"Growing Beautiful Roses"

Growing roses can be an absorbing hobby, and a wholesome one. There must be thousands of different varieties. There are also climbers, shrubs and annual blooms available. Plan your garden well.

Although some plants are now thorn-free, many won't be and it's wise to keep the thorny types away from where children play if possible. It can be expensive to buy all your plants at once, but adding to the garden every year will be just as rewarding, if not more so.

If it gets a fair amount of sunshine, a plain fence or boring brick wall can be covered beautifully with climbing plants of all kinds, and roses work particularly well.

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There are so many beautiful blooms to choose from. Jackson and Perkins in the US have hundreds available as do Crocus in the UK.....

Jackson and Perkins:

Dig a large enough hole for the roots of your plant. Mix in some well rotted manure or compost with the soil you dig out. Tease the roots out into the hole and fill in again with the mixture of soil. Heel in and water well.

If you are using a structure to grow your flowers over, make sure the structuure is firmly in place before planting so as not to damage the roots.

Soak the roots in water for a couple of hours before planting if they are dry.

Once planted, they will need little attention while they are flowering, although they should be regularly watered during dry spells, but never waterlogged.

Keep them tidy: As soon as the first flowers are dying, cut them off. This will not only encourage the plant to produce more flowers but will keep the garden tidy. When the petals start falling, cut the whole bloom off using a pair of sharp secateurs or garden scissors. (The petals can be dried and used for pot pourri)

In the autumn, or when the plant has stopped flowering and the leaves are falling, it's time to prune. There are many conflicting views about pruning. Generally though if you cut back the dead wood, and keep the inside of the plant free from tangled branches, you shouldn't have too much trouble. With climbing varieties, it's advisable to cut back fairly severely, to control the size and growth.

Happy Gardening!

More "Garden" Reading

www.flower-and-garden-tips.com/roses.html