Contact: Diane Relf, Extension Specialist, Environmental Horticulture
Posted April 1997
A rose is a rose is a hybrid tea or a climber or a miniature or a floribunda or a grandiflora or a rambler or a...
In the long list of rose types, there is probably a rose suited to just about anyone's garden. Size and blossom habit vary from the popular hybrid tea roses with their large blooms to cascading climbers with myriad clusters of smaller blooms to tiny but hardy miniature roses.
Purchase rose plants from reputable local or mail-order nurseries. Look for strong, healthy canes that are plump, moist, and showing signs of strong growth. Avoid any that show signs of drying out. Buy and plant roses as soon as they are available in local nurseries as they have a limited shelf life. If ordered by mail, they will be sent at the proper planting time.
Locate rose gardens in a site with full sunshine all day and good drainage. Six hours of sun, preferably morning, will suffice, but morning shade allows leaves to remain moist with dew, which favors development of several leaf diseases. Allow for good air circulation, which will discourage diseases, by planting away from walls, buildings, or hedges. Trees and large shrubs might compete with roses for moisture and nutrients, so avoid planting near these.
Roses can be grown successfully in a wide range of soil types. The most important thing is to provide good drainage. Organic matter such as compost can be used to improve soil structure. Soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 will suit roses well.
Many roses are sold as bare root plants and will require extra care at planting time, which is early spring, as soon as purchased. Dig a hole large enough to spread roots out completely. Shape a small pile of soil in the center of the hole and spread the roots down the slopes. Place plant deep enough so that the bud union is at or slightly below ground level. Fill the hole 3/4 full of soil, fill the hole with water and let it soak in, then fill the remainder of the hole with soil. Container grown plants, which may be planted any time from spring to fall, should be planted so the existing soil level is even with the soil level in the bed.
Fertilize newly planted bushes after they bloom. Established plants should be fed in early March, soon after first bloom in June, and again in late July. Later fertilization may encourage late growth which may suffer excessive winter damage. Use a commercial rose fertilizer according to package directions.
Roses will get by if they aren't fertilized regularly, but they require adequate water to survive. Supplement rain to provide a deep soaking once a week. Water at the base of the plants to prevent wet leaves which invite disease, or water in the morning so that leaves will dry before nightfall. Mulch the bed with two inches of an organic mulch to conserve water and moderate soil temperatures.
Prune roses annually in the spring. Remove dead, weak, and diseased wood, as well as any straggling canes and excessive growth in the middle of the bush. Most climbers bloom on old wood, so do not prune until after bloom. During the blooming period, remove faded flowers down to the first or second set of five leaflets. Fall pruning is unnecessary except to cut off ends of long canes to prevent their being whipped about in the wind. Delay heavy pruning until early spring when winter killed stems are removed.
Where temperatures drop below 20 degrees F. in the winter, some form of protection may be required to get roses through the cold in good shape. There are many devices and techniques for winter protection of roses, but in Virginia an eight inch layer of organic mulch should be adequate. Soil can also be mounded up over the canes, but will require a stronger back.
Roses have a reputation of being difficult to grow because of diseases and insect problems. Many of these problems can be reduced by purchasing healthy plants, following sanitation procedures such as removing all foliage that drops from the plant and disposing it in the trash, and following cultural recommendations to encourage strong growth. Plant resistant varieties when possible, and consider planting types of roses, such as floribundas and bush roses, which have fewer disease problems than hybrid teas. If disease becomes a problem, commercially available rose sprays will control the most prevalent rose diseases if a spray schedule is started in early spring and followed conscientiously throughout the summer. Follow package directions. Before applying any pesticide, have the problem correctly identified by an expert such as your local cooperative extension agent.
There are numerous insects which can cause problems for roses. Your extension agent can help you identify which ones may be causing problems and can recommend control measures.
(Prepared by Ellen Silva, Extension Technician, Consumer Horticulture, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0327.)
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