Seven Steps to Success with Roses

By Ron Dieter, Sunnyfield Greenhouse & Gardens

May 11, 1999

Rich Ford, a rose expert from the Jackson & Perkins Company, presented a seminar in Kewanee recently. Rich has been growing roses for more than thirty years, and he gave rose gardeners seven easy steps for growing beautiful garden roses. He claims that caring for roses is at least as easy as growing tomatoes, if you follow these basic guidelines.

1. Start with top-quality roses. Buying from a reputable nursery is your assurance that the rose is the proper grade and variety and is free from viruses and other diseases.

2. Plant your roses in the right spot. Roses need at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. You’ll have the best success if you plant roses where they receive morning sunshine and afternoon shade. The early sun will dry away the morning dew and the afternoon shade will prevent the flower color from fading. Full sun is the second best if afternoon shade is not possible.

3. Plant your roses in well-drained loose soil. A good test is to dig a hole and fill it with water. If water remains in the hole after a half hour, the soil needs to be conditioned for better drainage.

4. Plant grafted roses deep with the bud union at least two inches below the soil surface. The bud union is the large knot or swelling where the rose plant is grafted to the rootstock. Most roses die in the winter because they are not planted deep enough to protect the bud union from the cold.

5. Roses are voracious eaters. They need continuous feeding from the time they sprout in the spring until August 15^th. Use a good rose fertilizer and follow the instructions.

6. Select roses that are resistant to diseases, or follow a good program of insect and disease prevention. Some rose food formulations also contain a systemic insecticide to help control insects.

7. Roses need plenty of water. Keep the soil moist using a soaker hose or watering wand. Apply the water to the soil. Never wet the foliage of the rose itself.

Ford explained there are various classes of roses, each with its own growth habit and distinct flower.

The hybrid tea rose is considered the queen of the roses. They have the largest flowers of all the classes with each bloom on a long stem. Hybrid teas have an upright habit and are excellent for cutting. The rose ‘Billy Graham’ is a hybrid tea rose with large five-inch flowers that are a soft light pink.

Grandifloras are taller than hybrid teas and the flowers are slightly smaller. The blooms sometimes appear in clusters. Hybrid teas and grandifloras are often planted together in the same garden since their habit and shape are similar.

Floribundas have a short compact habit and almost always bloom in clusters. They are useful for borders and mass plantings since they are almost always in bloom.

Climbing roses do not really climb. They produce long canes that can be tied to a trellis or post. Some bloom once a year while others bloom all season.

Most roses are fragrant. The scent of some is very slight while others can be overpowering. Most lavender and purple roses are noticeably fragrant, as are English roses.