Floribunda Roses, Care of.
Floribunda roses are a diverse variety in that they range in height from 18 inches tall to 3 ½ feet tall. The size of their blooms also varies greatly from small clusters to flowers that span up to 3 inches across. A few of the floribunda roses are single flowered, but the majorities are double flowered. Though not known for their strong fragrances this type is a popular choice due to the fact that they bloom year round.
What is interesting to note about floribunda roses is that they do not always produce a perfect rose shape in the common sense. Something else to note about these roses: care of floribundas is surprisingly easy. They are hardy and can tolerate varying climates well plus withstand harsh environments.
Types of floribunda roses include the Rob Roy which maintains a rich red color. Ballindallock Castle is just as breathtaking with coral colored petals flanked by dense foliage. Larger flowers appear on the Glenfiddisch variety in mellow amber. Truly, one can’t go wrong with any one of the floribunda varieties. For those who like the brightest colors, the Sun Sprite bloom in sunny yellow hues.
When planting floribundas make sure you space them no less than 18 inches apart. If you live in a colder climate the space between them should range at least two feet apart. Warmer climate mandate still more space between flowers, up to three feet. As hardy as they are, floribunda roses should be protected during the winter from harsh freezes. Simply use the same precautions you would with any of your other outdoor plants. For that wow effect, consider planting floribunda roses in groups of four or more. They also thrive quite well as potted roses.
When purchasing floribunda roses remember to note that they are a modern variety of roses, care of them is easy but is a little more involved if you purchase them as a grafted plant. If you purchase them as grafted plants, try not to plant them in a vulnerable location, in spite of their reputation for being a hardy plant. They love the sun but can handle as little or as much sun as available where you plant them. From November to early April floribunda roses should be planted as bare roots which will help them in their early growth and save you money. Just remember to trim the roots before planting them to encourage new growth. The quality of your floribunda roses will hinge greatly on how attentive you are to the process of pruning before you plant.
Planting Knockout Roses – The Basics
Planting Knockout Roses -The Basics and the specifics
Planting Knockout Roses are a little bit different than most other varieties of roses. So there are some basic tips and tricks to planting knockout roses to insure they survive. Knockout Roses are probably the best known rose today, and if you ask about a good rose to grow at the nursery, you’ll probably hear about the knockout rose.
Why is this variety so well known? These roses are resistant to many diseases unlike any other rose varieties. These incredibly resilient roses were developed in 1988 by a man named William Radler. It took Radler many years of testing, developing and perfecting this plant before he came up with this variety of rose.
Planting knockout roses and caring for them is fairly easy and has become a popular rose with novice growers. Because they are so easily grown, knockout roses have become a big seller with the different stages of growers from novice to expert.
There are only seven varieties of knockout roses to choose from. The original Knockout Rose is called “The Knockout Rose” and the other six are called “The Pink”, “The Rainbow”, “The Double Pink”, “The Sunny”, “The Double” and “The Blushing Knockout”.
After getting a knockout rose from the nursery and if you live in the north, you should plant the bush at least 2” deeper than normal. The reason the soil needs to be set higher around the cane is so that the bush is protected during winter. If you live in the colder northern regions, make sure that you follow this rule of depth.
At the end of winter, you should see new canes emerging from the soil. To ensure that your roses bloom for the rest of the season, you should cut off the hips before the seeds start to grow and mature. By doing this, the roses will bloom for about three weeks followed by a rest period of three weeks and then bloom again. This cycle will then repeat itself all throughout the rest of the growing season.
When growing season is about to end do not prune your knockout roses, because you may not know how far the plant is into the start of its dormancy. Pruning back the foliage at the end of the season won’t let the rose to properly go into a dormant state. The rose needs its leaves to enter into a full state of dormancy for the winter; this is why we don’t prune.
Prune the roses at the very beginning of the growing season to encourage new growth and foliage. When pruning always use sharp sheers or any sharp blade for that matter and make your cut at a 45 degree angle. Also try to leave a bud that faces out from the center, at the top of the cane so the new foliage grows outward.
You can plant knockout roses in many places in your yard and it will go well with just about any style of landscaping. Once you’ve grown one knockout rose, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to grow other varieties. If you always keep in mind the deeper planting rule and basic care techniques when planting knockout roses, you should have no problems with this variety of rose.
Types of Roses
The types of roses available today are almost too numerous to count. For more than a century horticulturists have been developing new hybrids. Over the last decade in particular we have seen an abundance of new rose types debut. Whether old breeds or new, landscaping roses or long stemmed varieties used as cut flowers, you are sure to find a plethora of roses that suit your fancy.
Shrub roses come in various heights and colors. If you desire beauty in your privay hedge you’ll love the Rosa Setipoda that grows an amazing 12’ tall. No less amazing is the fragrance and beauty of this fiery orange roses type with petals measuring over two inches long. Rosa Carolina is a more common planted medium size shrub. This rose type blooms midsummer and is proven to be surprisingly hardy, given its delicate pink color.
If you’re looking to mix it up a bit, you’ll thoroughly enjoy the types of roses called Old Garden Roses. From the Alba, a pale pink rose that blooms but once during the season, to the fragrant Bourbon that produces repeat blooms, your choices are virtually endless. For a pleasant aroma around your garden, Damask is the rose type famous for its strong fragrance. It adds the perfect hint of natural perfume to any yard.
Climbing roses are often used by those who need to hide unsightly fences or wall blemishes. These types of roses can be easily trained to adhere to the curves of arches and pillars. The Explorer Series is a favorite for this rose type and can usually be found in a wide variety of colors. They are particularly stunning on arbors and entryways to secret, or not so secret, gardens.
Miniature roses consist of a small, dense bush with petite flowers and leaves. Rarely will you find them taller than 18 inches high. They prove to be exceptionally durable and bloom nearly all season. If you are pressed for space then these particular types of roses are perfect. While this rose type is aesthetically pleasing, they are usually not as fragrant as other types of roses. However, they do make great potted roses that can be kept indoors to brighten dark corners, window sills or any other place you feel led to brighten with the perfect touch of color and beauty.
The Basics of Care for Roses
The Basics of Miniature Rose Care
Basics of mini roses:
One of the first questions I get is “Are Miniature Rose Bushes delicate and Fragile?” The Surprising answer is miniature rose bushes and the care of miniature roses bushes, are very similar to that of the regular-sized rose bushes. They are actually pretty hardy.
Sunlight
Miniature Roses require a full 6-8 hours of good sunshine per day. They can survive with a bit less sun, but this will affect the way and how much they bloom. Like the larger rose plants, the less sunlight they have, the less they will bloom, in an aspect type ratio.
An example is if they need 8 hours of sunshine to produce 8 blooms, and they only get 6 hours of sunshine, then they will only bloom 6 times, instead of 8. This can have a huge effect on commercial rose crops as a reduction in light can mean a large flower production drop.
Feeding
For feeding I generally do a spring feeding with a good compost to give the soil a good boost of nutrients. When the first flower buds start to show I will then use a good organic food such as fish emulsion. I do this to provide them with an “extra” push to help flower production. I don’t use chemical fertilizers because these tend to strip away the beneficial flora in the soil and kill the microorganisms that help the plants.
Watering
I like to recommend watering of roses in inches, so a good 1 to 1.5 inches of water every week is good and what I give. The way I measure in inches is with a very inexpensive rain gauge that is found at the garden shop. I put it next to one of my rose bushes and then water it. When the water hits 1-1.5 inches I am done.
Once I get a good feel for this I can then generally eyeball the amount of water I give them each time. I don’t over water either, roses hate being saturated and standing in puddles of water.
Another way I figure out watering is to have the base of the rose in a circular valley or dirt moat. I fill the valley up with water once if it is 2 inches deep and let it drain. I do this one more time and then I am done watering for the next couple of days. That is how I water.
Soil
Roses, especially in pots, need to be put in good soil. Clay based soil is ok for roses, so is your average garden potting soil. Sandy soils are generally not good unless you are really vigilant and keep an eye on watering and maintaining good water levels. Letting a rose dry out will halt flower production and growth screeches to a halt.
Even if you decide to use sandy soils and use a lot of water it, a rose will not tolerate standing water for any length of time, and as an aside, this is not a good pond-side plant.
Pruning
So you just bought a new miniature rose plant and it’s covered with flowers, the first thing you want to do is prune it. First seek out and carefully prune back the old wilting or just fading roses. This should leave you with a small round bush or mound of canes.
Canes are what the branches of the rose bush are called. So try to manicure this to a well rounded shape with the center of the bush being slightly taller than the outer areas. If you have a choice in your cuts, definitely cut or “prune” so that an outward facing bud is at the top of the cane. If you don’t see one, don’t worry, later you will have one but for now just prune and shape.
Overwintered Roses
The period of time a rose goes through winter is called “Overwintering”. If you’ve gone through an overwinter with your roses and not sure what to do next, take a pick of 5-8 of the best, healthiest and thickest canes and prune away the rest. We want to focus the rose’s energy on feeding the best of the bunch and not the smaller ones.
If you’ve rooted a new bush from a cutting, don’t prune except to remove flowers before they start bloom. We want the energy to be put into root and leaf production, instead of blooms, this insures the new cutting will survive the season and have a better chance of staying the long haul.
Once it’s in its second year, then we’ll pruning the miniature roses as stated in the previous paragraph. An aside is that it might not throw too many canes in the first year but each year it will get larger and larger.
Since miniature roses are not grafted as the large varieties are, and are grown on it’s own root stock, canes that come from below ground are not a problem and can be left to grow. These canes will flower normally but also insure the growth of the root system. If these new grown canes are part of the 5-8 strong canes described in the previous paragraph, it is ok to leave them.
With these basic tips on the miniature rose bush, almost anyone can maintain a beautiful and healthy miniature rose garden. Miniature roses are in a class all by themselves as they are small and tiny, and have definite following all their own amongst Rosarians.
Rose Bush Care
There is probably no flower as beautiful or as popular as a rose. They have been around for thousands of years and are known of in almost every country. Growing rose bushes is rewarding and easy. All you need is a little bit of gardening know how to get started. Through understanding a little bit more about gardening care the more successful you will be with your rose bushes.
There are many different varieties of rose bushes. There is literally a rose to suit every taste, preference, color, shape and anything else you can think of or they can come up with. Rose bush care is fairly easy when you understand what roses need. Roses like to be planted in sunny spots. They need at least six hours of unfiltered, direct sunlight a day. Even those rose bushes that are said to do very well in the shade still need about four to six hours of direct sunlight a day. Roses also need good soil to grow in. You can always alter the soil in your garden with a little bit of compost.
Like any other plant you will sometimes have to deal with a pest problem. Rose bushes are prone to being invaded by many different kinds of damaging insects like rose midge larva, rose cane borer, thrips, Japanese beetles, stem girders, aphids, rose slugs, mites, caterpillars, scale insects, and rose chafers. Nobody wants to have to deal with these pests but to sustain the life of the plant, it is necessary to correct the problem. You have several options of how you are planning to deal with the pest problem after you have identified which type of bug you are dealing with. If you only see one or two bugs you can try picking them off the roses and killing them yourself. Make sure to remove the entire leaf you see them on because they could have laid eggs that are still hidden on the leaf. You always have the choice of using synthetic or natural chemicals to help you get rid of the pests. Make sure to follow the directions on the package of how to use these types of chemicals. Even natural or organic chemicals can be harmful to people if they are used improperly. If you are adamant about not using any type of chemicals on your rose bushes, you can always try using the natural enemies of the pests. Not all bugs that you find in your garden are destructive to plants. Lady bugs and some types of wasps eat pests that can damage rose bushes. You can check your local garden center to see if this is an option for you with the type of pests that you have. Or you can check online.
Another part of rose bush care is deadheading. Deadheading is another word for pruning. This encourages more blooms. The rose will set seed and stop producing new flowering shoots if the bloom is allowed to fade. That is why deadheading is necessary. Pruning is also getting rid of dead twigs or training the bush to grow a certain way.
There are many gardeners who think that no garden is complete without one or several rose bushes. A properly cared for rose bush can produce blooms from the month of June until it begins to frost. Rose bushes beautify the yard and adorn your home with elegance. With a little care can turn your rose bushes into a perfect bush providing an abundance of roses.
Transplanting Roses
The reasons for wanting to transplant roses are numerous. It could be because you prefer to give it more sunlight or it could be that you are just changing things around a bit in your garden. But, whatever the reason, there are several things that you will need to know before you start pulling your plant out of the ground.
First things first; prepare the ground where you are planning to place your roses. The last thing you want to do is to allow the root ball to be exposed to the hot sun or loose any of its moisture. If your plant has to travel by vehicle to get to its new location, make sure that you cover the roots with a damp piece of burlap. A good tip to remember is to water your plant well the day before you plan to move it. Water is the secret of a successful transplant. The chances of transplanting a dry, wilting plant successfully are low. But, if the plant is full of water, the demands on the roots are minimized for a while after the transplant. Most likely you are going to loose some of the roots from transplanting the plant. The roots of a rose plant grow very deep into the soil past the point of a reasonable amount of soil that can be removed. But, with enough water absorbed by the rest of the plant, your roses have a greater chance of survival.
When digging the plant out, take as much of the root ball as you can handle. It is not necessary to prune healthy plant growth from the top structure in order for the plant to survive. The growth of the plant is important in the production of sugars. It only hurts the plant to cut its growth away. After the transplant if the plant starts to wilt at its tips it’s a sign that it is having trouble supporting its top structure. If this happens increase the amount that you water it and you can prune any tips that do not recover.
It’s a good idea to add about a half to a full cup of bone meal to the hole where the plant will go. You will also need to set the plant slightly higher then it was before because the plant will settle within the hole. The bud union can be about one or two inches above ground level. Once the plant is watered and has settled, you can press slightly on the plant to eliminate air pockets.
Most rose enthusiasts would agree not transplant roses in the growing season for several reasons. It is easier to transplant the roses while they are dormant because there is less of a risk of them going into shock since they are not growing. Plus, right after the annual pruning the plant will be smaller and easier to move around. But, with proper preparation and a lot of water, anyone can follow the steps listed here and anyone can have beautiful, flourishing roses after a transplant during any season.
Growing Climbing Roses
No rose garden is truly complete without including climbing roses into the mix of rose species. Climbing roses, also known as pillars, ramblers, trailing roses, and everblooming roses depending on how they grow are not considered true vines. They don’t grow their own support structures to hold onto surfaces. But they are the ideal ornament to grace any archway, fence or any other structure in and around any garden.
Because climbing roses do not have the capabilities to hold onto structures like vines do, they need help from us. Grower can loosely attach the plant to a structure or wind it through the structure. Some types of structures you can grow climbing roses on are trellis’, arbors, fences, sheds, pillars, walls or almost any other large, solid structures. Climbing roses that are trained to grow laterally rather then vertically often produce more blooms. Vertically trained climbing roses will produce short spurs along their main stem or canes which will produce blooms. Besides the way they grow, growing climbing roses is not unlike growing other types of rose plants. Climbing roses need about six to seven hours of direct unfiltered sunlight a day. Even climbing roses that are said to do well in the part shade still need about four to five hours of direct sunlight a day.
When planning to grow climbing roses in your garden, take into consideration the height or length that these types of roses will grow to. Some species of climbing roses can grow to be around thirty feet in height. Other species can grow to be seven feet in height. Can the structure that you are planning to grow them on support this type of plant? The height of the plant will also depend on the type of climate you have in your area. Another thing to consider is which type of climbing rose is going to suit your garden. Some varieties of climbing roses are everbloomers which means that they bloom all throughout the growing season. Other varieties are spring bloomers meaning they only bloom in the spring.
One big difference between climbing roses and other types of rose plants is that they require very little pruning. There is no need to prune the plant for the first two years. If climbing roses are pruned every year like other rose plants, the opposite will happen to the climbers; they will produce fewer blooms. Owners can get away with pruning their climbing roses every three or four years. Even then, pruning consists of removing small canes and old or less vigorous canes at the base of the plant. Vigorous young canes are encouraged to grow and to become long and flexible. Owners will have an easier time training these canes through and onto structures.
The thing to remember with climbing roses is that you have to be patient. They may take a little while to get established and start blooming right after they are planted. But, when they do become established, the fragrance and the beauty of their colors are well worth the wait.
Planting of Roses
Planting a rose plant goes beyond how deep the hole should be and if fertilizer should be used now or later. The first and an important step in rose planting that should not be overlooked is picking the location of where you are going to plant your roses. It is as true in planting as it is in real estate; location, location, location. There are several things that need to be considered when choosing a location for our rose plants.
Will the place you care choosing to plant your roses get enough sunlight? The majority of rose species should have at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight a day. Even rose plants that are shade tolerant need about four to six hours of direct sunlight to do well.
Is the soil where you plan to plant your roses healthy? Roses are hungry eaters and need have nutritious soil. They do not like soil that has too much clay or too much sand. A quick test you can do with your soil to find out if it has too much clay or sand is to clump it in your hand. If the soil holds the mold and does not crumble easily, it has too much clay. If the soil crumbles too easily and does not hold the mold, it has too much sand. God soil should hold the mold in your hand but crumble easily. The soil should also not be too acidic, contain too much limestone or too much chalk.
And finally, is the place where you are going to plant your rose plant too close to trees or other plants? There are many trees and other larger plants that will extract water and nutrients from the soil from roots that extend far beyond their drip line. If you encounter a lot of roots where you are digging your hole for your rose bush, most likely these roots are going to cause a problem for your plant. There are some climbing rose and some shrubs that are an exception but most rose plants only like to be mixed with other roses or other non-invasive plants.
Now that you have the perfect location for your rose plant, you can think about the basics such as how deep the hole should be. You will need to dig a hole that is slightly larger than the size of the pot the plant is in or root system of the plant. The depth of the hole depends on the climate that you live in. Colder areas need to plant their roses slightly deeper. It is a good idea to talk to other rose grower in the area as to which is the proper depth for you. Depths may be different for lots of different people but, everyone can benefit from loosening the soil at the bottom of the hole. You can also place some compost in the bottom of the hole plus a sprinkle of bone meal which is a source of Phosphorus and is slow acting and encourages healthy root growth. Spread out the roots slightly after you place the plant into the hole. Refill the hole and make sure that the soil settles around the roots. Water the roots before you cover them with the last couple of inches of soil. And finally place the last of the soil back into the hole and firm the soil slightly. You can water the plant at this step also.
