Deadheading your rose shrubs can help your roses
produce even more gorgeous rose blooms to last
through the summer,  while also helping fight off
some pests. But you may also find you want to
leave them intact… some great rewards also await!

      Why Should I Deadhead My Rose Shrubs?   

One of the simplest, most basic tasks of rose shrub care is deadheading.  While not necessarily essential to the survival of your rose bushes, this simple rose shrub care maintenance can mean bigger blooms  -  and more of them  - with repeat flushing through the season. 

Many shrub roses will continue to produce additional flushes of roses even without deadheading.  But some assist from you can help the new displays be more showy and plentiful.  Deadheading also serves to ‘clean up’ your rose bush beauty.  Removing the old decaying flower and plant matter will roadblock any pests seeking  such suitable shelter/hiding places and food.  Thrips, cucumber beetles and earwigs, along with sow and pill bugs are particular fans of  fallen, spent rose  blossom petals.  In addition to just making your rose plants look so much better with all the dried matter removed, deadheading  also gives fungal diseases fewer reasons to visit and take residence via a bit of  additional air circulation.

What  is ‘Deadheading’?

Simply, deadheading roses consists of removing the spent rose blossoms after their glorious showing.  Removing the spent flowers assists the rose bush to redirect energy from fruit production to producing additional flowers to enjoy during the season.  Depending upon the rose shrub variety, blooms may flower on into the fall.

And … If you are a fan of  potpourri and love to make your own, take advantage of the spent petals by collecting the best of them and add them to your current batch or save them up to make a fresh stash!

      Not All Roses are Created to Reflower

Now for a rose bush to rebloom, it must have propensity to do so, of course.  Repeat  rose bloomers can be encouraged to reflower by putting off their nature-given inclination for  producing  fruit — the rose hips.  Roses are actually fruit trees under-cover, enabled to assist species survival with seed-bearing fruit.  Delaying or thwarting this fruit production will allow them to put their strength into producing more of their gorgeous, colorful  ‘seduction mechanisms’, cleverly useful in not only attracting thankful insects for pollination…but  doing double duty in delighting the many senses of  homo sapiens as well! 

 But our beloved one-time bloomers can benefit from deadheading as well with a ‘cleaner look’… and the added protection from pest and disease.  Many rosarians, however, like to allow the hips to develop for other reasons.  Stop deadheading any roses you want to produce hips in mid to late summer.  The remaining swellings situated  near the leaf and stem juncture will produce the coveted hips or rose fruit. 

      Deadheading Rose Bushes Properly – Newest Technique

Simply snip the old buds off close to the top of the cane.   Practice has long been to clip back to the  first three or five leaf set, but the newest strategy opts for the first procedure.  Much has been passed along about snipping back to larger areas of the stem to produce larger blooms and finding the ‘true leaves’.  But  the newest methodology, based on more recent trial studies, has established that the important factor in production of more and larger rose blooms –   is the amount of foliage your rose is able to grow. 

This new procedure has established that simply trimming off faded flowers just below the blossom, right above the first leaflet, will encourage repeat blooming more quickly – with more flowers – more often.   This simple technique applies to all large flower roses as well as the cluster-blooming rose types.

 Tools and Technique of Deadheading

* Use sharp, clean pruning shears  and clip at an outward 45-degree angle to assist water run-off, encourage  proper outwardly rose growth direction and an open, air-friendly shape.  Dull pruners can crush and damage your rose canes, inviting pests and disease.

*  Keep a container of diluted bleach handy as you clip when deadheading and pruning, dipping the shears in the bleach solution and wiping off before going on to the next rose shrub.  If there is any disease on any rose plant, clean and wipe before cutting on any other parts of the rose plant.  

*  Check on your roses weekly for needed deadheading. 

*  Stop  deadheading  in the fall,  about one month before your first expected frost, so that new growth is not encouraged as winter approaches. 

       But – Be ‘Hip’ to the Rose Hips!

Some rose lovers want to use the luscious, nutritious hips – or rose fruit –  for healthy recipes, while others like to let them develop for the lovely eye candy they provide to the stark winter scene as well as for providing sustenance for birds and wildlife during the hard, cold winter.

If you are growing your roses for the hips, or fruit, then leave the spent rose blooms intact.  The plant’s energy will be put into producing the fruit instead of the flowers,  and you can harvest them at the end of the season – in the fall.

Rose hips contain many, many nutrients, (some yet undocumented) among them, a healthy dose of Vitamin C.  The birds and wildlife may not understand the special nutrients provided them by the noble rose, but they know a good thing when they taste it!  Some rosarians grow certain rose shrubs specifically  for their proficiency in producing hips. ..which they grow to help the birds survive winter to return in spring to help tend their roses as free pest control!  Efficient, smart, earth-friendly ‘green’ rose gardening, that!  And a winter filled with fun, tasty and healthy Rose Hips recipes and projects for the whole family!

DON’T WANT TO DEADHEAD? 
Select from THESE Gorgeous Rose Shrubs to adorn your Rose Garden! 

            ’Home Run and ‘Radcon’                            Pink Supreme Floral
                                                                      Carpet Rose

                    –  CLICK IMAGES FOR MORE DETAILS! -
     

WANT GREAT ROSES FOR ROSE HIPS?    
Consider THESE Hardy  Rose Bushes for  Winter Beauty after Bloom! 

Rose  shrub and garden care in mid-summer
includes rose dead-heading, weeding, final 
fertilizing, rose pest and disease reconnaissance
– and just your pure enjoyment! 

But there’s more you can do now for even more
glorious rose flower displays next year and beyond! 
Take a few ‘green’ steps now to recycle yard and
tablewaste and turn them into black gold for your
rose soil!  You will enrich your roses while saving
some ‘green’backs – and our precious planet as well!

Summer Rose Shrub Care

It’s mid-summer.  You finally have all the annuals planted around your rose shrubs, and hopefully, they’re blooming. The weeds have been tackled, the  final  rose fertilizer applied, the mulch renewed. Rose pests and diseases have been dispensed with, any needed rose pruning has been done and additional soil amendments have long since been worked into the soil  around your rose garden plants.

Whew!  Time for a breather…and a cool drink to sip, while you sit back and enjoy the glory of all your work! Wonderful moments to relax, enjoy the season, your gorgeous roses… and contemplate…well… your belly-button.. if that’s what brings you joy!

Most likely, though, you will be drinking in the incredible  joy of the enchanting visions you have created in your home  landscape. Your roses are smiling in the sun and brightening your yard with any number of  hues of the rainbow!  The arbors are lush with cascading rose vines and adorable blossoms peeking through the lattice.  You sigh – with pride and deep satisfaction – at the work of  living art you have created.  Your friends and neighbors also appreciate the beauty you have brought to behold and enjoy!

So…what next? Along with regular maintenance of watering your roses, any needed dead-heading and continued reconnaissance for pest and disease, you may want to think about what else you can do to make your workload easier. If you decide to go more “green” you can benefit your roses and other garden plants and promote the welfare of our little blue and green planet…while you save money in the process!

Waste Not – Want Not!  –  Return to Mother Earth Her Blessings –

Are you tired of bagging all those grass clippings and then struggling to haul the heavy loads to the curb?  Have you also accumulated quite the pile of twigs, fallen leaves and pruned branches you’ve never quite done anything with?  Have a small vegetable garden…and have pods and corn shucks to dispense with?  And you have that ‘nagging’ feeling that you need to get it all out of sight.. Well, simply return to Mother Earth what is rightfully hers.  Create a compost pile!

Ah, yes!  Not only can you turn all that yard debris and waste into black gold for your roses and gardens next year, but what about all that household waste such as coffee grounds and egg shells, expired vegetables no longer edible and other table scraps?  They’ve all been going into the garbage or the disposal…and you could be recycling them to create a usable, healthy, nutrient rich soil enhancement for your rose shrubs and other plants! You can stop the waste, save money on commercial fertilizers and make your rose soil more workable and plant friendly.

Go Greener – Recycle – Create  Compost!

A compost pile is easy to do.   Or, you may prefer a bin of some design to keep things more ‘prim’ in your yard. You can buy bins in a variety of designs and price ranges, or you can make your own simple  compost bin or even a more complex one if you so choose. Whatever you decide to utilize, you will be taking the next step in helping restore Mother Nature by recycling natural materials, ‘going green’ in such a simple, yet resourceful way, saving yourself work down the road in more than one way, and saving money to boot!  Now THAT is one recipe for happiness!        

And not a bad thought to be having as you relax and enjoy your special home rose-adorned haven.  You’re not only creative and artistic — but smart!

Black Gold for Your Rose Shrub Plants - Ready in Spring

So – when you get round to easing up off that backyard hammock or lawn chaise, resolve to carry through on your pleasant deliberation! Check out the many styles of compost receptacles you can buy or create that suits your needs…and get one into place to use the rest of the season!  Organic rose care and composting is in! 

By the start of next growing season, your easy organic composting efforts will already have some of that rich ‘black gold’ to use — which will not only make your  rose garden soil easier to work… but make your roses and garden plants happy and healthy as well.  They will reward you with magnificent rose flower displays – which, in turn, will make you happy with smiles!  And that, along with fewer ‘dents’ in the wallet, will make next season even more enjoyable  and ‘smiley’ all round.  And Mother Earth thanks you – along with future generations.

Did you know that certain things must not be added to  your compost pile?  And if not tended properly, it could attract stingng wasps?  OUCH!
Learn to make Compost right!  Here’s How….

                             
                     REVIEW THESE COMPOST BIN DESIGNS

               - For Countertop Composting – and Outdoors! -
             Don’t miss the related Books and Compost Items!

                         COMPOSTING and ORGANIC GARDENING GUIDES! 
                                     Build Your OWN Compost Bins! 

Spring has sprung and you’re looking forward to
another season of Rose Blossom glory. Before the
first leaves unfurl, however, you may need to take
some preventive action against the dastardly
Black Spot Fungus Disease.

While some black spot can be tolerated by your
roses – it should not be left unchecked – or it could
defoliate, weaken and even defeat your Rose shrub.

Some simple precautions and organic solutions
to this unwelcome rose bush disease follow.

    I Treat My Roses with - Why Do They Have Black
    Spot Fungus?

You’ve been doing all the ‘right’ things for your roses — watering from below, planted them with proper spacing, pruned them correctly to provide air and light, mulched to prevent splash up, fed them as needed, provided good organic amendments, cleaned up debris and watched for pests.  And for good measure…you’ve even sung to them…  :=)  Well… just checking to see if you’re following along diligently…   But hey!  Singing is good too!  I do it…I confess.. not just in the rose garden, though  …  :  -)

Yet.. despite all your good intentions and diligent work,  you’ve spotted  dastardly dang spots all over your rose leaves – BLACK SPOT – that UNwelcome rose fungus!   (But then what rose disease IS welcome… ?)   What could you be doing wrong?!

Sometimes , no matter how diligent we try to be, daily rainfall, heavy dew or lasting humidity just make things all too ideal for black spot spores and powdery mildew.  Or perhaps you missed a protective preventive ”medicinal’ application during the season, which allowed the infection to take hold. If you live in a normally humid or rainy climate, then preventive ‘medicine’ should be a routine maintenance task if you grow roses.  Some roses are more black spot and mildew resistant, and you should check locally to see what grows the best in your area.  New varieties of robust roses are being developed yearly. 

Whatever the reason that black spot has reared its ugly facade on your leaves , you want it gone…and you’re not going to put up with this uninvited harrassment for your roses!  You’re thinking of resorting to some ‘heavy ammunition’ ‘to hunt it down in its tracks! 

    Organic Black Spot Treatments – ‘Green’, Earth Friendly 
    Weapons Against Rose Disease

 Well– whooaaa there just a bit!…  The best practice for your roses –and for the rest of us  and generations to come — is to use the least toxic means of treatment first. 

Please note that some of the most toxic chemicals permitted legally  are used for roses! Serious consequences to the environment as well as to our own health and all wildlife and companion animals are possible. Weighing the necessity of using chemicals is always advised — no matter what we are trying to ‘battle’  –be they for our roses — or insect pests that can drive us personally wacky. Many rose gardeners grow roses successfully with more ‘benign’ means of combat when needed – along with some black spot tolerance.

Prevention is always the best medicine, but as noted, it isn’t always possible to completely avoid infestation.  However, to aid prevention for your more susceptible rose plants,  begin in early spring to apply organic black spot treatments such as  sulfur or fungicidal soap.  Apply while the plants are ‘napping’ – or dormant – prior to the buds opening up to form leaves (bud break).  These applications will only work , however,  if they cover the plant and leaves before the spores find them. Thus..this is a preventative.

Spores will ‘awaken’ and want to germinate in temperatures around 75 degrees F.  Black spot, along with powdery mildew and rust afflictions will tend to keep their distance for a while with these applications, since the spores cannot germinate in the sulfur or fungicidal coating. If it rains, however, these applications will wash off,  so you will need to continue to apply.  But if  your climate is ripe for these uninvited visitors, your persistence will help give your roses a running chance to get a good spring start and gain strength without the hassle of these intruders weakening their well-being.

Sulfur spray is deemed an organic treatment in gardening circles, in that it occurs naturally in nature as a basic element and has been used by generations of farmers safely. Cornell University has produced a simple, organic formula that can help stave off the dastardly black spot,  using ingredients that most of us keep around the house. The formula is mixed and used to coat the leaves, top and bottom. 

Here’s the formula:

Mix together into 1 gallon of water and Spray on liberally:

•  1 tsp. of canola oil
• 3 tsp.of baking soda

 Or Try

•  1 tsp. baking soda in 1 Qt. of water
• add a few drops of liquid dish soap to help it stick

 This formula can also be used for powdery mildew, which appears in similar conditions.

You’ve covered the early pre-leaf emergence period.  Now…after the leaves are OPEN…apply a fungicide.

Continue with the sulfur and/or fungicidal soap sprays, or try Neem products,which are less toxic than conventional sprays and will  also attack mite and rose pests as well!  Only new infestations can be prevented with this application, so you’ll need to keep at the spray regimen through the summer, especially if the weather stays wet or humid.

    If All Else Has Failed – Black Spot  Disease is Winning

If the condition is so severe early on that you fear losing the rose plant, then you may decide  to resort to a a less earth-friendly ‘big gun’  fungicide to try to save your rose plants from massive to total defoliation.  However, be aware that fungus can become resistant to fungicides, so rotating different ones is advised. Check with your local garden center for available chemicals to apply.  Settle on three that you can use in succession if needed, using a different one each time you apply.

As early summer dawns and your Neem applications have done the trick to prevent infection and drier weather prevails, your summer can be a breeze of simply pure enjoyment of the gorgeous blooms, avoiding chemical applications altogether!

    Enjoy the Rose Show – and Allow your Permissive Side

As the summer progresses, you can sit back and enjoy the show as many repeat bloomer rose shrubs, such as Old Garden/Antique/Heritage varieties and Knockout Roses, which tend to be quite resistant to the black spot fungus, continue to reward you with random displays of their flowery finery.  Along with your relaxed enjoyment, you may want to allow your tolerance meter to work and develop some ‘blind spots’ in your rose-colored ‘perfection’ view-master…. That is not to say you should ignore black spot or other maladies…but just look past some of the blemishes they may have wrought to see all the glorious beauty that still abounds.  If your roses have come this far now with most of their leaves, they are likely out of the biggest danger.

Once your rose shrubs have made it into the waning days of the growing season, some black spot on the rose bush is not likely to cause death or leave your roses with permanent damage, so you may wish to relax a bit and just tolerate some spots on your shrubs. Continue to remove any leaves from the ground and the bush as you can to keep as many spores in check as convenient, and definitely do a total fall clean up of all diseased debris.

Replace the mulch with fresh, new covering in the spring.  An inch or so of good, quality compost  is favored over wood, rubber or bark-type mulches. It’s better to prune away any diseased damage to the canes in the spring if you haven’t managed to get to them before fall.

Proper nutrients and hydration will help keep your rose plants strong. A previous study showed that fewer fungicides applications in regular high-humidity areas were required and less defoliation resulted in systemically healthy roses treated to proper nutrients! *   Healthy specimens of any species  are, of course, more resistant to disease.

Along with proper sanitation and clean up of all diseased material and the pruning and disposal of infested canes, if you have cared for them properly with healthy watering and feeding routines this year, your roses should emerge next spring with vigor to delight you for the new season.

    Be A Step Ahead of Black Spot Disease 
    and Combat Ready Next Spring

Start your preventive regimen next spring before the leaves sprout to fight any spores left behind, looking for the right conditions to emerge.  Be combat ready…and make your strike of protection first, before the weather warms to awaken the enemy!

                     • ‘Management Key to Controlling
                       Blackspot Disease in Roses’ - 
                             Highlights of Agricultural Research
                   Volume 43 Number 2
                                     Summer 1996             
                        Alabama Agricultural
     Experiment Station 

_________________

 SEARCH HERE for MORE  ROSE RESOURCES!

 
 _____________

Organic Rose and Flower Food                Organic Fungicide

Wettable Sulfur                   Organic Insecticidal Soap

  
 Neem for your Rose garden        Hit a “Home Run” with THESE’ Knockouts’!
               and US!                       “Home Run”                     “Radcon”

The Hybrid Tea Rose speaks the language of
love and romance in a class all its own. The
hybrid tea rose became an instant sensation
when first introduced, with its special high-
pointed rose flower perched upon a long,
slender stem.

The hybrid tea flower, unlike most other rose
types, displays its elegant glory as a single rose
per stem, needing no other adornment to capture
the hearts of millions around the world to become
and remain the most popular rose of all time.

Not only the handsome hunks from the popular TV show, but bachelors in general, make good use of the lovely rose in their quest for love. And the rose of choice is the ‘Hybrid Tea’.   The hybrid tea might basically be called a ‘ flower of lovers’. With a single, many petaled flower shaped voluptuously atop a slender stem, it is the perfect long – stemmed rose, a favorite cutting rose and the rose choice of florists worldwide.

With over 237 varieties available currently – and growing – the hybrid tea rose  is an ideal choice to present to the love of your life, as a special gift for Mom or as an enchanting natural art display from mother nature for your home decor.  This rose  type adorns the settings of many weddings as well.  This resplendent rose will add a touch of elegance to any room, even as a lone flower in your favorite rose vase.
(View the hybrid rose tea pictures onsite  for a sampling of the wonderful, exciting rose color choices that are available to enjoy!)

Click Me for Fresh
Hybrid Tea Cut Roses!                                     And Me….                  

                       
               …Or Me…                                       As Well!

Commercially, this perfectly shaped rose, with its long stem and sophisticated high profile,  is also a favorite. Images of  romantic hybrid teas are found on wall decor and wall paper,  paintings, dinnerware and accessories, on gift wraps, jewelry boxes and furniture, wedding   decorations and especially employed on assorted items for Valentine’s Day. They are even used for tattoos.. and the list goes on…..

This exquisite rose  bush blooms repeatedly, which added to its instant popularity when first introduced, and with proper care, can be a strong rose shrub. Like a lady of high fashion, the hybrid tea in general has required a bit more ‘maintenance’ than most other gardening roses. They seem to be more susceptible to pest and disease than other types of roses, the hardiness of parent stock as well as the more heady perfumes likely having been lost in the hybrid process. Black spot and powdery mildew are the two most common diseases that have a liking for the hybrid tea rose bush, but the same goes for many other roses.

   Hybrid Tea Rose Bush – The More Delicate Rose
   Cousin

Growing hybrid teas may not be a best first choice for cold-climate areas. Extra hybrid tea rose care efforts are needed to cover, prune and protect this magnificent, more delicate rose type somewhat more than some other rose choices from the scourge of winter. However, hardier versions of the hybrid tea rose shrub are being developed each year, and some hyrbrid tea roses with wonderful scent are also available.  The magnificence of this wonderful rose shrub and the many choices of exciting colors make the hybrid tea rose worth any small extra effort, if growing conditions in your area, even colder climates, are otherwise good.

Created by combining the best traits of the the tea rose and the hybrid perpetual, the resulting ‘hybrid tea’ became an instant sensation. Although not known for their strong scent, unlike other popular older roses, hybrid tea roses were immediately popular with their enchanting appearance alone, differing vastly from other roses available at the time. And now available – to make love less painful – a thornless type of hybrid tea was created to give to your special someone. Of course, the thorn adds a dimension of character and certainly demands respect as a means to protect its delicate beauty. Perhaps the beauties of any species understand the need to’ play hard to get’!   And the myriad of  wonderful hybrid tea rose names with the ever-growing hybrid tea varieties adds to the mystique and fun of  learning how to grow these elegant, inspiring roses!

          Fresh Cut Roses               in Any Color                       Say ‘You Care’                                             

   Feed  your Hybrid Teas a Proper Diet

Proper care for your hybrid tea rose shrub is of prime importance, as it is for any rose. Proper feeding schedules and watering regimens will keep your hybrid tea in top fashion form. One common mistake made by new rosarians is underfeeding…but overfeeding can be tragic as well. Just as with our own health, overfeeding can lead to problems for your roses, and careless application of fertilizers to  feed your roses can burn the leaves and stems.

Remember that rose food is often concentrated and requires dilution. Ample watering helps to dilute the nutrients in the fertilizer and make it easier for the rose to use. Feeding is usually only necessary once in the spring and once in the fall, depending on the product you use. Natural additions of humus and compost are always welcome by all plants, and the rose in particular. Many rosarians prefer the more natural means of ‘nutrition’ for their roses, which also serves to keep some of the most toxic chemicals allowed by law out of our water, soil and ecosystem…and eventually us and our companion species around us.

   Keep Your Hybrid Teas ‘ ‘Complexions’  Fresh

    Give Them Their Water Before Bedtime, Too!

Roses are heavier feeders and also need more water than the average garden plant. Hybrid tea roses, as with most garden roses, need a good deep watering.  Just as we are advised to ‘stay properly hydrated’  with ‘X’ glasses of water a day, so too, do our beloved Hybrid Teas  need proper ‘fluids’ to keep their ‘complexions’ s fresh and glowing . 

A 2 – 3 times weekly deep soaking, down to about 2 inches, is a good rule of thumb. If it rains, less watering may be necessary, but regular, proper hydration..and not too much, either…  is needed every week.  Avoid getting water on the leaves…water from the base of the plant when possible. Hybrid teas and all rose bushes, like most ladies, dislike having their special ‘attire’ dampened by water. In more every day terms, water left on the leaves and blossoms that cannot readily evaporate can lead to black spot, a nasty, disfiguring rose plant disease, and invite powdery mildew to take up residence. If watering from above or providing a good spraying to dislodge pests, do so in the morning hours to give your special rose friends time to dry their appearance well before ‘bedtime”!

    Hybrid Tea Rose Flower Care

    Create A Health and ‘Needs’ Diary for Your Hybrid Tea
   ”Babies”!

Keep Good Rose Growing Records - Save Work Next Season!

All the information you’re absorbing about maintenance of your hybrid tea rose shrubs with feeding, proper watering, pruning and insect and disease control may seem over the top and overwhelming when you first start gardening roses. Rather like learning to care for a new infant! But rest assured, the process is not difficult to learn, and if you implement some helpful assists, your rose gardening results and consequent pride and joy will benefit.

Start a Health  Diary …a Rose Baby Book, if you will for your Hybrid Teas and other rose shrubs and garden plants. Try keeping some notes when you first get started. Jotting down the details of your observations and concepts about your hybrid tea and its care will give you important information to assure proper growth and development. This manifest will allow you to check back if needed and bring you up to date right away next season so you don’t forget anything important to proper rose care.

Such log systems can also be valuable assets for your other garden and flowering plants as well.  Keeping tabs on which  companion plants  add the most in your rose gardens will make successful rose gardening that much easier and more enjoyable.  Understanding and documenting your rose shrubs’ needs will help you to become more comfortable with the care of your plants, and your appreciation of the special glory of your hybrid tea roses will grow substantially.

And take heart, all you bachelors and bachelorettes — giving the rose for the beauty and expression of passion and depth of love can continue on into your golden years together, once your single status has merged by marriage. Roses are welcome and appreciated at every stage of the game of love…and grow more cherished with the bonds of time. The vast array of colors and the meanings of rose colors have not lost appeal. The beauty and mystique of the hybrid tea rose and all the special meanings have not faded with time.

May our love be as eternal!

 Enjoy the Hybrd Tea in SO many Ways!

  CLICK HERE for FREE ADMISSION!

• Visit our Rose Gallery for inspiration via rose pictures and videos from around the world.

 

• Find how-to rose information, beautiful rose photographs of rose gardens and rose specimens.

 

• And visit our OWN Rose Zone gardens via our video!

SEARCH HERE for MORE ROSE RESOURCES!

_____________

Planting roses takes more than just digging a hole
and dropping in the rose shrub. Proper planning for
location, soil foundation, spacing and maintenance
will not only enhance the health of your gardening
roses, but it will add up to less work for you as well
in the long run.

    Rose Planting Tips

    Providing the Proper Real Estate for your Roses

Location – location – location!… Important to us…important to your rose shrubs.
Roses prosper when situated in a ‘nice neighborhood’ as much as we do.

Once you have decided which roses you will bring home to make part of your landscape ‘family’…(and many gardeners can quickly become rose enthusiasts…making their beloved specimens part of the ‘family’ in heart), you will want to provide them with the best possible ‘home – room ‘ in your yard, where they will grow and spend their lives with you and your family.

Provide a Healthy Foundation

Just as with all living things, the proper start is paramount.  If our kids don’t have a healthy home environment to be nurtured,  the  bad results can populate our jails.  If not given good food to grow, we find later health conditions that rack up insurance rates for us all and bulk up hospital occupancy.  Same for our pets.  And our garden plants.  All living things need a healthy, basic foundation to grow, mature properly and not just live…but prosper. Or – we face the consequences.

So it is with your roses.  Providing your bushes a healthy home and foundation of good, friable, healthy soil is one of the basic rose care keys to rose growing success and something that should not be shortchanged. Without this basic life element…all else will be a struggle. 

Rose soil provides not only the structural foundation for  your rose plants, but it is the source of your roses ‘nutrition as well.  If soil is not of proper consistency, vital nutrients may be added to the soil, but your roses won’t be able to access them.  Such condition will weaken your rose bush plants, which in turn, will attract pests – who love to attack plants in weakened states – and diseases.  We are then put to scramble for ‘solutions’ and scratch our heads to figure out causes, etc.  A lot of work – and a lot of frustration – to say the very least.

If your area is not ideal …your soil is too clay heavy or the opposite … too sandy.. .then prepare to make amendments  to provide optimal soil conditions for roses before you bring home your first rose companion.  Or, if you already have struggling roses, make arrangements to enrich their environment and give them the simple  soil basics of what they need.
 

If the soil  for your roses is just too poor to make compost and organic amendments and added soil a viable solution, don’t despair.  You can build raised beds or grow roses in containers and provide the welcome, life-giving healthy soil they need to thrive — and reward you with their breathtaking beauty for years and years to come as “Thank- You”.

    Let there be Light!        

Most gardening roses can be planted in full sun to partial shade, but should be positioned to receive at least six hours of sunshine a day – and especially morning sun. In hotter climes, adjustments may be made for the more intense light, with some shade provided, especially in the hottest parts of the afternoon.

Proper planting depth and width of the planting hole allows the rose plant roots to spread unhindered, and gives them a good start in obtaining nutrients from the soil they need to prosper. Dig the hole 18 inches deep and 24 inches wide. Make a mound in the bottom and spread the roots over the mound to allow them to expand as they grow into the loosened soil you have provided by the width and depth of the hole.

   Don’t Fence Me In!  

Ever hear that song?  
Your rose shrubs might adopt it as their rosy theme song.  They need space to ‘breathe’ and grow.

Proper spacing between your rose plants  to position them at sufficient distance from one another as well as other plants, trees and shrubs, allows them to grow uncrowded and unhindered to their mature height and width and allows them to receive good air circulation and ample sunlight. Most rose shrubs will grow healthily with 2-3 feet of space between them and/or other shrubs. Be sure to plan for growth and the mature size of your gardening rose at its maximum as you plan your garden and dig the holes. You will save much work in the future with pruning, disease and pest combat, extra waterings and possible transplanting by meeting those requirements from the start.

       Buy Me a Drink…     

Well no need for that with these companions… but you do need to be sure they get good hydration to maintain their exquisite beauty.  Locate your roses near your intended water source for efficiency and ease of maintenance when possible. Lugging long hoses back and forth to assure your rose shrubs are well hydrated can become daunting, with risk that you will avoid it…much to the detriment of your garden roses.

Try a drip system or one similar to this
to assist in your Roses’ water needs!

Proper planning to account for these spatial and assorted needs before you bring home your beautiful rose companions is essential for keeping your roses happy, healthy and  thriving with less work from you!

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BURGUNDY ICEBERG ROSE Own Root Rose Deep purple colored flowers, lighter reverse,  Dark burgundy red stamens/anthers Hardy, compact 3×3 ‘ Prolific Bloomer Mildly fragrant Grows well in Zones 4-9	Old Antique  Own Root  BERMUDA MYSTERY ROSE Easy to Grow. Profuse Blooms.  Discovered in Smith Parish  Bermuda in 1844. Great Hedge. No Fragrance May need protecton Zone 4.	FOURTH OF JULY Own Root Hardy 12′ Climbing Rose   Red and white striped & yellow centered blooms. 1999 ARS Winner Bountiful Blooms All Season! Very Disease Resistant Wonderful  Sweet Fragrance! Grows well in Zones 5-9

 
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SHARE THE BEAUTY YOU CREATE IN YOUR HOME GARDEN!

 
Save and Customize Photo Memories of Your Breathtaking Rose Garden!

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• Create Beguiling Memory & Scrapbooks – Great Gift!

• Make Special Greeting Cards - Announcements – Invitations

• Showcase  Photos of that Beatiful Wedding or Anniversary Celebration
in Your Home Rose Garden

• Create Special Customized Gifts and Keepsakes of Your Gorgeous Roses  —
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AND MORE!

Rose meanings are linked to rose colors.
Throughout history, roses have been used
to symbolize love, affection, friendship,
infatuation and more — and sadly even
used as a symbol of war.

Roses and their colors have a ‘body language’
all their own. Discover some of those rose color
meanings here along with what the number of
roses given has to say!

    How to Read your Rose’s ‘Body Language’

While the significance of the red rose is known by nearly everyone…especially on Valentine’s day, roses come in a rainbow of hues, and the colors of roses have acquired different meanings through history. Additionally, the number of roses given to that special someone also hold symbolic meaning, as well as the combination of rose colors presented to the rose recipient.

When giving roses, you may decide to choose your favorite color or those of your intended object of affection. But more and more people are finding interest in rose color meanings, and it may behoove you to know exactly what you might be saying by the colors of roses you present to your special giftee. Men, too, have reported their appreciation in receiving roses and other flowers as gifts. So remember that color can talk!

    Rose “Talk”  Popular Again  - Different Meanings for     Different Cultures – Different Times

Every rose or flower conveys warmth or appreciation to the individual…but what else do these rose colors mean? Rose symbolism roots go way back in time…and each rose color has meant different things at different times, and can mean different things in different cultures. For the ‘western world’ at least, the following color meanings of roses are generally accepted.

Most of us don’t take the meanings of rose colors as seriously as was the status quo in say, ‘Victorian’ times, when stilted social customs helped evolve such a ‘telling’, but indirect, means of expressing one’s inner-most heart messages.

With none of our modern electronic ‘flirting’ devices, such as email, texting, online social sites, cell phone photo exchanges and such, under the watchful eyes of parents and relatives as well as neighbors, for young or courting people of the time, the meaning of roses and their special symbolism of rose colors was a serious art!

But rose color meanings are again growing in popularity, at least for the added fun and enjoyment of roses themselves.

For the shy and ‘hard to find the words’ types, this system may have something special going!  To be sure the recipient is ‘speaking the same language’, however, a subtle ‘glossary’ or reference to this article may be in order!

    Learn the Meaning of Roses and Rose Colors

Here are some of the symbolic rose colors and number combinations that you can use to translate the following thoughts to your intended:

 

Click any photo for more info – and additional options!

    The Numbers Game

As you can see, there are some varied choices to say the same or similar things..so you can match to mood, favorite colors or the color of your desired recipients whimsy or attire!

Rose colors can also be combined with the number of roses given to convey additional sentiments, with some additional choices to suit your circumstances!

* Single Rose in any Color – gratitude, simplicity,

* Red (single rose) – I love you

• 1 Rose – Love at first sight! – also as above – ‘I Love You’
• 2 Roses – Mutual feelings
• 3 Roses – I Love  You! (yet again!   )
• 7 Roses – I’m infatuated with you (hmm..why does ‘love’ only rate 1 or 3 roses , then…?)
• 9 Roses – Together as long as we live
• 10 Roses – You’re Perfect!
• 11 Roses – You’re my treasured one
• 12 Roses – Be my steady
• 13 Roses – Forever friends
• 15 Roses – I’m really sorry
• 20 Roses – I’m sincere towards you
• 21 Roses – I’m committed to you
• 36 Roses – I’ll remember our romantic moments (you’d better! — or you’ll be on the hook for another 15! )
• 40 Roses – My love is genuine

And for those who REALLY like

to make an impression –

• 99 Roses – I’ll love you till the day I die
• 100 Roses – I’m totally devoted to you
• 101 Roses – You’re my one and only
• 108 Roses – Will you marry me? (geesh..And ”The Bachelor’ gets away with only giving ONE!…)
• 999 Roses – My love will last till the end of time
• Leaves – Symbolize hope

Creating a mutual interest in this rose symbolism can ‘spark’ additional special bonds and moments between two people… and become a language all your own as well. A romantic journey!

So study up on these rose color meanings… and start ‘talking’ to that special person in your life! The ‘language of love’ is spoken in many ways! What more enticing way, than with the beautiful, inspiring Rose?

READY TO ‘SAY IT’ NOW?!!

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                                A LASTING REMEMBRANCE of YOU ! 

~

CLICK IMAGES for LARGER VIEWS and EVEN  MORE IDEAS!

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Pattern in Basket of Roses, Louisville, Kentucky, USA Adam Jones Buy This Allposters.com

White Roses Bouquet Christine … Buy This Allposters.com

Ornamental Roses II Igor Levashov

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 And for Your Convenience…
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 You can also PRINT them AT HOME!

Is it a Deadly Disease for my Roses?

Follow this guide to choosing the right rose plants to grow
in  your rose garden and landscape, and caring for your rose 
flower bushes will be pure rose gardening pleasure!

    Understanding Your Roses’ Basic Care Needs

 ‘Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…‘

Ever hear that song?   
Beginning rosarians might ponder adapting it as their gardening ‘theme song’.    :)
That familiar melody holds much meaning for anyone with a special passion…and certainly holds depth for the enthusiastic rose lover! 

Growing roses could be compared to raising a pet or a child…To be healthy and grow up strong, beautiful and vibrant, their basic care essentials need to be met. And, indeed, many rose lovers nurture their roses with special TLC like parents. The better you know the object of your interest, be it children, a pet, that special someone or your beloved roses, the better the relationship and mutual enjoyment, right?

   Meeting the Basic Care Essentials of your Roses -
   Simple

Well, we don’t need to be experts to be able to enjoy our passion for growing roses. But certainly, understanding the basics is of importance with any endeavor. This certainly holds true for raising children or pets as well as in nurturing your roses to be healthy and grow gorgeous.

So what do your rose shrubs need to keep them happy and healthy? Roses need the same basic care elements as we do: good food, water, sunshine, shelter, proper space to grow and breathe, a good ‘foundation’, sanitary conditions, good ‘hair cuts‘ to keep them respectable and healthy, and some TLC and focused Rx should they fall ‘under the weather’. Fudging on any one point of your roses’ care may not kill them or hinder them from growing, but they are not likely to thrive…just as with any other plant or any other living thing. For most Roses, meeting those needs is simple.

    Adopt the Right Rose for You – Choosing Roses to
    Plant

We wouldn’t…or shouldn’t… rush out and take home the first child or pet we see in our aim to adopt such love into our lives. We take care to match our personalities, interests and resources to assure that we use our utmost wisdom, insight and maturity to make the best decision for that living being that depends on us for a good life.

Now, while our decisions are obviously not as earth-shattering in the realm of roses, (although some rose ‘parents’ may debate that … — the point here in following this initial analogy, is to address that rose plants need to be ‘adopted’ into the right location…with soil and growing conditions favorable to achieving their best potential. Thus, choosing the right rose shrubs to grow for your area is important. Rose varieties that are less suitable to your region may grow…but will likely require more attention and effort. Some rose gardeners thrive on challenge and are more than willing to put in the effort to achieve a stunning show from an ‘orphan’ that most would avoid due to the work, time or lack of needed resources involved to help the rose bush grow to its stunning potential.

For most, less effort is part of the equation of more enjoyment. If you find yourself in that group, then choosing your rose shrub varieties wisely for your region is of prime importance. Visiting local rose nurseries and garden centers as well as studying rose catalogues will help you determine the rose varieties and types best suited for prime success in your yard. Consulting with friends and neighbors who have had success with their own rose bushes is also a great learning tool. Finding what rose plants have grown with success in other neighborhoods in your area is good, free advice! If you have a local arboretum or rose flower park, visiting and observing will not only be an enjoyable excursion, but will exhilarate your senses and provide you with wonderful color, ideas and specimens you may want to admire in your own home garden!

    ‘Sizing Up’ Your Rose Companions

Be sure to take the mature size of the rose bush into consideration as well. If you have only a small city lot to grow your prize roses, you definitely don’t want to discover that you have planted a rose shrub that will grow to 20 feet wide, unless that is what you need, or expand vigorously to overtake other bushes and flowers in your yard!

Selecting roses suitable for your location will help keep disease and pests minimized. Some rose varieties are inheritantly more disease resistant than others as well.  Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras tend to be less disease and pest resistant than landscape roses, Floribundas, Species or Old Garden Roses, for instance.

    Color Your World with Rose Flowers

Color selection of your rose companions also comes into play. Lighter shades of roses seem to attract more pest and disease, and yellow and lilac/lavendar colored roses, in particular, have been known to be somewhat more troublesome. With new varieties being created, this no longer always holds true. But research and questions of local sources will help you narrow down the list of possibilites and find the roses that will win your heart and keep you enchanted with their healthy displays. New varieties are introduced each year, and can keep you enchanted with choices for a lifetime. 

 Various rose colors also hold special meanings and have held significance through history.  You may wish to study the meanings of roses and colors and make your own custom statement in your home garden!

    Roses Have Class

Of course, understanding some of the fundamental characteristics of the Rose Types by classificaton can also lead you in the right direction..but simple observation and questions to local sources will get you started quickly. While certainly not necessary to growing roses successfully, learning more about the various rose classificatons (ie.: species roses, old garden vs. modern) and the many subdivisions within each (ie: floribunda, alba, hybrid teas, miniatures, shrub, bourbon, noisette, etc. ) adds spice and interest to your rose growing adventure – like learning about your own family tree! But understanding the Rose classes can also help your fundamental understanding of a rose’s strengths and weaknesses for use in your particular area and for any particular purpose.

You can live a lifetime without the knowledge of your ancestry…but how much more vibrant and interesting is daily living by knowing from whence we came…and the many nuances of our ‘roots’, not to mention the helpful insight into any medical or health issues in our background.

    What to Look for When Buying Roses

For potted roses, look for healthy stock with buds. Two year old specimens grown in fields are points of importance to seasoned rosarians. Bare root roses are more economical and can be found for sale in all types of shopping venues. They can make great choices, allow you to purchase more rose shrubs than you might otherwise, and bare root rose specimens can give you wider choices than local potted selections. These soil-free roses can be ordered from catalogues and online, since they can be more easily shipped around the country.

If your potted rose plant has not been pruned, look for three or more healthy, green canes, each around 18 inches or more long. Rose shrubs that have been pruned should possess sturdy canes with a minimum top diameter of 1/4 inch.

Whether bare root or potted, avoid rose specimens that have damaged or brown canes, those that have flowered (takes away too much energy from root establishment – cut off the flowers before you plant them and put them in a favorite vase to enjoy indoors…), or in the case of bare root roses, avoid those that have leafed out. Same principle, too much energy is taken away from root development.

Bare root roses should have a robust, well developed root system, reddish in color, moist – not soggy or rotted, without damage, and that are flexible when you bend them a bit. Canes, too, should be healthy green and flexible in both types and undamaged and the union bud (where roots meet the grafted stock) should show no signs of damage or decay. (Own-root roses will not have the graft-bump to worry about..)

Rose are graded as #1, #1-1/2 or grade #2.  For best results for beginning rosarians, stick with grade #1 or #1-1/2.  Grad #2 is acceptable, but the prior suggestion is to help assure success and build confidence in budding rose enthusiasts.  The lower grade rose plants usually have inferior canes and roots, and will likely be more difficult to grow without struggle.

Bareroot roses can be a shock
for the novice rosarian. Looking
like a dead hunk of twigs with a
mass of roots, bareroot roses
come packaged without soil in the
dormant state, ready to grow into
show-stopping living art in your
homescape with your proper rose
care.

The Special Joys and Benefits of Rose Gardening

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ENJOY ROSES ALL YEAR ‘ROUND! 

Embellish Your Home Decor with
Gorgeous Rose Art Selections
Like THESE!

Click to Enlarge Photo for Full Glory! 

(Check out the VAST selections of Stunning Rose Theme Art!
Customize with Framing of your Choice if Desired!) 

 ~