Contrary to popular belief, roses are simple creatures with basic needs like…
SUN: You’ve heard it said over and over …. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. Pick a spot with 6 – 8 hours of sun!
WATER: All living things need water. The best tip for watering I can give you is—water deeply. Shallow watering leads to shallow roots—which leads to plants that are more susceptible to dry conditions. Send those roots down deep!
NUTRITIOUS SOIL: This is the most important part! Good soil is the best gift you can give your plants. Roses don’t like like “wet feet,” (Neither do most other plants!), so drainage is key. For those of you in my region (midwest Zone 5) you are probably dealing with clay soil. Amend clay soils with compost and aged manure.
DEADHEADING: To keep your roses blooming throughout the season, remove spent blooms.
FERTILIZER: We ask a lot of roses … Be your best self and bloom all season long, so they appreciate a boost! For shrub roses the best time to fertilize is the spring. For hybrid teas and floribundas, they will appreciate some fertilizer in early spring and mid summer.
MULCH: 2-3″ of mulch helps retain moisture and provides a weed barrier. It is one of my fav parts in the process as it adds the finishing touch in the garden!
GOOD COMPANIONS: We all benefit from good companions. They truly help us be our best self and in the case of roses, many of those companions play host to the good bugs they need to fight the bad bugs lurking about!
YOU! Like in all good relationships, there is no substitute for time together. They like to show off for you and the more you visit the more you will recognize what is working and what is not! Maybe this is the year to take a selfie of you and your roses and post it on social media. That will surely prove how much you love them. 🙂
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Some of my roses on a beautiful summer day…
I will never tire of that beautiful picture of your garden. Looks like heaven. I like your weathered wood almost as much as the roses. I’m wondering if you make your own compost since you have such a large area to cover. I have used EKO compost, but now I’m concerned about lingering medicinals, etc. that are not destroyed during the sterilizing process. What is an option? Since I use a lot (a full truck load – 13 yards) I want it to be healthy for my roses – and my hands. I want my roses to look like yours! Thank you, Teresa.
Wonderful article Teresa, I’ve got plans to use some half wine barrels for a little extra rose garden space and your tips will come in very handy!