How to Grow Great Roses

Cutting off wilted roses will promote new flower growth.

Great roses begin with healthy and productive rose bushes. When starting your rose garden, don't be tempted to purchase sickly-looking rose bushes, with the idea of nursing the plants back to health. One sick rose bush can contaminate an entire rose garden, thus eliminating your chances of growing great roses. Plant the rose bushes in an area that receives plenty of morning and early afternoon sunshine. When pruning your rose bushes or removing flowers from the plants, always use sharp gardening shears and sanitize the blades by wiping them with rubbing alcohol, to avoid spreading plant diseases.

Things You'll Need

• Fertilizer
• Gardening shears
• Rubbing alcohol
• Paper towel

Instructions

1. Buy a rose variety that is best suited to your climate and region. Consult with your local gardening center or local master gardener for suggestions. For example, the Lady Bank's rose does well in warmer regions.

2. Avoid traumatizing your rose bushes by careless handling. Broken stems and wounded canes or roots make a rose bush vulnerable to plant disease.

3. Apply the water gently to the soil below the rose bushes and don't water from overhead. Soak thoroughly without getting muddy. Damp foliage can lead to plant disease. Schedule the irrigation for the early morning, to allow sufficient time for the rose bushes to dry before nightfall. To determine if the rose bush needs water, insert a fingertip into the soil below the plant, as deep as possible. If your fingertip is dry, the plant needs water.

4. Fertilize your established roses twice a year, by scratching 4 oz. of 5-10-5 fertilizer into the soil beneath each rose bush. Do this in the spring, before the first buds appear and again after the first flush of blossoms.

5. Inspect the rose bush regularly and cut off any dying or diseased stems. Make the cuts at a 45-degree angle, using sanitized gardening shears. If leaves or buds are discolored or misshapen, consult with your gardening center on the appropriate treatment for whatever may be ailing your rose bush. If left untreated or not removed, it can make your other rose bushes sick.

6. Cut off your wilting roses to encourage new growth. Make the cut above the second five-leaflet leaf below the wilting flower, at an angle. Do this until late fall. In late fall, stop cutting off the wilting flowers and allow them to go to seed. This will send the plant into a dormant state, necessary to survive harsh winters.

References

• Arizona Municipal Water Users Association: Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert
• "Roses"; James Crockett; 1971
• Oregon State University Extension: Healthy Roses
• University of California Extension of Yolo County: Rose Pruning Facts