundcover will spread back into the areas you have cleared. Depending on the type of rose you plant, this may or may not be a problem as some roses are more tolerant of that type of competition than others.

4. There is always a risk of any groundcover out-competing the roses for water and nutrients. As long as you are aware of this and compensate for it by watering and fertilizing frequently, you may be OK.

5. 

   Be sure to pull the ivy back from the rose canes, and also keep it from growing up into and over the roses.

Tips & Warnings

• Ivy will make it difficult to rake up and remove any diseased rose foliage -- and this task is important in minimizing rose foliage problems.

Resources

• http://www.rose.org/