Roses are among the most popular flowers, sold worldwide. Find out which varieties are most hardy, and where and when to plant them for best results. Includes a short history on roses.
ROSES: A SHORT HISTORY
Roses are among the most widely grown flowers worldwide. Their popularity, due in part to clear, vibrant colors and a rich, familiar fragrance, has led to a rush of breeders eager to develop many new and unique varieties, including bushes, shrubs, climbing and trailing roses. A favorite for many centuries, roses were cultivated as far back as the early fourth century, B.C.
All present day roses are descendants of the wild rose, which tend to produce double blooms, or more than the typical five petals that are found in some varieties. Once rose growers learned to crossbreed different species of this flower, whole new classes of the rose were developed, for the enjoyment of professional and amateur growers alike.
ROSE VARIETIES
Of all the new classes of roses developed, the first to garner attention and popularity was the hybrid perpetual. Found in a very large number of gardens and greenhouses throughout the mid to late nineteenth century, these hybrid perpetuals are found to be an extremely cold resistant bush rose. Their bloom colors are a vibrant pink, deep red, and white. This hardy variety can produce blooms as large as seven inches in width and are known to bear as many as one hundred petals.
Taking into consideration the extremely high numbers sold through florists worldwide, the tea rose is by far the most popular variety of rose today. Introduced into Europe from the far East, the tea rose was given its name because of the spicy scent it offers; to some it is reminiscent of the scent of tea. A bush type rose, the plants grow to approximately two feet in height, and is known for its branching. The tea rose bears large flowers which range in color from pink to white, and yellow. It will bloom almost continuously, until the start of cold weather. With a high, pointed center blossom, the hybrid tea rose is a cross between the hybrid perpetual and the tea rose.
Polyanthas---This rose variety bears large clusters of small flowers.
Floribundas---Available in a very wide variety of vibrant colors, the Floribundas are known for their large and well-formed blooms.
Grandifloras""This rose type is a tall-growing variety, with flowers borne singly, or in very small clusters.
Miniature roses""Another popular favorite found in floral shops, these miniature sized roses are usually no taller than eighteen inches, and have flowers the size of a human thumbnail.
A number of rose varieties can be trained to climb, or spread. Climbing, pillar, and trailing roses are often "˜trained' to spread up and over a trellis, wall, or post. Many times they are let to grow wild, and can be found trailing along the ground, serving as a decorative ground cover. Roses best grow wild in the Northern Temperate zone, where rainfall and moderate temperatures are found.
PLANTING ROSES
Roses require at least six hours of full sunlight to properly grow, and to thrive. If the spot you've chosen for planting does not include at least six hours of sunlight, for instance, a spot that has partial shade, it's best if the shade is provided in the afternoon rather than the morning.
TIMES
Packaged roses should be planted in early spring, April and early May, in the North Central region.
Roses sold in containers, such as from nurseries, can be transplanted from spring to fall. It is best, though, not to plant them in the heat of mid-summer.
SOIL PREPARATION
Soil can play an important role in providing a good start for growing roses; by adding organic matter such as peat, compost, leaf mold or manure, roses have a much better chance at thriving.
1)Prepare the beds and dig holes in advance so the plants can be set out upon arrival.
2)Spread the organic matter two to four inches deep over the bed.
3)Apply a superphosphate at a rate of three pounds per one hundred square feet.
4)Work the organic matter and fertilizer deeply into the soil.
SETTING THE PLANTS
If you plan to set only a few roses, prepare individual holes, approximately twenty inches in diameter and fifteen inches deep.
If you plan on setting many roses, such as a bed, spade the soil twelve inches deep, then dig the holes for planting in the bed.
1)Place a small pile of soil in the center of each hole, in a cone shape.
2)Set the plant in the hole and spread the roots down the slope of the cone.
3)Work the soil around the roots.
4)Cover the roots with the soil and add water to help in settling the soil around the roots.
5)Finish filling the hole with soil.
Hint: If planting a tree rose, drive a stake into the soil beside the trunk, and then tie the trunk. This helps keep the trunk from whipping about in the wind, thus loosening the roots.
SPACING
Space hybrid teas, grandifloras, polyanthas, and floribundas two to three feet apart. Space hybrid perpetuals three to five feet apart, and climbers eight to ten feet apart. Miniatures should be spaced nine to twelve inches apart.
CARING FOR YOUR ROSES
Caring for roses is not a difficult task, but there are some basics that if followed will help to ensure a successful growing season.
Watering""
The main goal when it comes to watering your roses is to provide the plants with one inch of water per week. Some growers find a rain gauge a very helpful tool in deciding how much water to add to the rainfall which supplements occasional watering.
The goal for roses is to develop a root system; it is important that the roots grow as deeply into the soil as is possible. By making the mistake of too-frequent watering, the plant can develop too-shallow roots and will not be able to overcome the drying of the upper layer of soil during times of drought.
Many of the diseases that plague roses thrive in cool, damp conditions. By ensuring that the rose leaves are dry by dusk, the threat of these diseases can be kept at a minimum. The best way to ensure that the leaves are kept dry is to either water, deeply, in the early morning, or to water the soil around the plant using a drip system.
(Newly planted roses should be monitored closely for the first year; they will not have had time enough to establish a root system.)
FERTILIZING
The key to adequate fertilizing of your roses is to read and follow the directions marked on the package of a good quality rose fertilizer. Applied once in the spring and then according to instructions, the fertilizer will keep the roses fed and nourished throughout the entire growing season.
It is best to feed roses lightly, but often. They are by nature heavy feeders, and draw many of their required nutrients right from the soil. Unfortunately, many of the nutrients leave the soil very quickly, thus, the importance of feeding often.
The proper Ph, a measure of acidity or alkalinity in the soil, will help the rose in its intake of nutrients. Roses prefer a slightly acidic soil, with a range of 6.0 to 6.6, on a scale of one to fourteen.
A good source for Ph information can be found at your local county extension office. They can perform a Ph test, and provide you with a soil makeup, also.
It's recommended to have these soil tests performed every few years; a rose garden will thrive if the Ph levels are maintained at a proper point.
If you find your soil too acidic, trying adding limestone. On the other hand, if you find it too alkaline, add compost.
By following these steps in planting and caring for roses, the plants stand a much better chance at surviving the harshness of winters, and thriving into the next growing season.
