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Five Basic Tips for Beginners in Planting a Rose Garden |
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Written by Dawn C.
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Sunday, 29 October 2006 |
Five Basic Tips for Beginners in Planting a Rose Garden
Many beginners to the hobby of rose gardening think that they will have to take time to pamper and babysit their flowers. It's a myth that all roses are delicate and apt to expire in the first breeze. Most people are happily relieved to find out that roses really require comparatively little care. Unless your goal is to cultivate roses for exhibition, they are relatively easy to grow, and they can add a measure of joy to your life as they are lovely to look at and heavenly to smell.
While roses are not extremely difficult to grow, they are much like any plants in that it is essential to give them appropriate care. They are not harder to look after than most other plants, but they do require some care and thoughtful planting. When you set out to plant a rose garden, it is important to remember that you will need to care for and fertilize your roses, and take the necessary steps to fortify them against diseases and pests. There are five basic things that can help beginners as they plant a rose garden. These five tips can help rose garden beginners create a more successful garden.
Learn about the various types of roses and what kinds of soil and climate they are partial to. A visit to a plant nursery in your area can help you to find these answers quite easily. You might also check with a master gardener or a local horticulturist. Find out if the variety of roses that you plan to plant are likely to thrive in your region. Planting roses that only have a small chance of survival in the growing conditions you have leads only to an exercise in frustration. Choosing the types of roses that will thrive guarantees that you will have a good first rose garden experience, and this is sure to inspire confidence in the beginner.
Plant roses in the autumn months or in early spring. This allows them a little longer to adjust to their homes, as well as conserve energy for an extended and better flowering season later in the year. Except for container grown roses and mini roses, it is better to use dormant plants when you start your rose garden. If you are using transplanted rose bushes, hold off until the fall when the plant becomes dormant, or in the early spring, while the plant is still dormant.
Plant your rose garden where 5 to 6 hours of sunlight is available daily. Some climbing roses, shrubs, and Rugosa varieties will do alright in shadier spots, but most roses like quite a bit of sun. To avoid the blights of mildew and blackspot on your roses, you should plant them where they get the morning sun. Morning sunshine helps moisture to evaporate from the leaves, thus preventing blackspot and mildew. Roses that are in the shade during the early morning, are moist for a longer period making them more susceptible to these afflictions.
When planting your rose garden, make provisions for a rich nutrient source for your roses. This does not have to be rose food. It is actually beneficial to add some well-rotted manure or compost to the planting holes of your rose plants. Add a bit (only a handful or so) of bone meal and mix it with your compost or manure. This provides a rich fertile bed that nourishes the rose roots and encourages them to strengthen and take better hold. Fertilizer can still be added after planting to provide the plant with a continuing source of valuable nutrients. Organic fertilizers like sea kelp and Canola meal are great rose garden fertilizers. When you provide adequate nourishment for your roses, you vastly improve their chances of success.
Finally, give your rose garden a good soaking upon planting. This is the most important aspect to remember in planting your rose garden. Water is, by far, the most essential requirement for a rose. A lot of rose food with little water will not do much good. However, if you faithfully water your rose garden, it will outbloom a garden that receives specially formulated rose food but not much water. Rose food is not a necessity; water is a huge one. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 29 October 2006 )
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