Take Time to Smell the Roses: How to Grow Roses at Home

Roses are among the most beautiful flowers in the world. They are not nearly as fussy as they are thought to be, and if you treat them well, then they will reward you with gorgeous, sweet smelling blooms for years and years on end. There are commercial products meant for roses and their closely related cousins, but there are some homemade, time tested tricks that work just as well. Regardless of which methods you chose to use, remember to love your roses and they will love you right back.

First choose the right place for your rose variety- some prefer full sun, and some would rather have a slightly shaded area. Read the hang tag thoroughly before you purchase and always inspect any plants that you are buying for signs of stress, or parasite. Only buy roses that have solid, green stems with no withered brown spots. If there are leaves beginning, look to be sure that they are not yellow, a sign that they have been forced to grow too quickly, which will stress the plant. Although blooms are pretty, avoid buying already bloomed roses as they may have been exposed to unnatural lighting conditions to get them to bloom before they were really ready to do so.

Once you know where to plant, make sure that you follow the directions for how to plant your new rose. Most nurseries will have a hang tag or other literature that will offer guidelines for size and depth of the hole you will need to dig your plant, and what the best type of fertilizer is and what the best time for adding it is. Some nurseries will have knowledgeable staff that can advise you on the best fertilizer and other products to provide the optimum rose growth. Of course, there are other "green" tricks that are often free and may be better for both the plants and the planet.

After you get your rose firmly planted in its new home, give it a good drink of water, but avoid watering in the middle of the afternoon. Watering is best done in the early morning or early evening hours, and in the really hottest of water, possibly at both times. Loosely mulch around the base of the rose bush to both protect the roots and to help hold in the water. Fertilize with the product of your choice at the time deemed best by nursery experts or the hang tag and then sit back and wait for those beautiful roses to grow in.

My mother grew a Peace rose that was more beautiful with each passing year. Her secret? Once a week she watered this rosebush with the water from the fish aquarium when she cleaned it. Once a month she would feed this gorgeous plant a special "meal" that she lovingly called rosy-food. She would take the peels of two bananas and puree them in the blender with just enough water to make a smooth paste and then dump this on the base of the bush- her roses were often as wide as dinner plates and had a heavenly smell that had just the slightest hint of the bananas in them.