Many people are daunted by the thought of growing roses.
Why? Because the blooms appear so beautiful and delicate they then think that the bush is also delicate.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Roses are a very hardy addition to any garden, and any gardener, even beginners can cultivate roses successfully with little effort and great benefit.
Roses can stand a lot of neglect and are quite hard to kill.
They are tolerant of drought, they withstand pruning neglect; they produce blooms even when inadequately fed.
And, nowadays, many on the market or in the nursery are being bred for disease resistance.
Of course, neglected roses will not perform optimally, but with some periodic TLC they will give you delight and great blooms for the vase or just simply to adorn your front yard.
So don't hesitate - think of what you would like and go for it! These Are The Basic Tips For Successful Growing 1.
Prepare the soil well - make it friable with good compost and keep the plant well mulched.
2.
Lupins are a good mulch - as the chemical composition militates against blackspot development.
3.
Never plant a rose where another has been growing - if you must use that spot - then dig out the soil and replace with soil from another part of the garden.
4.
Don't water in the evening if possible - as the water drops on leaves are a site for fungi to thrive in - especially blackspot.
5.
Treat blackspot with Neem Oil - it's natural and therefore organic.
Pick up any diseased leaves from under the bush - don't just pick them off the bush and drop them.
6.
Locate your roses where they will receive a minimum of 5-6 hours of sun.
7.
Prune during the dormant period (late winter - early spring if you have snow and frozen ground).
Heavy prune to leave canes about 8-12 inches long.
Sounds brutal, but it will encourage vigorous new growth and watershoots from the graft.
8.
Prune during the growing season - remove dead and sickly stems or canes.
Prune after flowering to encourage another crop of blooms.
9.
Remove suckers - most hybrid teas and floribunda roses are cultivated on the root stock of other species that are more disease resistant.
If you accidentally cut below the graft or it gets damaged for some reason, suckers from the root stock often then grow from below the graft.
These need to be removed.
Don't just cut them off - dig right down to where they first appear and slice off - and if coming from a root - cut that out too.
10.
Protect the graft - don't cut it with a spade or whatever.
Keep it above the soil level - and in winter mound up leaves around it to protect it from freezing conditions.
Remove again after dormancy.
Following these 10 Top Tips will make your gardening with roses more happy and give the plants the TLC they need to keep working at giving you much joy for your rose gardening efforts.