Springtime Tips for Growing Better Roses

Springtime is almost here for most of us, although my area still has over two feet of snow on the ground! But, that makes this the ideal time to review some great growing tips for your roses. If you don't have any roses but plan on putting some in this year, it's very important to have an action plan before putting your shovel in the ground. If you do have roses, you should find these tips very helpful.

Let's assume you don't have any roses yet, so we'll progress through the planting to maintenance process step-by-step:

PLANTING YOUR ROSEBUSH

What to plant? Make it easy on yourself and prevent a lot of grief by buying bushes that say "disease resistant" on the label. Otherwise, the plant may be susceptible to rose disease, like blackspot. By being choosy in the beginning, you increase the odds of producing beautiful roses later on.

Where to plant? Keep in mind that roses thrive on full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. They also should be planted in beds by themselves for various reasons. Allow good space around each plant so air can circulate and also allow YOU to safely go between them for maintenance, such as pruning, etc. They also need to be mounded with soil or mulch for the winter. Other plants might not tolerate this, so this is the reason why it's good to keep the roses together. However, annuals can be planted next to them if desired.

You will need to dig a BIG hole. Let me repeat that again: a BIG hole! The hole should be a few inches deeper than what they were growing in before, and twice as wide as the bush itself. A lot of rose bushes have a "graft union", where the particular variety is grafted onto a sturdy rose stock. By making a large hole, you allow the graft union to grow new shoots and roots, while also protecting it. When done digging, water the hole well before setting the bush in it.

After digging a BIG hole, the next step is to loosen the soil by mixing it with plenty of compost. This will not only enrich the soil but also enhance the fetifility and drainage at the same time. One little known nugget of planting knowledge is that compost can control disease organisms in the soil. Set the bush in the hole, making sure the crown is at the same level as when it was in the container. Back fill the hole with the composted soil, tamping down firmly to set the bush.

Don't forget to mulch, as this helps keep disease organisms from splashing up onto the foliage from the bare soil.

WATERING AND FERTILIZING

Roses can easily get diseases if they are stressed by lack of water and fertilizer, so pay close attention to both of these. Follow the instructions supplied by the company that sold the rose.

PRUNING
This is important so sunlight and air can get to all parts of the bush. Again, follow the specific guidelines for your particular variety and the time of the year to prune. If you wind up with blackspot, and it is present year after year, it's time to take drastic action and remove the bush(s) from the garden. Blackspot can winter over on the rose canes, so look for it in the spring, pruning them off if you see signs of this.

It's not difficult to grow beautiful roses, as long as you follow these simple guidelines. Happy growing!