Rose Gardens

Roses have a long and colorful history. The rose has always been valued for its beauty as well as it's long history of symbolism. They have been used as symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics. Rose bushes can be used freely in a garden or to enhance the beauty of arbors, trellises, walls, hedges and fountains. Cut roses are a decoration that can hardly be beaten for the beauty and sweet fragrances that they provide.

Designing a rose garden requires some planning and preparation. The location of your rose bed is very important. Roses require a daily dose of at least six hours of sunlight in order to thrive and blossom. Rose bushes also need enough space to grow within the bed. They will grow in almost any type of soil but they prefer well-drained, fertile soil that is high in organic matter. Use only the best quality fertilizer to prepare the rose bed before planting and make sure that the space has been cleared of debris. Once planted, rose bushes simply require basic gardening and maintenance throughout the year.

• Spring and Summer - During spring months you should water the rose bushes once a week if they do not get any rain. As the weather grows hotter you should water them more frequently. Frequently examine your rose bushes for insects and diseases throughout the summer months and keep the soil and area around them clean of debris.



• Fall - Your roses will continue to bloom during the fall months of September and October. The rose bushes will need extra care during this period by pruning off dead branches but otherwise they require very little additional maintenance. Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas the rose bushes will begin to go dormant and that is the time to begin preparing them for winter.



• Winter - Most hardy roses require little in regards to winter protection. It is not recommended to prune your rose bushes again until spring. A good covering of mulch at the base of the plant will protect them from any frost damage and if you wish you can use rose cones to cover some of the smaller plants. If you do use cones you should cut the tops off them to ensure that they can get good air circulation during the winter period.

Color & Variety - When combining multiple rose bushes or with other flowering plants, it's always a good idea to think about what the resulting color combinations will look like. Choose colors that please you as well as compliment each other. There are 7 basic types of roses available.

• Hybrid Tea Roses - These roses have long stems and are quite tall. These roses grow one to a stem and are perfect for cutting. This type of roses comes in many colors.
• Shrub Roses - These long-lasting roses are very hardy and grow well in many climates with minimal supervision. There are also many varieties of shrub roses to choose from. These roses are often regarded as ideal growing roses for beginner gardeners.
• Floribundas - These roses are similar to hybrid tea roses, but they grow in clusters rather than singly. These roses are ideal for beginner gardeners because they fare well in any sunny location.
• Climbing Roses - This type of rose bush has long tendrils and canes that can be made to climb over fences, walls, and other objects. They look beautiful when grown in thick batches over walls, doorways, trellises, statues or other tall garden objects.
• Ground Cover Roses - These roses only grow a foot or two upward, but they spread out in a wide carpet, covering the ground. This type of roses is excellent for bed edges although it can also be grown very successfully in containers.
• Miniature Roses - These roses are tiny in size. They look beautiful in containers, on borders of gardens, and are ideal for those who have small gardens.
• Tree Roses - This type of rose, as the name suggests, has a trunk and bunches of flowers at the top, much like a tree. They look wonderful with other flowers or in containers.

Rose gardens fit the lifestyle of today's gardeners who want roses that are not as demanding with regard to disease control, offer excellent floral quality, have excellent winter hardiness, and fit into shrub borders and perennial gardens without seeming out of place.