A Must-read for Flower Gardeners! How to Take Care of Roses
Their scent enhances the sense of smell and their sight is a treat for the eyes. Roses are undoubtedly the king of flowers and are loved by almost everyone. To ensure that the buds in your garden rose bushes continue to blossom into the biggest, prettiest, and healthiest flowers, here's how you should take care of them.
Gardenerdy Staff
Last Updated: Mar 10, 2018
The rose is a beautiful flower. It has been written by poets, sung by singers, and very importantly, loved by lovers. It is a symbol of love. Its sweet smell and attractive appearance have stunned every individual at some point of time. Those who have a garden, will definitely have planted these to add to the beauty.
The landscape for planting roses must be carefully chosen. You need to leave ample space between rows of bushes. You must plant them in an area which receives plenty of sunlight. Overcrowding will lead to weaker plants. You must leave space for the roots to spread.
Planting
You must first decide what type of rose you need. It is not just about the color and scent, it is about the roots of the plant, too, which may be bare. Planting roses with bare roots are preferred by some people as they can clearly monitor the health of the roots. The season for planting bare roots is the start of winter. Don't plant them at the end of the season.
Feeding
The roses need to be watered daily at least for the first 20 days after planting them. To ensure a healthy growth cycle, you must fertilize them at regular time intervals. Depending on the type of rose you have planted, you need to feed your rose plant. The soil should always be moist, but it must not be saturated. Water your plants often to see your roses smile at you.
Pruning
Regular pruning is necessary for good health of the flowers. Prune the roses such that you cut down dead leaves and branches. Be careful not to prune too much. Don't cut the plants to the ground. Prune between one third and one half of the plant's height. Ideally, six weeks before the commencement of a very cold season, the plants must be pruned. As roses need sunlight for at least six hours a day, reducing the density by pruning will greatly help the growth of the plant.
Mulching
Mulching is essential to keep the soil moist and to protect it from the weed. Wood chippings and glasses would serve as good mulch. When the winter season is up, add more soil to the roots and cover the soil layer with the mulch of wood chippings to retain warmth for the roots. Your rose plants generally go to sleep in winter and you need to prevent them from dying by providing them with adequate warmth.
Moist leaves are most prone to infections. Fungal infections are common in rose plants and you have to take care to prevent these infections. You need to use insecticides systematically to prevent these infections from affecting the flowers. Put the insecticides on the base of the plant and then water them. Generally water the roots so that moisture is in the roots and not on the leaves. To prevent aphids from eating up your plants, you can introduce ladybugs to your garden.
Rose gardening is a skill that can be developed by anybody. If you are fond of roses you must seriously consider growing them in your garden. Also you must take appropriate care to enjoy the varied colors and scents of these wonderful flowers.
