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Roses are easy...
"I'd rather have roses on my table
than diamonds on my neck"
Emma Goldman
I'm a reformed rose killer but I love Roses.I always thought roses were finicky and difficult.
until I understood a few basics - like:
- How Roses grow - and why it's important.
- How to choose the right rose for the right place.
- How to plant roses (and how not to).
- and, most daunting? How to prune roses
I’ve learned what works for roses and what doesn’t - in my own garden and from rose experts who've already done the research.
My dismal failures and disappointing losses kept me searching and I still keep learning.
I'd love to tell you my story, but first let me share what I learned to help you choose, plant, prune and most of all, enjoy your roses.
Be skeptical about what you read or hear on the internet - do your own research using reliable sources like garden societies, university sites etc.. Ask questions and then ask more.
Use the links below: choose what you need first and when you have a moment or two, pour something lovely: my rose story is at the bottom.
ANATOMY of a ROSE(the parts of a rose)
HOW ROSES GROW (why you need to know)
PLANTING ROSES (bare-root, own-root, grafted or potted)
PRUNING ROSES (why, when and how)
DON'T PRUNE ROSES till you read this
PRUNING TOOLS (not all the same)
THORNS, SPINES & PRICKLES (serious "ouch")
A ROSE HEDGE (yes - a hedge)
ROSES IN THE SHADE (some do)
ROSE ROSETTE DISEASE (RRD) (you need to know this)
... when you have a little more time...
ROSE TREES (fussy but worthwhile)
THE FAIRY ROSE: (a favourite)
MOVING ROSES: (or transplanting)
OVERWINTERING ROSES: (for cold winters)
GARDEN DESIGNS...(of course)
My Rose Story
I was hooked on roses the moment I poked my little nose inside those fluffy petals. I'm all grown up now and I'm still hooked. I want every rose I see even though my garden is full.
And on this journey, I made some huge mistakes...
I am a reformed rose-killer.
At first, all I had was a single rosebush and no idea what to do with it. I didn't really consider myself a gardener.
Then, on a bleak, stormy day one early spring, a big old tree dropped a huge branch on my fence; the trunk split down the middle and the poor thing had to come down. When the 'tree-man' said it was few hundred bucks to take out the stump...I nonchalantly said," don't bother - I'll plant a flower garden around it".
It was in the centre of the back yard with lots of sun, so I plunked a pot of something bright and fluffy on the old stump with a few nice rocks around it.... and planted my first Rose.
Its leaves were green, it came in a pot, already covered with buds. The tag said it was a "DREAM ROSE- a Rose that everyone can grow".
Except for me, apparently - because it died. It bloomed that year, but in a pouty fit, this 'dream rose' refused to come back the next Spring. Talk about Fussy! Perhaps it didn't like where or how I planted it? or maybe the winter was too harsh? (Zone 5b)
It was a humbling, hard lesson.
I obviously knew nothing about roses but I had to learn quickly or waste more money. Here, early in that Spring, was my very first Rose Garden.
...and the next year...ooh, la la...
I entered a local competition, and placed third, so of course I wanted to enter again. I planted more roses and asked a lot of questions.
After an inspiring lecture by a nursery owner, I ticked the boxes of my favourite roses in his catalogue and drove 50 miles to pick them up. I pictured rows of potted roses, ready to burst into bloom. But, it was a bare little 'office'. I handed over my list and waited.
Half an hour later, the receptionist came out of the back room, and in exchange for my $100 (many years ago), silently placing a very large, black plastic garbage bag in my hand. I was confused but or course pretended I did this all the time.
But, when I got home, I found 10 brown, bud-less, leaf-less sticks with a few roots!!! I had never seen a bare-root rose .
(see planting roses).
I dug some holes and planted each one with a large dose of hope and in the next competition....
I placed FIRST. Well, goodie for me
But, 8 of those first 10 roses died over the following winter because I had no clue how to plant or what to do in the fall.
If that happens to you, look here: (overwintering-roses)
At any rate, here's what the judges saw.
So, if I learned how to grow roses around a stump, you can grow them just about anywhere because I learned a lot and along with some sunshine, water, good soil and a large dose of faith, you too will see growing roses is easy.
DON'T PRUNE ROSES till you read this
