There are few steps to keep the roses beautifully:
1. PLANTING: Buy good healthy plants. Dig holes that are wider than the root area and mound the soil a little in the middle so you can spread the roots around it. Fill in soil and water in well. If your soil needs an extra boost, you can use a light touch of rose fertilizer in the soil when planting.
2. GROWING & WATERING: Feel free to cut flowers to take inside. Try to cut them just above a leaf joint so new shoots can grow out from where the leaf joins the stem. The best place to cut is just above a five-leafed sprout on the stem below. Make sure you keep suckers (long rangy shoots that grow from the base of the rose) trimmed off. Let the soil dry out on top. Roses like less frequent but deep watering. Make sure when you water it penetrates to the bottom of the root area.
3. PESTS: A healthy plant will have fewer pests. There are local pests that are different in various parts of the country. Check out your area. Universally, however, aphids tend to attack new shoots in the early spring. Wash them off with a spray of directed water or spray with an insecticidal soap.
4. FEEDING & PRUNING: Feed, but go lightly. It is better to feed less than the label directs and do it a little more often. You are less likely to burn delicate roots. Pruning can be a whole science, but here are the basics. Cut plants back in the autumn or winter. The more severe you cut them, the longer the stems will be that carry flowers. If you prune them lighter, you will have fuller bushes with smaller flowers. Roses can handle severe pruning -- even when they get old.
5. Make cuts on an angle When you prune, make the cut on an angle so water doesn't sit on the top of the cut and rot the surface.
6. Roses like sunshine. Give them as much as you can. If you follow these basics, your roses are likely to do well for you. For more detailed information, there are lots of books and magazines devoted to these showy plants. Be careful, though. With all the various colors and forms, roses can be addictive!
1. PLANTING: Buy good healthy plants. Dig holes that are wider than the root area and mound the soil a little in the middle so you can spread the roots around it. Fill in soil and water in well. If your soil needs an extra boost, you can use a light touch of rose fertilizer in the soil when planting.
2. GROWING & WATERING: Feel free to cut flowers to take inside. Try to cut them just above a leaf joint so new shoots can grow out from where the leaf joins the stem. The best place to cut is just above a five-leafed sprout on the stem below. Make sure you keep suckers (long rangy shoots that grow from the base of the rose) trimmed off. Let the soil dry out on top. Roses like less frequent but deep watering. Make sure when you water it penetrates to the bottom of the root area.
3. PESTS: A healthy plant will have fewer pests. There are local pests that are different in various parts of the country. Check out your area. Universally, however, aphids tend to attack new shoots in the early spring. Wash them off with a spray of directed water or spray with an insecticidal soap.
4. FEEDING & PRUNING: Feed, but go lightly. It is better to feed less than the label directs and do it a little more often. You are less likely to burn delicate roots. Pruning can be a whole science, but here are the basics. Cut plants back in the autumn or winter. The more severe you cut them, the longer the stems will be that carry flowers. If you prune them lighter, you will have fuller bushes with smaller flowers. Roses can handle severe pruning -- even when they get old.
5. Make cuts on an angle When you prune, make the cut on an angle so water doesn't sit on the top of the cut and rot the surface.
6. Roses like sunshine. Give them as much as you can. If you follow these basics, your roses are likely to do well for you. For more detailed information, there are lots of books and magazines devoted to these showy plants. Be careful, though. With all the various colors and forms, roses can be addictive!