Rose care is not as difficult as you may think—anyone can grow them successfully. Place your roses in an area that gets a lot of sun and has good drainage. Fertilize them regularly for impressive flowers. Water them evenly to keep the soil moist. Prune established rose bushes in early spring. Watch for diseases like powdery mildew or black spot.
You may have been avoiding starting a rose garden because you think they require more care than other flowering shrubs, but that isn’t the case. Follow these essential rules to learn how to grow roses:
Start with the roots
You can buy roses that are already potted in soil or as dormant bare-root plants. Each type has its benefits:
- Container roses: Container roses are a great for novice gardeners because they’re easy to plant and establish quickly. They can also be purchased at local nurseries throughout the growing season. This allows you to plant them when climate conditions are ideal— preferably a cool and cloudy day.
- Bare-root roses: One of the advantages of bare-root roses is the greater selection of varieties available. Plus, they are economical and can be ordered online. However, unlike container roses, bare-root plants need to have their roots soaked overnight in water before planting. Also, the roots should be kept moist for the first few months after planting.
Bare-root roses, which arrive without any leaves or flowers, offer the widest selection of varieties, but also require more TLC in the months after planting.
Choose your roses wisely
Roses come in a wide range of sizes and growth habits, from micro-miniatures to grandifloras, and from groundcovers to climbing roses. Some classes contain hundreds of varieties. If you’re thinking about filling your rose garden with a variety of different types of roses, you should know that you might end up with an unsightly and overwhelming number of plants. It is better to have a smaller number of plants that go well together than a large number of plants that do not go well together.
If you want roses that are easier to take care of, try shrub or landscape roses, like the Oso Easy line. This will give you a rose garden that requires less work.
Choose the perfect rose for your garden by reading The Best Types of Roses for Your Garden.
If you limit the number of rose varieties you grow, you will have a more organized and matching group. Oso Easy Hot Paprika® landscape rose. Photo by: Proven Winners.
Find the right site
To have the best show of flowers and the healthiest plants, rose bushes should get six to eight hours of sunlight every day. The soil should be well-drained and rich in organic matter. Roses prefer cooler temperatures and should be shielded from the heat of the afternoon sun in especially hot climates. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south- or west-facing fence or wall can help protect the plant from damage caused by the cold weather.
Get the timing right
Roses should be planted in the spring (after the last frost) or in fall (at least six weeks before the average first frost). Fall is the best time to plant because the roots have time to get established before the plants go dormant for the winter.
Bare-root roses are only available early spring and should be planted as soon as you bring them home. Roses in containers can be planted at any time.
Plant properly
You should plant your roses in either a bare-root or container, depending on what you have. Make sure you plant them properly so they can get a good start.
- The planting hole needs to be deep enough and wide enough to accommodate the plant’s roots. The area needs to have good drainage, since roses don’t like wet feet.
- Mix a generous amount of garden compost, peat moss, or other organic matter with the soil that was removed from the planting hole. Use some of this mixture at the bottom of the planting hole and place the rose bush in the hole.
- The plant’s crown should be at ground level in mild climates, and 2 to 3 inches below ground level for cold climates.
- Fill the hole partially with the soil mixture and add a slow-release fertilizer.
- Water thoroughly, and then finish filling the hole with the remaining soil.
- Water again, then mound loose soil around the canes to protect the rose while it acclimates to its new site.
- If you’re planting several rose bushes together, space them at least 3 feet apart to allow ample growing room as they mature.
Bury the bud union
To ensure your plant flourishes, you should bury the bud union 3-4 inches deep into the soil. The bud union is where the canes grow out, located at the knot above the roots.
Burying the bud union helps prevent wind-rock. If you keep moving the rose bush around, it won’t be able to develop a strong root system.
Make sure your roses are well watered
People have different ideas about the best way to water roses. Some believe that soaker hoses are the best option for watering plants because they prevent water from splashing onto the leaves. Wet leaves and flowers encourage disease to happen.
A rose expert believes that a soaker hose can become blocked, and he is not confident that the water would reach all the way down to the roots.
He wetlands his lawn with sprinklers at 4 am during the summer. Watering the roses at 4 am will help to keep them from wilting as the sun rises and dries the leaves.
Another option is to hand-water your roses. I preferred to hand-water my roses so that I could make sure they were getting enough water. This also allowed me to take a look at each bush to make sure it was healthy.
The best time to water your plants is in the morning or evening, when the sun isn’t as strong.
Fall is the time when roses go on sale
Roses at my local nursery go on sale the last week of September. They offered a 2-for-1 deal on amazing roses.
The selection of items won’t be as good as it is during spring. If you want to save money on landscaping your yard, it’s a good idea to wait until fall.
Fertilize your roses with banana peels
I used this secret with my roses and they turned out great. I eat a lot of organic bananas and as a result, my roses love me.
Banana peels decompose quickly, making them ideal for roses. The release of potassium and phosphorous minerals into the soil is beneficial.
A good way to fertilize your rose bush is to drop a banana peel in the hole before adding the bush.
A benefit to adding banana peels to your roses is that they contain a chemical that aphids hate. They also deter a frequent fungus that roses can sometimes experience.
To prepare your banana peel fertilizer, simply chop up the peels and bury them one inch under the soil.
Fertilize rose with coffee grounds
Coffee grounds can help lower the soil’s pH and attract worms. These worms can help fertilize and loosen dirt. as the coffee grounds break down The coffee grounds contain many nutrients that are gradually released into the soil as they decompose.
Do not place coffee grounds directly into the soil; instead, mix approximately one cup of coffee grounds with one gallon of water. Use this mixture to water your roses.
Coffee grounds are toxic to slugs and snails, so they stay away from it.
An important thing to remember when making coffee is to add organic coffee grounds. You want to avoid coffee beans that were sprayed with pesticides.
I was fortunate to get organic coffee grounds from my neighborhood coffee cart.
If you are wondering what to do with your coffee grounds, you should ask your local coffee stand what they do with their daily coffee grounds. You might get lucky as well.
Eggshells make a good fertilizer for roses
Eggshells provide an organic source that will help your roses grow stronger.
Eggshells are a good source of calcium, promote a robust root system, stabilize the pH level, help with healthy foliage, and are a natural deterrent against pests.
The shells of eggs should be crushed or turned into powder for quicker decomposition.
Don’t prune newly planted roses
Wait one year before you prune your rose bush. Although it may be tempting to cut off branches that are growing in places you don’t want them to, try to resist the urge to do so.
Wait until your rose bush is well-established before trimming it.
Prune to entice sturdy rose stems
When you are pruning your roses, you will want to cut the stem back so that there are a minimum of five leaves left on it. A new branch will grow from the rosebush that will be strong enough to support fresh blooms.
If you don’t trim your roses back to this point, they will produce weaker growth.
Deadhead roses before they go to seed
The plant’s energy is used to produce seeds instead of new growth. Pruning off spent flowers from a rose bush encourages the plant to produce more buds and, as a result, more seeds.
You should cut the stems of roses that have already flowered back to a bud that has a full leaf.
Natural Pest Control Secrets to Growing Roses
Clean your tools
To keep your gardening tools in good condition and prevent the spread of disease, it is important to clean them after each use.
To make your cleaning solution, mix one part bleach with nine parts water. Once you’re finished using the bleach mixture, be sure to rinse it off with soapy water.
Plant lavender near roses to deter rabbits
I love the combination of lavender and roses together. If you are having trouble with rabbits, lavender can help to keep them away.
You can make a natural spray at home to get rid of aphids on your rose bushes.
To make your own bug spray, mix 1/2 teaspoon of mild dish soap with one teaspoon cooking oil and one quart of water. Fill a spray bottle with the solution and spray it over the whole plant.
Bring in the ladybugs
Ladybugs love to dine on aphids. If your rose bush has been affected by aphids, you can bring in some ladybugs to help control them. Aphids reproduce quickly, so ladybugs can help to keep their population under control.
These aphid-eating and sheltering garden partners will stick around as long as there are aphids to eat.
Slug solutions
If there is a problem with slugs in your area, there are a few ways to deal with them.
In a shallow dish, pour a small amount of beer at the bottom. The yeast in beer is attractive to snails and slugs. They will crawl in the saucer and drown.
If you want to get rid of slugs and snails, you can go outside at night with a flashlight, and hand-pick them. If you know someone who owns chickens, they will be happy to receive them as a gift.
Deterring deer solutions
I had enough dog hair to mix with my soil, which kept the deer from eating my flowers.
There are a few things you can do to keep deer away from your garden, like using fabric sheets, garlic, and blood meal. Deer have a strong sense of smell, so these things may help to keep them away.
There are also deer deterrents available to buy.
Daily Care Secrets to Growing Roses
Nitrogen for roses
The “rose whisperer” said that you should use enough nitrogen and apply it regularly in small doses. He regularly fertilizes because he loves large rose bushes.
Rose compost
The “rose whisperer” said to keep the garden organic and alive by covering the soil with a 6 inch blanket of compost in winter. Then he adds smaller amounts throughout the year.
He builds up his soil by adding ground forest bark, steer manure, horse manure, and homemade compost.
Trellis for roses
Horizontally training your climbing roses encourages the most blooms. A trellis that a rose can climb is both decorative and removable, so that it can be taken down for wall maintenance.
Use plastic-covered wire ties for best results.
Show them off
Roses are highly valued for their stunning and sweet-smelling cut flowers. Although store-bought roses are pretty, the ones that you grow yourself are even more gorgeous. Here are a few tips for preserving your cut roses:
- Roses will last the longest when they are cut immediately after the bud stage, when the petals are starting to open.
- Use hand pruners or garden scissors with sharp blades to cut the stems without damaging their water uptake channels.
- Cut roses when they are dewy fresh and hydrated (in morning or evening), not when the plant may be stressed from heat.
- Recut the rose stems right before putting them in a vase. This helps eliminate air bubbles that prevent them from taking up water. Also, cut the stems at a 45-degree angle so they don’t rest flat on the bottom of the vase.
- Strip off any lower leaves that fall below the water line to avoid rot and bacterial growth. Above the water line, leave as much foliage as possible, which will help to draw up water.
- Change the water frequently—daily if possible—to remove any bacteria. Also recut the flower stems every few days to improve water absorption.
