How To Grow Roses
...a basic starting guide.

I suppose the obvious answer to the how to grow roses question is, "...in the ground or in a container but not in your house, unless it's a greenhouse!" As simple as this may seem, and roses are very forgiving and relatively easy to grow, there are some simple tips that will make sure the process is successful and that your rose bushes remain healthy.

Here is a basic guide and suggestion list for how to grow roses successfully, for the general gardener or those who are not so familiar with growing roses for themselves.

Good rose gardeners consult with their local rose society as to what grows best in their area and what pitfalls to avoid. In my area for example, I better plant blackspot resistant rose bushes or my plan will surely fail. Research and keep records if you want to be successful.

Attend To Basic Requirements:

Roses require approximately six hours of sun in the growing season, although this could be partly indirect. They all require non-acidic very well drained soil and space to grow. Rose bushes are not happy with competing for space and they need air movement to combat air-born diseases especially blackspot although this is generally carried with water.

Basic feeding, watering from below and some pruning is also required but above all this I think the cleanliness of the beds beneath and dead heading the spent blooms is a major requirement. Do all this and your roses will be very happy.:}

Choose and Buy Carefully

Buy the best specimens you can afford. There is no such thing as discount roses because sometimes names are invented just to give the cheaper varieties, often not grafted, a false pedigree. Your rose should come from a reputable breeder (check the label for Jackson and Perkins for example) and have a circular green metal tag with a recognizable (and found in the A.R.S. Catalogs) name. Go to a responsible garden outlet or better still a rose bush specialty outlet and ask questions. Try also to get a return sale on bushes that don't develop.

Plan your rose bed for the future. In other words, take into consideration how big the bushes will be in five years. How wide and how high. Remember that each bush needs to stand alone and have good air circulation. Your rose bed also needs to be away from any overhanging trees or under growing roots. What will it be like in your garden space in five years time?

Have A Year-Long Care Plan

Put your rose care into a year long plan, don't let it just be a bunch of knee jerk garden chores that you remember to do (or not do!) at the last minute. Start with early spring and pruning and work through to late fall and mounding up the soil around the base of the bush. We can do that for you under "Rose Care" or better still, subscribe to the monthly FREE newsletter and we will tell you what to do each month! How easy is that: how to grow roses, on a monthly e-mail basis.

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