Choosing a Rose is a love affair

I can’t think of any plant, flower or shrub that will look so comfortably at ease in a border as the rose. It is simply a question of choosing the right variety for your climate, the right location in you garden. It is important to give your roses the essential planting and cultivation requirements from the start.

The roses are the most versatile of plants; good mixers with annuals, perennials and shrubs. It is a fallacy to think that a rose packed border will make a greater impact than a few selected roses – 3 or 4- grouped within your flower bed. Each rose has to be enjoyed for its individual qualities. Roses are not afraid of competition; they strive in it as long as you don’t over do it.

Fashions evolve even for roses. They used to be grouped in solitary confinement in flower beds; nowadays the aim is to plant a few selected perennials which simply heighten the rose impact.

We hear people with small children say they don’t want roses in their garden as they are worried of children being hurt on thorns. Roses without thorns exist.

Here are a few advices for a successful rose bed:

Planting: Plant early March where the soil has thawed, in other regions plant a couple of weeks after the snow has melted and the soil is soft enough.

Upon arrival of your rose, if you cannot plant the rose immediately lay it in the shade and cover the roots with damp soil. When you are ready to plant, 1- Soak the roots in a bucket of water. 2- Dig a whole twice the diameter of the roots. 3- Pour water generously in the whole. 4-Position the rose in the whole and spread the roots. 5- Fill in the whole with soil up to 3” from the level of the ground. 6- Water often until the plant has settled.

Feeding: Use mulch in the spring or rose fertilizer that you can buy in nurseries.

Pruning: In regions with a mild weather prune in February. Wait until the rose has started growing in cold regions. Leave 2 or 3 buds when pruning climbers.

Dead heading: Cutting the dead roses is the key to having a healthy plant and many repeat roses.

There are hundreds of roses, shrubs, climbers, ramblers, bushes. There are fragrant roses,   roses without thorns, long stem roses. There are roses for every season of the year, even winter ones. Roses for any situation in your garden, sun, shade, windy spots (roses usually don’t like wind). You find roses of all colors, all sizes. The choice is infinite.

We are not going to recommend any one rose. You have to fall in love with one or several roses in a catalogue or nursery. That will be the right choice providing it is suitable for your region and the location where you want to plant it.  

Enjoy your roses!