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 April 2006 Back to Table of Contents Back to Archives Main Page Section: Home & Garden Everything is Coming Up... By Carol Ann Harlos
I believe that the secret to growing healthy roses is similar to growing other plants — healthy soil, proper watering, cleanliness, plants appropriate to the chosen location. I know some of you are thinking “How can she grow roses on the north side of the house?” Think of your gardening areas as having microclimates. The roses in this garden receive about 7 1⁄2 hours of direct sunlight. They are not planted directly against the house so none are in shadow. The soil has been amended with compost over many years and is rich and dark in color. Soil analysis indicates that the soil has a pH of 6.6 which is perfect for roses. The roses are never watered from above except by mother nature. There is a soaker hose winding among them. The roses receive deep watering throughout the growing season, up to the time the ground begins to freeze. This encourages the roots to grow deep into the soil and prepares them for winter. I have covered this hose with soil and the lamium helps hide it as well. When the roses are in full bloom no one notices the hose anyway. When the forsythia bloom I cut back the roses. I do this task then because I’ve noticed that this seems to be when the roses are beginning to grow and to green up. The buds are in evidence and they are starting to swell. I wear gloves for this task as some of the thorns are brutal! I love doing this task. It is a great time to see how the roses fared over the winter and marks the beginning of my time in the garden for the year. I remove the soil that was placed over the crowns in early December. If there is already enough soil in the rose garden I put this soil in a container and spread it elsewhere. (This soil was not from the rose garden in the first place. It was purchased in the fall. I mention this because sometimes gardeners scrape up this soil from the rose bed itself with good intentions but inadvertently expose some of the rose roots which leads to freezing and their demise.) I take a hard look at each rose bush. If the rose is grafted I look to see whether the new growth is above or below the graft (the bulge). I look for branches which cross over the rose trunk to remove. I try to think about the ultimate direction of growth. I cut back to new growth (white or greenish pith) with a downward cut with sharp pruners about a quarter to a half inch above a bud. If the soil is not soaking wet I often pull newly emerging weeds and tidy up. This is the earliest that I will also cut back the lavender. By June the first roses bloom. They are beautiful! That wasn’t so bad was it? back to top back to table of contents Current Issue | About Forever Young | Where to Find | Advertise | Our Advertisers | Community Calendar | Contest | Clubs | Contact Us | Archives | Home |
