How to Grow Healthy, Beautiful Roses

Roses thrive all over the world.

Growing healthy, beautiful roses is not as difficult as you may think. Yes, there is a plethora of information and opinion in the gardening world on the proper way to grow roses. The truth is, according to the fossil record, the rose is a rugged plant that has survived without human assistance for 35 million years. The best way to grow healthy roses is to care for them according to conditions in your region and the particular requirements of the type of rose plant you are growing, and build a care schedule that you can follow.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Pruning saw
• Shovel
• Organic soil amendment
• Mulch
• Measuring cup
• Bonemeal
• Cottonseed meal
• Blood meal
• Fish meal
• Epsom salts
• Hand cultivator or rake
• Fungicidal or wettable sulfur spray

Instructions

1. Choose a rose plant that is suited to your climate. Some roses, such as those grown on their own roots, are more cold-hardy than grafted roses. There are roses that tolerate heat as well. By choosing a type that has proven successful in your climate, you are one step closer to a healthy, beautiful plant.

2. Site the rose where it has the greatest chance of success. Full sun and adequate air circulation are vital to this plant. Cut back any other foliage within a 3-foot radius of the rose.

3. Amend the soil if it doesn't drain well. Specialists with the University of Illinois Extension suggest that you dig an 18-inch-deep hole and fill it with water. If the hole drains within five to six hours, the planting area will suffice. If it takes longer, add organic amendments to the soil, such as a 3- to 4-inch layer of compost, and mix them into the top 6 to 8 inches.

4. Consider the location of the bud union when planting the rose. The bud union is the bump or diagonal scar on the lower part of the plant where the cultivar is grafted onto the rootstock. In areas with harsh winters, plant the rose so that the graft union is buried 4 inches beneath the surface of the soil. In mild-weather regions, set the graft union at or slightly above the surface of the soil.

5. Provide at least 1 inch of water during the growing season. The soil needs to remain consistently moist. How often you need to water depends on the type of soil and the weather. Water more often during periods of heat and drought.

6. Top-dress the soil with a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch to keep the soil moist and discourage weeds. To avoid rot, don't place the mulch against the main cane.

7. Prune the rose in early spring. Cut all stems and branches at a 45-degree angle, 1/2 inch above an outward-facing bud. The most important aspect of pruning is to ensure that the interior of the plant will be open when the foliage comes in. Remove canes that are crossing over others, or those that have a diameter less than that of a pencil, from the middle of the plant. Cut out dead wood and cut damaged wood back to healthy, white tissue. Remove all the foliage and clean the bed of all pruning debris.

8. Fertilize the rose in the spring, after pruning. Specialists with the American Rose Society suggest a homemade fertilizer composed of 1 cup of bonemeal, 1 cup of cottonseed meal and 1/2 cup each of blood meal, fish meal and epsom salts. Water the rose and sprinkle the fertilizer 6 inches away from the main cane, spread it out 18 inches completely around the rose. Use a hand cultivator or rake to scratch the food into the top 1 inch of soil. Fertilize again, with a commercial fertilizer formulated for roses, at the rate listed on the label, three weeks later, then once a month throughout the season.

9. Attack fungal infections, such as powdery mildew, at the first symptoms. Powdery mildew appears as a white or gray powdery substance on the foliage. The disease is avoided by watering the soil, not the foliage. Treat powdery mildew infections with wettable sulfur or fungicidal sprays, according to package directions.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Our Rose Garden: The History of Roses
• University of Illinois Extension: Our Rose Garden: Water, Mulch and Fertilizer
• American Rose Society; Fertilizer: When and How; Jill Barnard
• American Rose Society; Pruning Guidelines; Collette Morton
• Rose Magazine: Mildew
• "Taylor's Guide to Roses"; Nancy J. Ondra; 2002