Follow these 6 tips to be on the way to a beautiful rose garden.

  • Sunshine.  Roses love the sun. Ideally, choose a site that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.  For roses, the more sunshine, the better.
  • Soil.  Make sure you use a well-draining soil that also holds on to moisture long enough for the roots to absorb some.  This means loam which contains the right percentages of sand, silt and clay.
  • Mulch. Add a 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch around your roses. Not only will this provide the roses with necessary nutrients, but it will also insulate them protecting from temperature variations and help to retain moisture.  It will also help with weed control.
  • Water. Irrigate roses deeply but infrequently.  The entire root zone should be wet. Remember to water the soil, not the leaves.  Keeping foliage dry will help prevent disease. The soil should be consistently moist – not overly wet and not bone dry.
  • Inspect. Check your roses for disease or insects.  If you find a problem, treat with a common pesticide before it overtakes your plant.
  • Prune. Roses need to be pruned regularly.  By removing all the dead, diseased, and damaged canes will open your rose bush up to new growth.