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Annuals
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Today's
Gardening Article
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When Should I Plant My Roses & How Should I Plant Them?
When spring comes and the ground is thawed, it is time to start planting your
rose garden. Roses have been a cherished aphrodisiac since biblical times. They
have been around for over 3000 years, yet they still hold a particular mystery
and fascination, not to mention the fact that they just look and smell good!
One of the most important rules of growing roses is to plant the rose
bush in an area that receives around 4 to 6 hours of sunlight every day.
It is preferable not to plant too many trees or other plants around the
rose bush because most of these are likely to either mix with the rose or stifle
it's growth. If you are replacing an old rose bush, approximately 1 1/2 cubic
feet of old soil should be removed, and fresh soil added to replace it. When
positioning your rose in the garden or landscape, consider the growth habit of
the rose.
For example, place climbers and ramblers along fences,
trellises, or next to arches or pergolas. This location offers them free range
of growth, and optimal potential for the showiest blooms.
Roses also
look beautiful in island beds interplanted with perennials. Miniature roses make
great edging plants in front of their taller cousins. Planted singly, shrub
roses make excellent specimen plants or they can be clustered to make a
flowering hedge. You can also use them to camouflage unsightly garden objects.
Dig a hole large enough for the root mass and loosen the bottom of the
hole. You should add bone meal, which is a slow acting source of phosphorus that
leads to healthy root growth in the rose plant.
Then the plant should be
placed in the hole carefully and the hole refilled with soil, covering the roots
properly. Before making the final covering, water the rose plant and let it
absorb the water. After this, water the plant more and mound the soil about 6
inches high. The dome will keep the stems from drying out until the plant is
rooted. Gradually remove the excess soil as the leaves open.
Special
care should be taken with the planting depth. It varies according to the climate
you live in.
If you live in a colder area, plant a bit deeper and
consult with the people growing roses in your area. If you are buying potted
roses, you should plant them about 1 inch deeper than their potted level.
The best time to plant roses varies depending on the winter temperature.
Where temperatures don't drop below -10 degrees F; either fall or spring
planting is satisfactory. If you live in an area where winter temperatures go
below -10 degrees F, spring planting is preferred. Plants should be planted in a
dormant condition if purchased bare root, but container grown plants may be
planted throughout the growing season.
Spacing of the rose plant is
highly influenced by the temperature. In regions where winters are severe, the
rose plant does not grow as large as in mild climates. Taking this into
consideration, hybrid tea roses should be spaced 1 1/2 to 3 feet apart. Large
vigorous growers, such as hybrid perpetuals need 3 to 5 feet of space, and the
climbers need from 8 to 10 feet of space.
If the winter temperature is
below 10 degrees F, roses can grow healthy if proper care is taken. The gardener
must prepare for that cold, wet reality as he revels in the summer air
conditioning.
In zones 7 and colder, the roses enjoy their last
fertilization of the season by August 15th to limit the emergence of new rose
canes, which will almost certainly not survive the winter.