How to Hate Roses

A rose by any other name.... is a disease bag, fertilizer pig, and glutton for water. Join the uprising against the common garden rose. Be the kind of gardener who demands more from the plants in your landscape!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Recognize how much pesticide an average rose needs to look “healthy.” Every bug on the plant loves to feast on the foliage and nest under the leaves. A good organic garden that thrives on low maintenance would never put in a plant that needs so much chemical intervention. Even if those pesticides are organic.

2. Understand the fertilizer needs of a rose. Those robust glossy leaves take a ton of food. To get those flower buds to keep forming, you need to be fertilizing way more then any other shrub or perennial. The rose can’t take all of that extra fertilizer in; extra nitrogen will leach into our drinking water and pollute our fresh water sources.

3. Realize that a rose, even grown with organic products and minimum maintenance, needs to be pruned often. At the very end of winter, after the blossoms fade, to remove fungus infected leaves…
   
   Is this how you want to spend your summer?

4. Remember that once all of those flowers are gone you're stuck with one ugly looking plant!

5. Replace the tired garden rose with a plant that is more worthy. A plant that is beautiful in all 4 of the seasons. A plant that requires little attention to survive and very little chemicals to thrive. Visit your local nursery today for some inspiration.

Tips & Warnings

• Even the florist rose adds noxiouse chemicals to our planet. Tell the people who are special in your life to give you the gift of daisies, or another easy to grow flower arrangement. Locally grown is even better.
• Too much effort, too little pay off.

[lynsuz12]

on 9/5/2009 True words. I removed mine and replace with Crepe Myrtles and Rose of Sharon. Great article. 5*

[boatst]

on 8/19/2009 This is why I switched to knockout roses. Thanks for article

[jillmaria]

on 8/19/2009 Love this aricle, especially from a professional gardener! My rosebushes are so moody (they were here when we bought the house). I felt guilty for not cultivating them - I just cut back the little buggers every fall. Glad to see I'm not alone!!

[Jolocol]

on 7/12/2009 I have such a rose just outside my classroom door. I love it when the flowers are these, but the rest of it just isn't lovable. Good article!

[GreenMomma]

on 6/7/2009 PS, you know I never use chemicals in my garden so my roses REALLY do not look pretty! My clematis takes ZERO effort and looks great from spring till winter.