Rose Secrets Revealed

Saying "Happy Birthday" With Roses

2005-10-20T07:50:00.000-04:00

Well "Happy Birthday" Norma! Hope you enjoyed the beautiful long stem Roses today.

What else could she expect to receive from a Rose Enthusiast on her Birthday - but Roses.

Don't forget folks, Roses are the most precious gift to give any day of year.

Cheers Bambi

Autumn Rose Care

2005-10-18T22:07:00.000-04:00

Grow roses: Autumn: "Producing those enchanting blooms that make you so proud is hard work for your rose bushes. They need a lot of water to fuel the flowering process. Continue watering them deeply and as often as needed to maintain growth. Watering them daily is fine, if you are going to be showing them off, as long as you don't over-do it.
Through the end of September, continue using water-soluble compost. Consider a commercially prepared bloom-boosting fertilizer. They're easily recognizable by the large number placed in the middle of the formulation.
Conditions for black spot and mildew are still dangerous, so keep up with your spraying program through the end of October. Then, to allow your roses to begin the hibernation passage, stop all fertilizing by the end of October, as well. "

Grow roses: Choosing The Right Rose For Your Garden

2005-10-11T00:31:00.000-04:00

Grow roses: Choosing: "The selection of roses you can grow in your home garden is enormous. With so many to choose from, finding just the right ones may seem more like work than play. To make this process easier, here are a few important factors to help you narrow down your field of choices.

Climate
Choosing the right roses for your particular climate zone is critical. In order for roses to be healthy and bloom generously, they must be able to adjust to your climate. If your climate is too hot or too cold, or has the wrong amount of humidity, it could weaken your roses and make them vulnerable to pests and diseases. "

You Need To Get This Right From The Start.........

Maintaining Healthy Roses

2005-10-02T06:42:00.000-04:00

Grow roses: Floribunda: "Maintaining Healthy Roses
Late winter is the best time to prune. Most gardeners prune in January or February, depending on their local climate. Remove all debris first, and dead foliage from the plants and around their bedding. Clip off all dead bark-like canes. In order to promote new growth for the next season, remember to remove all the old flowers.
If it's warm enough, it's a good idea to fertilize the ground with organic matter at this time.
Although you should try to maintain some shape to your rose bushes, be gentle with the cuts. Many horticulturists say that Floribundas, in their first year, flourish with a cane 6 inches long.
Now, just sit back, relax and watch your flowers bloom beautifully for many months to come. "

Grow Roses

2005-09-05T19:25:00.000-04:00

If you are just starting out, this is the right place for you. But even if you're an old pro, there may just be a few articles for you as well.
Gardening is fun, easy, and rewarding. Particularly rose gardening, because the results smell so sweet. Especially if you have the right equipment, information and attitude. And that is exactly what you will find here.
This site has several articles designed to get you up to speed fast, And several more to take you further.

Do Yourself A Favour & Check Out The Great Articles At This Site!

Easy to Grow Roses

2005-09-01T04:42:00.000-04:00

Easy to Grow Roses: "There are many different types of roses. If you are new to rose gardening, then it is wise to choose varieties of easy to grow roses to begin your rose garden. Some roses require constant attention and caring for while others require none. Roses come in varieties of high maintenance to no maintenance. Most roses, though, do require a certain amount of time to get started and to care for adequately. Minimal care roses that produce maximum results are ideal for beginners or those still somewhat new to rose gardening. Not only will it teach you the basics without working you to death, it will also encourage your gardening experience, perhaps leading you to take on other rose types that are a little more challenging to care for.
Easy to grow roses need some care as well.
Some roses will exist solely based on their will to survive. There are many types of easy to grow roses that do not require watering or fertilizing but rather suffer nature independently and flourish. However, this type of treatment is not ideal for any type of rose and I do not recommend that you treat your roses in this manner no matter how much they seem to prevail. Instead, a good balance of watering and feeding is ideal because it provides the essential nutrients and elements that your plant needs without putting it under strain to get them for itself."

Black Spot On Roses

2005-08-29T00:20:00.000-04:00

One of the most popular flowering shrubs grown throughout South Carolina is roses. Roses require a lot of care to grow and bloom properly. To be successful with your roses, it is important to become familiar with their particular cultural needs, which: "Black spot is a common and serious rose disease often reaching epidemic proportions in a season. The disease is caused by the fungus, Diplocarpon rosae. It is most severe after long wet, warm periods in the spring. Symptoms occur on rose leaves as circular, black spots surrounded by a yellow area. Infected leaves often drop from the plant. Infection continues throughout the summer months. The immature wood of first year canes develops raised, purple-red irregular blotches. Plants become stunted and produce fewer, paler flowers. By mid-summer severely infected plants may have lost all of their leaves.
Prevention and Treatment: The spread of black spot can be reduced and future infections minimized by following these cultural practices:
Plant resistant varieties: Roses that have some degree of resistance to black spot and powdery mildew are listed in Table 1.
Maintain good sanitation: Sanitation practices are critical in reducing future disease development. In the fall remove all old leaves on the ground, and any mulch that has been contaminated with infected leaves.
Remove and destroy infected canes: Canes affected by black spot have dark or reddish areas (lesions). Severely infected plants should be pruned back in the fall or early spring to within 1 to 2 inches of the bud union, according to variety and cultivar. During the growing season, remove infected leaves as they appear.
Keep leaves dry: It is best not to syringe plants with water, and do not use overhead irrigation. Promote rapid drying of leaves by planting roses in the full sun, and spacing new plantings far enough apart to allow for g"

Click on the link to see a list of Disease Resistant Roses- great resource!

Roses

2005-08-28T08:12:00.000-04:00

Rose.--No home property is complete without roses. There are so many kinds and classes that varieties may be found for almost any purpose, from climbing or pillar subjects to highly fragrant teas, great hybrid perpetuals, free-blooming bedders, and good foliage subjects for the shrubbery. There is no flower in the growing of which one so quickly develops the temper and taste of the connoisseur.
Roses are essentially flower-garden subjects rather than lawn subjects, since flowers are their chief beauty. Yet the foliage of many of the highly developed roses is good and attractive when the plants are well grown. To secure the best results with roses, they should be placed in a bed by themselves, where they can be tilled and pruned and well taken care of, as other flower-garden plants are. The ordinary garden roses should rarely be grown in mixed borders of shrubbery. It is usually most satisfactory also to make beds of one variety rather than to mix them with several varieties.
If it is desired to have roses in mixed shrubbery borders, then the single and informal types should be chosen. The best of all these is Rosa rugosa. This has not only attractive flowers through the greater part of the season, but it also has very interesting foliage and a striking habit. The great profusion of bristles and spines gives it an individual and strong character. Even without the flowers, it is valuable to add character and cast to a foliage mass. The foliage is not attacked by insects or fungi, but remains green and glossy throughout the year. The fruit is also very large and showy, and persists on bushes well through the winter. Some of the wild roses are also very excellent for mixing into foliage masses, but, as a rule, their foliage characteristics are rather weak, and they are liable to be attacked by thrips.
There are so many classes of roses that the intending planter is likely to be confused unless he knows what they are. Different classes require different treatment. Some of them, as the teas and hybrid perpetuals (the latter also known as remontants), bloom from new canes; while the rugosa, the Austrian, Harrison's yellow, sweet briers, and some others are bushes and do not renew themselves each year from the crown or bases of the canes.
The outdoor roses may be divided into two great groups so far as their blooming habit is involved:
(1) The continuous or intermittent bloomers, as the hybrid perpetuals (blooming chiefly in June), bourbons, tea, rugosa, the teas and hybrid teas being the most continuous in bloom;
(2)those that bloom once only, in summer, as Austrian, Ayrshire, sweet briers, prairie, Cherokee, Banksian, provence, most moss roses, damask, multiflora, polyantha, and memorial (Wichuraiana). "Perpetual" or recurrent-blooming races have been developed in the Ayrshire, moss, polyantha, and others.
While roses delight in a sunny exposure, nevertheless our dry atmosphere and hot summers are sometimes trying on the flowers, as are severe wintry winds on the plants. While, therefore, it is never advisable to plant roses near large trees, or where they will be overshadowed by buildings or surrounding shrubbery, some shade during the heat of the day will be a benefit. The best position is an eastern or northern slope, and where fences or other objects will break the force of strong winds, in those sections where such prevail.
Roses should be carefully taken up every four or five years, tops and roots cut in, and then reset, either in a new place or in the old, after enriching the soil with a fresh supply of manure, and deeply spading it over. In Holland, roses are allowed to stand about eight years. They are then taken out and their places filled with young plants.

Rose Information For Free!

2005-08-27T06:42:00.000-04:00

Hi,
Did you know that you can obtain a free copy of the "Manual of Gardening" by L.H. Bailey now together with daily free information on roses by simply visiting http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com and entering your name and email address. You will instantly receive an email with the link to the free Manual.
Don't miss out on this great freeby.
Cheers for now - Bambi

Rose Pruning Factsheet

2005-08-25T23:14:00.000-04:00

Rose Pruning Factsheet - Gardening Australia - ABC: "It's easy to understand why people love roses. Apart from their fragrant blooms, they flower for up to six months of the year, and are among the toughest of all plants. Even if you ignore them they'll continue to flower, but there is no question they do benefit with a good winter prune.

Now here's a little tip. If ever you're feeling depressed and a bit frustrated on a cold winter day, get out into the garden and start pruning the roses. Honestly, you'll feel so much better.

I've no idea why some people are afraid of pruning roses. Honestly, roses are the most forgiving of all plants. When pruning a standard rose, start in the middle, where the branches are growing into the centre and take out the branches that are growing towards the middle. Prune the rest back by about a third. Don't worry about which bud to cut to because they will flourish even if you don't cut to an outward or inward pointing bud.

But what makes a plant a standard? Well it's like a standard lamp but with a rose it has a briar rootstock and a rose grafted on top. But you can also buy a bush rose and that is also like a standard. The grafting point is only a few inches above the ground. A standard rose is nothing more than a bush rose on the end of a stick

When pruning a large flowering bush rose, or a hybrid tea rose, be brutal. And that means getting stuck into it with a saw. These roses are tough. Open up the middle of the plant to stimulate masses of new shoots, which is what you want. And simply cut the rest of it back - just cut all the new branches back by about a third. It doesn't matter if you make a mistake. If you see any dead looking ones, cut them off. "

Rose Pruning Tips

2005-08-25T23:12:00.000-04:00

Rose Pruning Tips: "Hard Pruning or Low Pruning
Canes are cut back to three or four buds from the base or bud union. This leaves short sturdy canes of about 4 to 5 inches long.
Hard pruning is recommended for newly planted bush roses of the hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda tribes. Hard pruning is often used by growers to produce show blooms for exhibition.
This method is not good for established garden roses and should not be practiced. It can still be used to rejuvenated sickly plants and neglected ones, but hard pruning is no longer accepted as correct pruning.
Moderate or Medium Pruning
Canes are cut back to about half of their length. Weaker stems are cut back more depending on their location on the bush.
Moderate pruning is the accepted method for treatment of established garden roses. Floribundas, hybrid teas, grandifloras, and tree roses all respond best to this pruning practice. If the roses are fed well, you can expect show quality roses on beautifully shaped bushes.
Light or High/Long Pruning
Canes are cut back to about two thirds of their length. This means that after removal of unwanted wood the remaining stems are merely tipped.
Light pruning is not generally recommended as it will produce spindly bushes and if practiced year after year will result in an early blooming bush with poor quality flowers.
Hybrid Tea Roses
Newly Planted - Hard Pruning is required to build up a strong root system and to stimulate the growth of sturdy, fresh canes from close to the base of the bush.
Established Roses (12 months or older) - Moderate pruning is the best method for general garden display. For show blooms hard pruning is sometimes used. For very vigorous varieties light pruning is recommended.
Floribunda Roses
Newly Planted - Where hybrid teas should be hard pruned to a height of between 4-6 inches, flori"

Feed & Caring For Roses

2005-08-24T03:31:00.000-04:00

Rose Gardening - The Helpful Gardener: "Feeding and Care
Roses are hungry feeders. You should fertilize with a food that is a little heavier on the phosphorus (middle number in the three). Improving the soil is recommended to increase the water and fertilizer retention. While species and shrub roses will make do with most any soil, Hybrid Teas need a highly fertile and organic soil to do well at all. Manure, mushroom compost, or any other highly organic additives are a necessity for a good Hybrid Tea rose. A good organic mulch will go a long way towards improving the soil fertility from year to year, as well as increasing water retention. DO NOT use wood chips or a poorly composted bark product. These require nitrogen to decompose and will rob your rose of nutrients.
If you have been looking for a reason to start a compost pile, there is no better reason than mulching. Compost will actually add nutrients to the soil along with beneficial microbes. A quick scratch with a hoe will easily eliminate any weeds and keep the soil loose and fluffy. Roses detest any sort of competition so do not fall prey to the temptation of planting closely around roses. Dusting with rose powder is recommended for tea roses to keep off black spot and powdery mildew. These can be fatal diseases for your average Hybrid Tea rose, although not a big problem for your shrub and species roses. Many of the newer roses are bred specifically for disease resistance."

A Rose Growing Secret

2005-08-23T01:47:00.000-04:00

A Rose Growing Secret: "I�m going to tell you a secret. A secret about growing good roses. It won�t help me now, but it may help you. You see, after years of following the wisdom from books about roses and from magazine articles about roses and from consulting rosarians about roses and still not getting the quality of bloom and plant that I desired, I finally discovered a simple and effective way to grow better roses by touring the gardens of those who grow great roses for the garden and for show. What is that secret? The secret is shade and shelter.
Remember all the advice that says you need lots of sunlight to grow roses. Well, that is correct to a degree. However, afternoon and late evening sun seems to burn leaves and petals and produce plants that need more water and nutrients to grow. Virtually every great exhibitor whose rose garden I have visited has mid to late afternoon shade. That one growing factor alone seems to lengthen stems, darken and enlarge leaves, and enhance bloom size and color in miniatures and big roses. What a difference that afternoon shade makes.
Those of you in Nashville, I�m sure, are familiar with Jimmy Moser�s prize-winning roses. His yard on the outskirts of Memphis has wonderfully large trees that shade almost his entire yard from the detrimental effects of the sun in late afternoon while bathing the yard with enough sun in the morning and early afternoon to help the plants. The same is true with Larry Meyer�s yard in St. Louis. Larry�s best plants seem to come from his beds next to a large stand of trees that shade his potted roses and those in his lower beds. Don and Paula Ballin�s yard in Chicago was virtually a shade garden, yet it produced scores of winners locally and nationally."

Bud, Bloom, and Beyond

2005-08-22T20:36:00.000-04:00

Bud, Bloom, and Beyond: "April is a wonderful month for roses. It brings the spring bloom which is always the best of the year. By now your garden is showing a little color and the bushes are full of buds. By the middle of the month your bushes will be in full bloom. It is a time to enjoy the fruits of your efforts. But, as always with roses, there are things to do.

Be Gentle with a Maiden Bush
A rose bush that you planted bare root in January is a maiden bush. True it was a two year field grown bush when planted but any bush that is less than three years old should be treated as a maiden. And a maiden bush should be treated gently.

Growth begets growth and a rose builds on itself in geometric proportions; particularly in its early development. The removal of new growth from a maiden bush carries a heavy cost in its future development. The guiding principle in dealing with the blooms and foliage of a maiden bush should therefore be one of caution and the resolution of doubts in favor of preserving the bush. In particular you should not plan to cut long stems nor even to remove stems that may be growing in undesirable directions. Also your objective should be to preserve as many of the leaves as possible as these leaves are the solar panels which are essential to the energy of the bush. This is not to say that you should do nothing as I explain below. But keep in mind the primary rule: 'Be gentle with a maiden bush.'"

Rose Virus

2005-08-22T05:58:00.000-04:00

HeirloomRoses.com : Alternate Site: "The �Ugly Word� that most commercial rose growers don�t want to mention. We fear that unless the virus problem is addressed we will continue to see an increase of this very undesirable problem. The main reason the budded roses have virus is that the growers of budded roses take all their cuttings and budwood from the current crop in the field and so the virus is spread from one crop to the next, mainly through the rootstock. We observed a high percentage of rose virus in budded roses grown in California.
When we began to consider selling Old Garden Roses and conducted research of the market, the complaint we heard most often was concerning virus. Rosarians reported that though a plant might do well enough the first year or two, the disease reduces the vigor and eventually leads to the decline of the bush and weakens it so that the plant will not survive through a cold winter. Rose virus also reduces the number of blooms a rosebush will produce per year by as much as 20 percent versus a non-virused bush. The yellow streaking of the leaves, or mosaic (not the normal yellowing that some rose leaves sometimes show), may be so obscure that only the trained eye can see it, or may be so pronounced that you can observe it from distance.
We carry on a stringent anti-rose virus policy; working with Malcolm Manners of Florida Southern College, and the University of California at Davis in programs to remove virus from roses and to certify varieties virus-free.
Rose virus is not a problem in roses originating and grown in Europe as all their roses are budded on rootstock grown from seeds which are virus-free. Almost every variety of rose that we sell has been imported from Europe to ensure virus-free stock for our customers. The exception being varieties that originated in the U.S. which we have been able to obtain (virus indexed) virus-fr"

Are There Really Black Roses?

2005-08-21T23:36:00.000-04:00

Are There Really Black Roses?: "Throughout the course of time, black roses have conjured up a variety of symbolic meanings. From unnatural worlds to death, vengeance, farewell or rebirth, the black rose has come to be viewed in a number of different ways depending on the occasion.
Though symbolic meanings may differ, the interesting truth is that black roses do not even exist. What many believe to be black roses are actually dark-red colored roses, which have such a deep color that they appear to be black. Perhaps someday not too far in the future a black rose will exist as many in the field are working with the myriad of rose varieties and colors to come up with the coveted black formula.
In the meantime, there are quite a few roses come which come close. Here are a couple of the more well-known varieties of 'black roses' gardened in different climates all over the world:
Black Magic
One of the darkest roses, this rose has black buds before it blooms into velvety garnet flowers.
Black Baccara
Perhaps the darkest, this blackberry colored rose also tends to be blacker before its blooms begin to open into velvety textured petals, growing up to four feet tall with flowers June through August. "

Five Rose Garden Ideas

2005-08-21T23:33:00.000-04:00

Article Search Engine: GoArticles.com: "If you�ve always shied away from growing roses because you believed their press, it�s time to put away your misconceptions. Far from being the finicky, pest-ridden creatures that they�re made out to be, roses are surprisingly easy to grow and maintain. Roses have five basic needs:

Plenty of sun! With very few exceptions, roses love the sun. Choose a spot for them that gets at least six full hours of sun per day, and they�ll reward you with beautiful, showy blooms.

Lots of Water! Roses are thirsty little critters, too. Plan on giving your rose garden a good daily drenching to supplement rain � and add a second if rain is scarce.

Control Pest-y Critters! Roses ARE prone to attract pesky bugs like Japanese beetles and aphids. There are all sorts of natural treatments if you object to a weekly-or-so spraying with a pesticide designed for roses. On the flip side � the only time that I saw major problems with infestations were my grandmother�s prize blue-blood strains. Hybrids and ramblers seem not to be bothered much at all.

Feed them! You�ll get more, fuller and more colorful blooms if you feed your roses once a month with a good, balanced fertilizer.

Pick your roses! Seriously � roses love to be pruned and groomed. The more you pick your roses, the more you�ll get.

So � have you got a spot in your yard that gets at least six hours of sun a day, is close enough to the garden hose that watering is easy, and is easily accessible by paths and walkways? In that case � you have a great spot for a rose garden.

A few ideas for rose garden designs you might not have considered are:

A Rose Fence Garden
Climbing and rambling roses are ambitious climbers. You can completely cover a chain link fence with a plant every 2-3 fee"

Choosing Roses For Color

2005-08-21T05:33:00.000-04:00

Modern hybridizers have enlarged the palette of rose colors to an extent that would amaze the gardener of a hundred years ago. While old garden roses were restricted mainly to stripes and solids in the white, pink, lavender, and red color range, today’s modern hybrids come in vivid mixtures of every color except true blue and black — although genetic engineers may well achieve these colors in the future. (There is actually a green rose, R. chinensis ‘Viridiflora.’) Flowers may be solid-colored, bi-colored (different colors on the insides and the outside of the petals), or blends (two or more colors intermingled on each petal.)
Warm Colors
Flower color is an important factor in selecting roses for your garden, since the colors you choose project your personality and that of your home. A warm color scheme, made up of red, orange, gold, and yellow tones, is exciting, happy, and cheerful. It draws the eye to the garden and makes it look smaller than it is. However, a warm color scheme also makes the garden seem hotter, so it would not be a good choice where temperatures are high in the summer, especially if the roses are planted near outdoor living areas.
Cool Colors
A cool color scheme, composed of violet, mauve, and purple, is soothing and refreshing. It is the best choice for a quiet garden meant for relaxing. It also makes a small garden look larger and is a good color scheme to use when you want to hide an eyesore because it does not draw attention to itself. Although they are technically not cool colors, whites, pastel yellows, and light pinks also have this same low-key effect.

For more details refer to my Manual “Rose Secrets Revealed” at http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com

Selecting A Rose To Buy

2005-08-20T05:34:00.000-04:00

Well today I’m going to share some information with you about selecting a rose to buy.
Selecting the right roses for your garden may seem like a daunting task because there are so many kinds. But just like travellers believe that half the fun is getting there, rose growers enjoy poring over books, leafing through catalogues, and visiting shows and gardens in search of unfamiliar varieties. Although these activities are fun in themselves, dedicated gardeners know that extra effort spent in making the right choice is the key to a long and happy relationship with plants.
Landscape Needs, Site, and Uses
Many of your decisions about which roses to buy and plant will depend on your landscaping needs. Fences and trellises call for climbers, while cutting gardens need hybrid teas and grandifloras. Shrub borders are ideal for floribundas and shrub roses, while small gardens are great for miniatures. If you prefer a low-maintenance garden, old garden roses will serve your site well.
In addition to choosing roses for their landscape value, you want to select those that grow well in your area because many varieties have trouble in very cold or hot regions, or are susceptible to local diseases like as black spot.
You should also consider the uses to which your roses will be put — for example, whether for exhibiting or flower arranging. Certain rose varieties far surpass others in flower form, length of bloom, and other pertinent traits. We’ll look at different types of roses in more detail a little later.
Above all, you should plant what you love and enjoy. If you love fragrant roses, or roses of a certain color, blooming pattern, or growth habit, include them in your garden. The only person you’re out to impress is yourself… make sure your roses are a reflection of your tastes, and you can’t go wrong.
For more detail you should refer to my Manual “Rose Secrets Revealed” by visiting http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com
Regards
Bambi Coker – Rose Enthusiast

Spring and Fall Rose Tonic

2005-08-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Spring and Fall Rose Tonic - Rose Magazine: " This mixture is good in the spring and the fall, and can be applied as a 'tonic' to all blooming perennials, roses, azaleas and fruit-producing trees and plants.
Note: If soil pH is above 7.5 (and it shouldn't be), reduce the Epsom salts by half to reduce the possibility of applying too much magnesium.
Note: For new plantings, add 1 part Greensand (0-1-5) to the Fall Tonic
Note: The NPK of the constituents varies by manufacturer; however, on average these proportions will create a 50-110-20 (or approx. 2-4-1 NPK ratio) slow-release, environment-safe fertilizer. It will not 'burn' the foliage or contaminate the soil.
Note: Blood and bone meals may attract dogs and cats. If this is a problem, repel with pepper spray around the watering well.
Note: Feather meal may be substituted for alfalfa meal, but the quantities should be cut in half. Feather meal is also quicker to decompose and will not provide sustained nitrogen release beyond about 21 days. Furthermore, alfalfa has micronutrients not found in feather meal.
Note: Alfalfa meal is quite dusty; a dust mask should be worn when mixing the ingredients.

I apply this tonic immediately after spring and fall pruning (here, late Feb and late Aug). It is so effective, supplemental fertilizations are not required but once-a-month in the spring - until I let the roses rest during summer's heat. For supplemental fertilizations, I use a blend of fish emulsion, kelp liquid concentrate, and un-sulfured molasses @ 2 Tbsp, 1 Tbsp, and 1 Tbsp (30ml, 15ml, 15ml) respectively per gallon of water and pour this around the watering well of each rose.

It is best, if you have a lot of roses, to purchase the ingredients in bulk from the farm/r"

Bits Of Information For Rose Lovers

2005-08-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Bits Of Information For Rose Lovers - Rose Magazine: "To stop powdery mildew, mix together:
-one gallon of water
-tablespoons of baking soda
-a dash of liquid dish detergent
At the first sign of powdery mildew, spray on affected area twice a week.

To make your roses unpalatable to aphids and other pests, spray them with a � and � solution of Listerine and water.

Closest botanical relatives of the rose include the peach, apple and apricot, hawthorne, almond, strawberry and raspberry.

Would you like to try your hand at rooting your own rose cuttings? Why not make your own rooting hormone? Simply cut willow stems into 1-inch pieces and soak them in 2 inches of warm water for 24 hours. Discard the stems and soak your rose cuttings in the solution for 12 hours before you plant them. Store your willow water in the refrigerator and it will stay fresh for up to 2 months.

Are you thinking of growing roses, but are unsure of what would look nice in your garden? One of the best ways to begin selecting roses is to visit public gardens and city parks in your area. You will see the specific color and mature size of the rose. This is especially important with antique or old roses, as they can grow to be very large shrubs. It will also give you an idea about which varieties are the most healthy and vigorous and which can be grown successfully in your climate

Planting roses in groups of three will give a mass of showy blooms and accentuate the fragrance.

To extend the blooming period of once flowering climbers or ramblers, plant a clematis vine with the rose and train it to climb along the canes.

Rose fanciers are the largest organized group of flower growers in North America.

When looking at beautiful photos of roses in catalogs and book"

Keeping A Watchful Eye On Roses

2005-08-19T06:14:00.000-04:00

Watering and Fertilizing Bareroot Roses: "O.K. the rose(s) are in, you're pickin' the 'fruits of your labor', enjoying the fragrance, the beauty to behold, be it in the garden or in the house...Wow!
Wistfully you look out into the garden at all your beautiful-what's that? That stuff on your roses-yellow leaves, white stuff all over... You dash outside... Oh no! Creepy little spots that move! Where did they come from! The leaves are being chewed to pieces! The flowers are falling apart! There's black spots, red rust, and the rose(s) look icky to the max! What do you do?
Don't panic! What's the saying? 'Think Globally. Act Locally.' Be reflective, lay out in your mind the watering schedule, how has the weather been, when is the last time you fed your roses, the last time you really looked closely at them? Then gather up some nice fresh samples of all the gross stuff! (By the way, 'fresh' means not left on the dashboard while in the grocery store). Off you go to your local garden center or nursery to get professional advice. Every state has different products to combat insects and diseases, so check with your local sources of information and don't forget your local Rose Society. If you have ongoing problems, you may want to consider hardy or disease-resistant roses."

Secrets of Deadheading Roses

2005-08-19T06:12:00.000-04:00

Secrets of Deadheading Roses: "This article explores alternative ways of deadheading roses and conserving precious foliage on our rose bushes.
One of the best-kept secrets in rosedom concerns deadheading roses. The exhibitors have known about it for years and years, but it hasn't been reported in the rose press--until recently.
I should have picked up on this secret years ago as I toured exhibitors' gardens and asked questions about this or that. I saw it, understood it, and yet my head never got the message. And I have certainly followed the party line as it concerns deadheading roses.
Back to basics
The anatomy of the rose is presented here. We are advised to 'deadhead' regularly--that is, to remove the spent blossoms just above the first five leaflet leaf. Occasionally we find a reference that advises removing the spent blossoms at a three leaflet leaf after the first spring flush, the reason being to conserve foliage needed by the plant for photosynthesis. "

What, where, when of pruning shrub roses

2005-08-18T19:49:00.001-04:00

Rosebuddies - What, where, when of pruning shrub roses: "

What are you trying to achieve?
What you are doing is to cut out some of the old flowering wood from last year to encourage fresh new flowering shoots to grow.
What do you do in the Spring?
First, take out any dead or weak shoots.
Then remove any that are growing into the middle or rubbing against other shoots.
Then remove about 25% of the old shoots (cut to about 6in from the ground).
If your rose flowers twice per year, you should cut all the remaining shoots to about 1/3rd of their height.
Remember, always try to cut just above an outward pointing bud.
What next?
Feed and mulch immediately after pruning. Click here for more details.
What do you do in the summer?
If you are growing a rose for its hips, then leave the faded blooms on.
Otherwise, to encourage a second flowering, snap off any fading blooms."

What, where, when of pruning ground cover roses

2005-08-18T19:49:00.000-04:00

Rosebuddies - What, where, when of pruning ground cover roses: "What are you trying to achieve?
Ground cover roses really need very little pruning.
What you are doing is to cut out some old flowering wood from last year. This will encourage fresh new shoots to grow and flower in the summer.
What do you do in the Spring?
First, take out any dead or weak shoots.
Then cut back to about 6in around 25% of the remaining shoots (choose the older ones).
Remember, always try to cut just above an outward pointing bud.
What next?
Feed and mulch immediately after pruning. Click here for more details.
What do you do in the summer?
Nothing - they won't need pruning. Remember to feed them at the end of June."

Why, when, what of pruning roses: basic rules

2005-08-18T19:44:00.000-04:00

Rosebuddies - Why, when, what of pruning roses: basic rules: "Why should you prune roses?
There are two reasons for pruning roses:
To take out old and diseased wood and encourage new flowering shoots to grow.
To keep the plant in a good shape with an open centre that lets in light and air.
When should you prune roses?
Prune when the plants are dormant. In mild areas you can prune in the autumn (November), but if your garden gets frosty and cold in the winter then prune in the spring (March/April) when it's a bit warmer.
What equipment do you need?
A strong pair of gloves, some sharp secateurs and sometimes a small pruning saw. You will also need some garden twine for your climbers.
How do you cut a shoot?
It's important that you cut a shoot properly. Here are the rules:
1. Always cut just above a bud. You can tell a bud on a stem. If you look on the stem you will see some lines where the leaf was joined to it. Just above the line you will see a little nobble. This is the bud which will grow into a new shoot.
2. Choose a bud that is facing outwards. This bud will grow into a shoot, so you want one that's going to grow out, not into the centre of the plant.
3. Cut at a slant, not straight across. By doing this any rain will run away from the bud, rather than drown it.
4. Make a clean cut, about 1/4 inch above the bud.

What shoots do you cut out, and how low?
This varies depending on the type of rose you are pruning. Click on the buttons below to find out more.
However, there are some shoots that should always be cut out right at the start:
any shoot that's dead
any shoot that's weak and spindly
any shoot that's old and gnarled
any shoot that's growing into the middle of the bush, making it crowded
any shoot that's rubbing against another"

5 Tips To Get Out There And Smell The Roses

2005-08-18T05:41:00.000-04:00

Article Search Engine: GoArticles.com: "As we move to the summer, it�s fantastic to see the sun shining, feel the heat and be able to get outside into the great outdoors to make the most of the great world that we live in. I feel myself inspired by the spring flowers, and reinvigorated as I spend some time reveling in their colours. All seasons of the year give us something special, but here are my 5 top tips to help you make the most of this season in particular�

1. Find yourself some space to smell the roses�

It is all too easy in today�s busy world to miss the small things that make being human important to us, especially where we have many roles to play, family member, employee, lover, and more and more ways to keep in constant communication with people. Great athletes don�t stay great however, if they do not rest, and in the same way, creating some time to relax and take some time for yourself can give you more focus and in turn make you more productive as a result. Consider where in your life you can make some time to get out there and smell the roses. It may be that these are different chunks of time, such as lunchtimes, the journey home, before or after work, or at the weekends. What work�s best for you? What do you need to have happen to protect that time?

2. Find somewhere to smell them�

There are so many beautiful places in the UK, make the most of the area around you by getting to know the places around you that you can go to be in nature. There are many parks, forests, walks, and your local tourist information or council may be able to give you some ideas on where to go. Thinking about what you love will help you make the most out of the precious time that you have, and help reflect the mood that you are in � what do you feel like today? Water? Trees? A historic building with form"

How & When To Plant Roses

2005-08-18T05:40:00.000-04:00

Article Search Engine: GoArticles.com: "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 garden 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."

Rose Pruning Tips

2005-08-18T05:39:00.000-04:00

Article Search Engine: GoArticles.com: "Pruning your roses is one of the most needed and the most annoyingly difficult tasks that goes with proper rose care. It takes a steady hand the proper procedure to ensure the best possible roses that you can get.

Pruning your roses is basically the act of getting rid of dead and damaged pieces, and teaching the new growth to grow in the correct outward facing direction. That just means that you are training them to grow facing the outside of the shrub or bush. This gives your roses the correct amount of circulating air to thrive in.

Here is a list of the proper techniques to guide through the pruning process.

Soak your pruning shears in equal parts of water and bleach. This will help to protect your roses from diseases and insects. Pruning in the early spring, just after the snow melts is best. However you want to do it before any new growth appears. The best time would be when the buds are swelled, or red.

Hand shears are the best tool for pruning the smaller branches. (about 4 � inches thick) Loppers are best for the branches that are thicker or the thickness of a pencil. This will make it easier. You should use a heavy pair of rose gloves to avoid the thorns.

You want to get rid of the winter protection that you set up like cones, burlap, and mounded soil.
You want to get rid of the dead wood first. (That would be the black wood that is black inside as well as out).
Next, you wan to get rid of the thinner wood, which is the stems that are thinner than a pencil."

Drying Roses

2005-08-18T05:38:00.001-04:00

Article Search Engine: GoArticles.com: "There are many reasons why you might want to dry your roses. Some people just want to keep a memento of a special moment. Perhaps they are a part of a wedding that you went to; maybe they were a gift from a mate, friend, or family member. Whatever your reasons for doing it, this is the section where you will learn to dry your roses properly.

There two ways drying rose petal can happen and that are cheap and relatively easy.

Air Drying

Air drying is by far the easiest and cheapest method of drying flowers including roses. It is simple; all you have to do is follow these simple instructions.

Start with perfect and unflawed roses on their stems. If the roses are not in perfect condition, they will wither and the petals will fall off.

Remove any leaves that may be on the branches.

Bunch them up together in a manner that lets them fan out.
Tie the bottom with string or a rubber band.

Hang them upside down in a dark, dry place for two to three weeks to be certain that they are completely dry."

Easy To Grow Roses

2005-08-18T05:38:00.000-04:00

Article Search Engine: GoArticles.com: "There are many different types of roses. If you are new to rose gardening, then it is wise to choose varieties of easy to grow roses to begin your rose garden. Some roses require constant attention and caring for while others require none. Roses come in varieties of high maintenance to no maintenance. Most roses, though, do require a certain amount of time to get started and to care for adequately. Minimal care roses that produce maximum results are ideal for beginners or those still somewhat new to rose gardening. Not only will it teach you the basics without working you to death, it will also encourage your gardening experience, perhaps leading you to take on other rose types that are a little more challenging to care for.
Easy to grow roses need some care as well.

Some roses will exist solely based on their will to survive. There are many types of easy to grow roses that do not require watering or fertilizing but rather suffer nature independently and flourish. However, this type of treatment is not ideal for any type of rose and I do not recommend that you treat your roses in this manner no matter how much they seem to prevail. Instead, a good balance of watering and feeding is ideal because it provides the essential nutrients and elements that your plant needs without putting it under strain to get them for itself."

The Importane Of Water And Roses

2005-08-17T01:49:00.000-04:00

Let: "We constantly tell our members that roses require a lot of water� minimally, the equivalent of two inches per week. Other times we tell you 'water, water, water.' Seldom do you see an article on rose growing that doesn�t stress the importance of water. Yet, whenever we�re called out on a 'rose consultation,' invariably, the thing that sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb is the lack of moisture in the rose beds.
We think that this subject needs a little discussion because many of our members don�t have the foggiest idea of how much water to give their bushes.
Let�s see if we can clarify this situation. For the sake of simplicity, let us assume that the roots of a mature rose bush occupy an area of 36 square feet; that is, 6 feet by 6 feet. Now, 36 square feet is equal to 5,184 square inches and if you multiply that by 2, you have a volume of 10,368 cubic inches; this is the amount of water equivalent to two inches of rain localized in 36 square feet. A gallon contains 231 cubic inches. Consequently, it would require you to put 44.88 gallons of water in the 36 square feet that your rose bush is growing to equal two inches of rain. For the sake of simplicity, let�s round that off to 45 gallons.
If you fill a gallon jug with your garden hose and see how long it takes you to do it � and it will vary depending on water pressure and the size of the hose � then you�ll know how long it will take you to put out the 45 gallons of water for one rose bush. Bear in mind that this is the minimum amount you need; more is much better."

Let's Talk About Fertilizing Roses, shall we...

2005-08-17T01:48:00.000-04:00

Let: "Although gardeners generally refer to fertilizer as 'plant food,' in effect, it really is not. What fertilizer is is a combination of different chemical elements which plants absorb, primarily through their roots in the presence of moisture, transport to their leaves, and there, through photosynthesis, miraculously transform them into simple sugars and starches which are the real plant food. But lets not worry about semantics, call it what you wish so long as you understand the principles involved.

Like all plants, roses require nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium as their primary 'food,' along with secondary nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Additionally, they need minor elements, which consists of iron, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, chlorine, and molybdenum. All of these nutrients can be provided by either organic fertilizers (such as manures, fish meals, etc.) or by chemical fertilizers (such as nitrate of potash, ammonium phosphate, etc.). Roses are not particular about where their nutrients come from � they cannot discern the difference between organic and inorganic. The important thing is to feed them. Now let�s look at what these elements do."

Roses - Creating Beautiful Cut Roses

2005-08-16T20:27:00.000-04:00

Roses - Creating Beautiful Cut Roses: "Many gardeners like to enjoy their roses twice � first in the garden, then indoors as cut flowers. By choosing the right roses, cutting them at the proper time of day, and conditioning them after cutting, you can enjoy your cut roses for the longest possible time � up to five days or more after cutting.
When to Cut Roses
In general, the more petals a rose has the slower it will open and the longer it will last. So, the best roses to use as cut flowers are the fully double varieties. Flowers with fewer petals open quickly and need to be replaced more often. Old garden and shrub roses generally wilt rapidly because their petals lack the substance (thickness and sturdiness) of modern roses and therefore don�t make good cut flowers.
In addition to the form of a rose, you should consider its blooming stage. A rose will last longer if it is cut when the sepals have separated from the bud and have turned downward, and when the bud has softened but before the stamens are visible. If you squeeze the bud and it is still hard, wait a day or two before cutting it or it may not open after it is cut. Roses should be cut from a well-watered plant, late in the afternoon when the sugar and nutrient content of the plant is highest. This provides the bloom with ample energy to develop and open normally, and to stay open longer without wilting. During hot weather, when there is chance that a flower may be dehydrated by late afternoon, water the plant well several hours before cutting."

5 Secrets to Growing Beautiful Roses

2005-08-16T20:26:00.000-04:00

5 Secrets to Growing Beautiful Roses: "A rose is a rose is a rose - and there are few things in the garden more beautiful. There are 5 secrets I want to share that will help you to grow healthy roses.
1. Sunshine: Plan to put your rose bush in a spot where it will get as much sun at least 6 hours of sunshine a day.
2. Water: Drops of water on the leaves can cause burning, and lead to black spot disease so always water from underneath, soaking the earth until it is damp but not soggy. It is better to water thoroughly once a week than lightly several times in the same period.
Beware if your Roses get too much water, they'll drown. Water in the morning or at least four or five hours before dusk so that any excess moisture can be absorbed by the heat of the day.
3. Planting & Soil: As soon as the ground can be worked in the Spring, turn the soil to the depth of the spade. To the loosened soil add 1/3 to 1/2 as much again of composted humus like leaf mold, peat moss, or composted manure, together with coarse sand. Make sure to work the soil at least a month before planting.
4. Tidy, Tidy: Keep Roses healthy, it is important to gather up withered petals and leaves and pick off any live leaves with black spots. Prevent black spot - mix 1 tbs of baking soda with 1 tbs of liquid dish soap and 1 gallon of water together and spray your Rose leaves.
5. Prune: Always prune 1/4' above an outward facing bud. Always use a sharp knife or hand pruners. Never prune in fall. Always cut off the suckers, they grow just below the bud union; follow them down to where they begin and carefully remove them to encourage strong new growth."

Gardening Tips for Early - Mid July

2005-08-16T20:23:00.000-04:00

Gardening Tips for Early - Mid July: "Now we are fast approaching the hottest time of the year, there are still some things that can be done in the garden. Below are a few gardening tips for those that love the summer warmth. For you who aren't particularly appreciative of the hot hot, then do your gardening chores early in the morning.
As the flowers in your garden start to fade, you should see seed pods begin to appear. What does this mean as far as the plant's growth is concerned? How does it affect the appearance of your garden?
It means that the plant puts most of its resources towards the seeds and creating them. If the seed pods are allowed to remain, the plant will not continue to give you flowers like it would if the seeds were removed once the flowers go by. You could end up with a garden with lots of seeds and few blooms. This of course, depends on many factors. Therefore, faded flowers should be cut off. You can go around every day as you go about youyr gardening with some type of trimmers or scissors and cut off all the dead flowers. You can add this organic matter to your compost pile."

Planting Roses - Great Tips Here

2005-08-16T20:21:00.000-04:00

Rose Sites: "For planting roses a good garden loam with organic matter is
important. It must contain peat moss, leaf mold, compost,
rotted or commercial manure, and the bed should be prepared
as far ahead of planting as is feasible in order to allow
for settling of the soil.

Fall is the best time for setting out roses, but you can
plant in spring. When they arrive from the nursery, plant at
once. If they have dried en route, soak the roots and put
the tops in a bucket of water before planting. Trim back any
roots that are weak, long or broken at this time. Dig a hole
that is wide enough to allow the roots to spread without
crowding.

The rose is properly placed when the bud (the point where
the top joins the roots) is just under the ground surface.
Space hybrid teas about 18 inches apart in any direction.
Prune the branches 6 to 10 inches from the soil. "

A Rose is a Rose?

2005-08-15T23:25:00.000-04:00

A Rose is a Rose?: "There are many varied definitions of what each color of rose symbolizes. Florists and floral experts alike will agree that flowers hold the meaning we give them and the feeling with which they are given.
With this in mind, there are some common folklore associations relevant to each color of rose. You may find other lists that suggest different meanings for each color. This is because there is no 'Definitive' list for rose color meanings. This guide is merely to suggest colors for certain occasions/expressions.
Red Roses- Love, Respect, Courage
Yellow Roses- Joy, Gladness, Freedom, Friendship
Pink/Peach Roses- Gratitude, Admiration, Sympathy
White Roses- Reverence, Purity, Innocence, Peace
Coral/Orange Roses- Fascination, Enthusiasm,
Lavender Roses- Enchantment
Red and White Roses- Unity
Red, Pink & White Roses- Trinity"

Tips on How to Plant Roses

2005-08-15T23:20:00.000-04:00

Tips on How to Plant Roses: "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."

Gardening Australia

2005-08-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

Roses Factsheet - Gardening Australia - ABC: "The Rose Garden at the Sydney Botanic Gardens was originally designed to reveal the development of modern roses from their wild ancestors, and to display them according to colour groups. This historical theme has obliged the SBG to grow roses that have not thrived in Sydney. The rose garden in the Botanic Gardens in Sydney has a soil sickness that has accumulated from past practices and this can ruin any rose garden. It is going to be completely redeveloped along organic gardening principles and from this there are ideas that can be adopted for the home garden that can make rose growing simpler and more successful.

Poor drainage contributes to the problems of this rose garden, as well as the inappropriate selection of species. Sydney has a humid climate and many of these roses develop black spot, mildew and rust which produces a weak performance from the plants. The aim is to use an integrated pest management approach that begins with the selection of appropriate varieties. Good horticultural practices ensures the plants are grown vigorously without any exposure to stress so they are naturally more resistant to plant pests and pathogens. The main aim is to grow plants at the site that are healthy without continuous intervention."

All About Hybrid Tea Roses

2005-08-14T07:25:00.000-04:00

All About Hybrid Tea Roses: "Hybrid tea roses and the original tea rose are the world’s favourite roses and are available in many gorgeous colors.
Hybrid tea roses are among the most beautiful flowers in the world. They are the florist's rose.

The blossoms are fantastic and each flower can have as many as 60 or more petals. You can not find a more beautiful cut flower.

The fragrance also makes the hybrid tea rose an excellent choice to give as a bouquet or to grow in your garden.

Hybrid tea roses are different from other roses because they produce their flowers usually one bloom to a long stem rather than in clusters. Most hybrid tea roses produce flowers during the entire growing season and the plants grow 3 to 6 feet tall.

Caring for hybrid tea roses is no more difficult than other roses although you do need to give them special care in colder climates. They are no more or no less pest or disease resistant than other kinds of roses."

Choosing the Right Roses for your Garden

2005-08-14T07:24:00.000-04:00

Choosing the Right Roses for your Garden: "There are literally hundreds of types of roses that you can grow in your garden. With such a selection to choose from, it can be extremely difficult to choose the rose that's right for you. To make this task a bit easier, We've outlined a few important factors you should consider, and explained some of the different types of roses to aid in your search.
Tips on Choosing Roses
1. Color may seem trivial at first glance, but it's usually an important factor to those that want to grow roses. Usually it is simply a matter of personal preference, but you may want to try creating a complimentary color palette for your rose garden.
2. The final growth height of a rose should be considered as it would be unattractive to grow roses that are higher than the area of the garden that it grows in. Some roses can grow to be as high as 20 feet.
3. If you live in an area that is prone to cold winters, you would certainly want a rose that could survive during the off season."

Information On Pruning Roses

2005-08-13T06:11:00.000-04:00

So many people these days are looking for comprehensive information on how to prune their Roses. The questions are, when to prune, how to prune and why to prune.
Well a detailed step-by-step guide has all the answers in one place.
So do yourself a favour and check this out now, there is a wealth of information on so many Rose topics all in one place.
Really you have nothing to loose, with a money back guarantee!
http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com

Choosing Roses For Color

2005-08-12T21:21:00.000-04:00

Choosing Roses for Color
Modern hybridizers have enlarged the palette of rose colors to an extent that would amaze the gardener of a hundred years ago. While old garden roses were restricted mainly to stripes and solids in the white, pink, lavender, and red color range, today’s modern hybrids come in vivid mixtures of every color except true blue and black — although genetic engineers may well achieve these colors in the future. (There is actually a green rose, R. chinensis ‘Viridiflora.’) Flowers may be solid-colored, bi-colored (different colors on the insides and the outside of the petals), or blends (two or more colors intermingled on each petal.)
Warm Colors
Flower color is an important factor in selecting roses for your garden, since the colors you choose project your personality and that of your home. A warm color scheme, made up of red, orange, gold, and yellow tones, is exciting, happy, and cheerful. It draws the eye to the garden and makes it look smaller than it is. However, a warm color scheme also makes the garden seem hotter, so it would not be a good choice where temperatures are high in the summer, especially if the roses are planted near outdoor living areas.
Cool Colors
A cool color scheme, composed of violet, mauve, and purple, is soothing and refreshing. It is the best choice for a quiet garden meant for relaxing. It also makes a small garden look larger and is a good color scheme to use when you want to hide an eyesore because it does not draw attention to itself. Although they are technically not cool colors, whites, pastel yellows, and light pinks also have this same low-key effect.
For more details refer to my Manual “Rose Secrets Revealed” at http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com

Bed Preparation For Roses

2005-08-12T04:43:00.000-04:00

Site Selection and Bed Preparation: "Roses are tolerant of most soil types. However, they do better in a relatively fertile soil high in organic matter. Applying 2-4 inches of organic matter over the bed prior to tilling will help to improve the tilth of the soil. For each bushel of organic matter, add about 1/2 pound of superphosphate to the soil. A soil pH of 6.0-7.0 is preferred by roses. If possible, prepare planting beds as early as you can to allow the soil to settle. Bed preparation is a good time to address issues of nutrient and pH adjustments. It is absolutely necessary to prepare the bed before planting any plants."

Pruning Roses

2005-08-12T04:42:00.000-04:00

Pruning Roses: "The pruning of rose bushes can be confusing, especially when you start talking about hybrid teas, old garden roses, shrub roses, once-blooming roses, and English roses. This confusion leads to doubt and improper pruning or no pruning.
The class of rose and the time of year it blooms influence the type and amount of pruning. General pruning principles apply to all roses, but there are differences between classes. The closer one gets to species roses the less severe the pruning. Hybrid teas have the distinction of requiring the most severe pruning for optimum bloom and plant health.
Because of the variety of rose types available, one may need to have an understanding of how the rose flowers. Pruning should also be looked at as applying a few common sense principles to accomplish several tasks. These tasks are to remove dead, damaged, or diseased wood; increase air circulation; keep the shrub from becoming a tangled mess; shape the plant; and encourage the growth of flowering wood."

Ways to Buy Roses

2005-08-12T04:41:00.000-04:00

Ways to Buy Roses: "Rose plants can be purchased locally through garden centers and other retail outlets or by mail. Keep in mind that local outlets can offer the gardener flexibility but may not have a wide selection; mail order tends to offer a wide selection but the flexibility as to when plants need to be purchased is limited. Plants bought locally are sold either bare-root or potted. Mail order plants are almost always sold bare-root. Which is better? When ordered or bought from a reputable dealer, both are good, and it's just a matter of preference. Many older roses are only available bare root through specialty mail order nurseries."

Feeding & Caring For Roses

2005-08-10T23:14:00.000-04:00

How Much Time Am I Willing To Give My Rose?

2005-08-10T23:13:00.001-04:00

Rose Gardening - The Helpful Gardener: "How much time and care am I willing to give my rose?
This is a biggy. Sure you want to grow old-fashioned bourbon roses �cause Martha said they�re neat, but once a week for ten minutes is probably going to make you unhappy with your results (and your rose will be even unhappier). A lot of the old fashioned roses offer great fragrance and beautiful flowers, but these are the roses that made people think that roses are high maintenance and they ARE. If daily deadheading and regular spraying sound like fun I�m the first to say have at it. Simply be realistic with the amount of effort you are going to put in. If it�s less than pet plants you�re looking for (i.e., daily care) there is probably a close alternative that will work. Nowadays there are roses for those of us who don�t want to do anything to our roses, and they are darn good plants�"

What Do I Want This Rose To Do For Me?

2005-08-10T23:13:00.000-04:00

Rose Gardening - The Helpful Gardener: "What do I want this rose to do for me?
This is the primary question to ask yourself when choosing a rose. It makes no sense to look at climbing roses if what we want is a fragrant ground cover. I find actually sitting down and writing out a list can help keep me focused and reasonable in my expectations. If at the end of your list writing it turns out that you want a fragrant, low maintenance groundcover that grows in the shade, blooms all year, never needs pruning and doubles as a weekend baby sitter, perhaps you need to look at the wonderful selections of plastics and silks available today! But a realistic assessment of your needs will almost certainly find a rose for your situation."

Disbudding Roses for Better Blooms

2005-08-09T20:45:00.000-04:00

Disbudding Roses for Better Blooms: "Disbudding is the early removal of bloom buds. This practice allows the rose to send nutrients to the buds that remain. The result is a more fashionable, larger rose � one more suitable for display.
On Hybrid Tea roses, you'll notice the terminal bud (the one on the very tip of the stem) is the first to form. Shortly after, secondary buds are formed around the terminal bud. Early removal of these secondary buds sends the rose's energy to the terminal bud, producing a larger bloom. The removal of these secondary buds should be done early in their development. It is easily done with the fingers or pair of tweezers.

On roses that produce multiple blooms, like those of Floribundas or Grandifloras, it is the terminal bud that is removed. On these roses, the terminal bud will open first. By the time surrounding blooms form, the terminal rose is almost fully blown. The result is a floral spray with a hole in the center. By removing this terminal bud early in its formation, the rose's energy goes toward those that remain. The result is a floral spray that is full � without the hole in the center.
If you're interested in displaying roses for competition or just producing a nice specimen for the dinner table, try disbudding a few of your roses. I think you'll be pleased with the results."

Aphid control, how to get rid of them.

2005-08-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

Aphid control, how to get rid of them. Greenfly and blackfly.: "Aphids are one of the commonest and most troublesome of all garden insects, attacking a large number of garden plants such as the rose, many trees and vegetables. Greenfly and blackfly suck the sap of the plant - they are particularly attracted to young tender shoots. This causes the shoots and leaves to become distorted. It is unlikely to kill the plant, but it can seriously weaken it, resulting in less flowers, leaves and fruit."

Honey Fungus. Identify and control

2005-08-09T19:58:00.001-04:00

Honey Fungus. Identify and control: "WHAT IS HONEY FUNGUS
As the name suggests Honey fungus is a fungus. It exists primarily on dead plant material, but can also become a parasite feeding on live plant and tree roots. It attacks a wide variety of plant life ranging from trees to bulbs.
HONEY FUNGUS AMAZING FACT
A mushroom colony can reach an enormous size and cover a very large area. Recently, a variety of the honey mushroom was identified in Oregon, USA which had colonized 880 hectares of wood in about 2300 years (and thereby killed a large number of trees) and it's weight exceeds that of any other living organism in the entire world!
IDENTIFYING HONEY FUNGUS
The first symptom you will probably notice with plants and trees affected by Honey Fungus is general ill-health. Leaves do not grow so well, are discoloured and fruit is small. Surprisingly, flowering plants may produce larger than normal flowers immediately before they die back completely. "

How to deal with Black Spot

2005-08-09T19:58:00.000-04:00

How to deal with Black Spot: "How to Identify and Treat Black Spot

A very common disease especially with roses. Black Spot can be identified, as the name suggests, by black or brown patches on the leaves. The spots are irregular in shape and often join together. The leaves turn yellow and fall off. If left untreated, it will strip the plant of all leaves, and after two or three seasons, kill the rose.
Treating Black Spot can be much more effective when you understand the life cycle of the disease. The disease starts in late Spring when Black Spot spores, which have over-wintered in the soil, are blown or splashed by rain onto the rose bush. When the weather warms up (especially if it is also damp), the disease spreads throughout the plant. The affected leaves die, fall onto the soil where they further re-infect the rose. Leaves which fall in Autumn stay on the soil, allowing the spores to over-winter in readiness to infect the plants again next Spring."

Rose Secrets Revealed Feedback

2005-08-09T05:39:00.000-04:00

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the great information on planning what rose colors will work best for the look I’m trying to achieve with my rose garden, this was invaluable for me. Then to find your complete list of the most fragrant roses to use was a “wow” factor as far as I’m concerned. I was able to work out which roses to suit my climate conditions too. I must say I was getting rather excited as I read on. By this stage, I was finding it hard to drag myself away to get dinner ready.
I was able to identify straight away from the great photo color illustrations exactly what bug it was that was damaging one of my favourite rose bushes, now I know how to prevent that he won't be eating my prized roses anymore.
Bambi I could go and on about the wonderful things I got from your manual but I really just wanted to thank you so very much. I have no doubt at all now that I will have the most beautiful roses I could ever have dreamed of now that I can apply all the information from your manual.
For more information visit http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com

ROSE SECRETS REVEALED!

2005-08-08T00:07:00.000-04:00

Pruning can be daunting if you're not sure how to do it correctly. Rose Secrets Revealed will have you pruning like a professional in no time.
Rose Disease and Pests can be a nightmare for Rose Gardeners but Rose Secrets Revealed will identify your disease or pest and tell you how to rid these from your Roses.
That is just the tip of the iceburg to all the fabulous secrets to the perfect Rose Garden.
Visit http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com now to check this comprehensive guide out.

Building A Raised Flower Bed In West Tennessee

2005-08-08T00:01:00.001-04:00

Building A Raised Flower Bed In West Tennessee: "Building The Bed

Timbers are nailed together using 6 inch landscaping spikes and a 4 pound hammer. The extra weight of the hammer compensates for the large nails. It is extremely important that you offset your timbers as shown in the illustration. This helps stabilize your bed by providing multiple points of attachment. Beds should be at least two timbers deep. They may be of any depth you choose, but a 3-timber depth is quite sufficient for hybrid teas.

Filling The Bed

Upon construction of the bed, you will need to fill it. Some people kill off or remove the existing grass, then use a tiller to till up the top few inches of soil, then till that into the soil mix they bring in. Since I do not have a tiller, I simply put down a layer of landscaping fabric, then put my soil mix on top of that. I buy a couple of commercial soil mixes and mix them together. I buy one yard of a mixture of clay, mulch and sand, then add one yard of Pro-Mix. At the company I purchase from, Pro-Mix is a blend of equal parts red sand, loam and pine bark. Upon mixing, this gives me a blend of sand for drainage, clay for moisture and nutrient retention and organic material (mulch and pine bark) for microorganisms. Two yards combined will easily fill a 16 x 4 bed. Upon getting my soil mix in, I add most of a bag of lime, about 1 cup of soil sulpher, 1/3 cup muriate of potash and copperas and 1-2 cups of superphosphate. Ideally, I like this bed to sit and age for a few weeks before planting, but I often plant the same day I complete a bed. "

Where To Put The Raised Rose Bed

2005-08-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

Building A Raised Flower Bed In West Tennessee: "Where To Put The Raised Bed?

Most of the modern roses flower continuously, which makes them heavy feeders. This means they need at least 6 hours of sunlight each day to perform well, extra fertilizer to keep them fed, and plenty of water. They should be planted well away from trees and shrubs because these will compete with roses for nutrients. While roses need lots of water, they like well-drained soil so their roots can breath. Raised beds aid in drainage, getting us around our problems with clay soils.

What To Build The Bed Of?

Beds can be constructed from a number of materials. Probably the most commonly used are landscaping timbers. These have several advantages: they are readily available throughout the year, are lightweight enough to be easily worked with, last several years, and are very affordable. Beds can also be made using lumber such as 2x6's or 2x 8's, concrete blocks, railroad ties, or some of the new landscaping stone designed for building walls and beds. Since the use of landscaping timbers is probably the most common choice, this is what we shall discuss.

What Size Should It Be?

To simplify matters, I always build my beds in 4-foot widths. This means I only have to make one cut for the 8-foot timbers. 4 feet is also a sufficient width in which to plant 2 rows of roses. Planting roses more than 2 rows deep is a nightmare. Spraying and feeding are difficult; pruning and deadheading are even more difficult. I also make my beds in increments of 8-foot lengths, thus avoiding extra cutting. Examples: 4' x 8', 4' x 16'"

Building A Raised Flower Bed In West Tennessee

2005-08-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Building A Raised Flower Bed In West Tennessee: "Why Build A Raised Rosebed?

So many people are intimidated at the thought of growing roses. We have all heard over the years how roses are impossible to grow; they are fussy and demanding, requiring constant attention. Although roses are indeed more demanding than many other plants you could choose, they are not the garden horror they have been made out to be. Roses do demand some care to perform at their best. However, much time and effort can be saved by starting off right before adding roses to your garden.

Rosarians throughout the country face challenges in growing their favorite plant. Very few areas have perfect soil for roses. The instructions that come with most roses tell us to dig a nice large hole, put some good soil in there, stand back and watch our roses grow. I believe this is a large part of why so many people have been so disappointed with roses. That advice just does not work for most areas. Some areas have to deal with soil that is almost totally sand. We have the opposite problem. Our soil has a very high clay content. In order to get the most enjoyment from our roses, we need to create planting beds. There are several options available to us.

I am going to focus on the building of raised beds for planting. I like raised beds because they are relatively simple to construct. They are also quickly assembled. With cooperative weather, a bed can easily be built and ready for planting within a day. Raised beds are also a good solution for the problem of growing roses. Finally depending upon your choice of materials, raised beds are very affordable to construct."

Diagnosing Rose Disease

2005-08-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

New Zealand Rose Information: "The symptoms of the important rose diseases are outlined in the following article. This will be of particular interest to the newer rosarians and others who may not be familiar with all these diseases.
Downy Mildew
Infected leaves develop purplish red to dark irregular spots. Leaflets often become yellow and drop prematurely resulting in a naked flower stem. Infected shoots may sometimes be killed. These symptoms may resemble a burn from fungicide or insecticide sprays, especially when the weather turns dry. The symptoms for downy mildew do not always appear as obvious as described. Sometimes the purple colour on the leaves does not occur; also the petals of flowers may not be infected.
Powdery Mildew
Symptoms of powdery mildew start as discrete patches of a white fungal growth on the leaf surfaces of young leaves. These become twisted and distorted and later can be completely covered with a powdery white growth. Older leaves may not be distorted but circular or irregular areas may be covered with growth of the mildew fungus. Mature leaves are not usually infected. Affected leaves can fall prematurely. The fungus may also attack flowers resulting in blooms of poor quality.
Black Spot
Symptoms of the black spot disease are characteristic black spots, 2 to 12mm in diameter, which develop on upper leaf surfaces. Leaf tissue surrounding these spots will turn yellow and later the leaf will drop off. On young canes raised, purple-red, irregular blotches develop. After time these spots become blackened and blistered."

Fertilizing

2005-08-07T23:57:00.000-04:00

Untitled Document: "When spring clean-up has been completed, fertilize established roses with granular fertilizer according to manufacturer's directions on fertilizer package, work into the soil and water well. Other alternative methods are available such as, water soluble fertilizers, organic fertilizers and compost. DO NOT fertilize newly planted roses until after their first bloom. Next application should be just before the peak of bloom (June), and a third application may be made in mid July. Later applications are not recommended as plants must ripen wood before winter sets in.
Suitable fertilizers include special rose food, those of 1-2-1 ratio, e.g.: 10-29-10, 5-10-8, 6-12-8 analysis.
Water at the rate of 8 litres (2gals) per plant once a week ( more in hot weather ), preferably applied at ground level. Do not water in the hot sun and make sure the foliage is dry by nightfall. "

Spring Maintenance & Pruning

2005-08-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

Untitled Document: "In late spring, when the soil has thawed and a hard freeze is no longer expected, carefully remove soil mounds from established plants so as not to damage any shoots that have begun growth.
Wash away the last of the soil from the centre of the bush with a gentle stream of water. Clear away any prunings and dead leaves left from last fall.
In the spring, newly planted roses should be cut back quite severely, leaving only three strong canes 10-12 cm (4-5 in) long. This encourages production of strong growth for a solid foundation. Established rose bushes are pruned after the soil mounds have been removed in the spring when canes show signs of growth usually April or when the forsynthia is in bloom in your area.
Cut out any dead or diseased shoots to ground level. Remove weak, twiggy and crossing shoots to their point of origin, leaving only 3-6 healthy canes of pencil thickness or better. Cut these back to live wood, as indicated by white pith. Pruning cuts are to be made with sharp shears, about 5mm above an outward facing bud."

Five Rose Garden Ideas

2005-08-07T08:17:00.000-04:00

� Five Rose Garden Ideas � Flower & Garden Articles, Tips and Information at Garden-Source.com: "If you�ve always shied away from growing roses because you believed their press, it�s time to put away your misconceptions. Far from being the finicky, pest-ridden creatures that they�re made out to be, roses are surprisingly easy to grow and maintain. Roses have five basic needs:
Plenty of sun! With very few exceptions, roses love the sun. Choose a spot for them that gets at least six full hours of sun per day, and they�ll reward you with beautiful, showy blooms.
Lots of Water! Roses are thirsty little critters, too. Plan on giving your rose garden a good daily drenching to supplement rain – and add a second if rain is scarce.
Control Pest-y Critters! Roses ARE prone to attract pesky bugs like Japanese beetles and aphids. There are all sorts of natural treatments if you object to a weekly-or-so spraying with a pesticide designed for roses. On the flip side – the only time that I saw major problems with infestations were my grandmother�s prize blue-blood strains. Hybrids and ramblers seem not to be bothered much at all."

Preventing Common Rose Disease

2005-08-07T08:14:00.000-04:00

Rose Gardens Galore - Rose Flowers, Rose Bushes, and Rose Gardening Care:
"1. The easiest way to prevent diseases from inhabiting your roses is to buy roses that are low maintenance like shrubs and landscape roses.
2. Planting your roses properly in areas that have a lot of sun (at least 6 hours in the morning), air circulation and good compost for faster draining can prevent many problems later.
3. Keeping different types of flowers and plants in with your roses will help to provide your roses with a better and more balanced ecosystem to live in.
4. Fertilize your plants in the proper manner. Roses need their food too! (see section on fertilizing for the best methods)
5. Watering your roses correctly and in the morning is a good way to keep fungal diseases from hitting your roses. (see section on watering for the best techniques)
6. A two inch layer of mulch at the base of your roses is a good way to keep soil born diseases at bay."

The Cut Flower Process

2005-08-07T08:12:00.001-04:00

Conditioners vs. Preservatives: "Step 1. The bloom stem is cut from the plant, and the stem is immediately re-cut under tap water, then transferred into a container of lukewarm water or solution.

Step 2. The bloom stem stands in lukewarm water or solution for a period of time (say, 30 to 60 minutes) to maximize uptake of water. This is the conditioning period.

Step 3. The bloom stem is refrigerated, standing in water or solution, for a period of time (say, one to two hours) to slow the transpiration rate to a minimum. This is the hardening period.

Step 4. The bloom stem continues in refrigeration, standing in water or solution, until it is needed for display. This is the cold storage period.

Step 5. The bloom stem is removed from cold storage, and transported and/or used for display. In either case, it will slowly warm up to room temperature during this period.

Now, the question arises: which solution is appropriate for which time period? In general, a floral preservative (cut flower food) can be used for all five periods, but a conditioning solution (Chrysal RVB) can only be used for Steps 1 thorough 4. "

Conditioning & Arranging Roses

2005-08-07T08:12:00.000-04:00

Conditioning & Arranging Roses: "Do you want to know how to keep your cut roses looking good longer than you ever thought possible? Here is what you do.

Sugar-Clorox� Mix

Prepare a Sugar-Clorox Mix by putting one-half cup granulated sugar and two teaspoons of Clorox in a two-gallon pail of warm (not hot) water. This is your Sugar-Clorox Mix, which is basic to the longevity of the roses. The sugar keeps the roses developing and the Clorox prevents bacteria from forming and clouding the water.

Cut Late Afternoon

The best time to cut roses is in the late afternoon. The sugars that 'feed' the blooms, which keep them erect and opening slowly, are produced early during the day and accumulate in the stems. If picked early in the day these sugars are in the plant roots and are not available to the blooms. It is helpful, when cutting roses, to water well the day before. "

Miniature Rose Hall of Fame

2005-08-07T08:11:00.000-04:00

Miniature Rose Hall of Fame: "Staying power - that's what the ARS Miniature Rose Hall of Fame is all about. To be eligible for nomination to the Hall of Fame, a miniature rose must have been, and continue to be, in commerce for 20 or more years.
The election process begins with the nomination of suitable miniature rose candidates from the ARS general membership. After the nominations are tallied, the results are put before the Award of Excellence Committee for possible Miniature Hall of Fame selection. Results of this process have been announced each year since 1999 at the ARS All-Miniature Conference and Rose Show. "

Make sure you click the link to see the pictures.

Protecting Roses In The Heat Wave

2005-08-07T02:19:00.000-04:00

Rocky Mountain News: Home & Garden: "Protecting roses from the heat wave
By Dale Langford, Special to the News
August 6, 2005
The recent extreme summer heat has taken its toll on many plants, including roses. So, what can we do about it? Listed below are a number of proven steps that can save the day.
Feeding: Apply a final feeding to carry them through the rest of the season, but feed carefully to avoid late stimulation of new growth that might increase winter damage. Typical complete food formulas for side dressing or root feeding are in the 5-10-5 or 6-10-4 categories. "

Rose Garden Challenge

2005-08-06T01:59:00.000-04:00

Article Search Engine: GoArticles.com: "Rose gardening can be a challenging exercise but you don't have to be an expert to grow roses. Roses are grown successfully in gardens in nearly every different type of climate and environmental condition. Coming in a rainbow of colors and thousands of different modern-day varieties, roses offer a wonderful array of choices to followers of this beloved rose gardening pastime.
Rose gardening is special, though there are numerous recipes for cultivating the perfect rose garden, with even just a few of the basics such as sunshine, water and fertilizer, a rose garden can thrive in any climate. By adapting the following rose gardening tips to your specific needs, you can maintain a lush and lively rose garden.
Before you plant
Be sure your roses will be in an optimum location where they will receive at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, preferably morning sunshine.
Provide your roses with ample space to grow by digging a hole that is at least two-feet wide and two-feet deep. Add potting soil or organic compost for nutrients.
Keep roses moist by watering diligently for several weeks once you have planted them.
Help your rose garden to flourish
Monitor the pH levels in the soil as roses generally prosper at a pH of about 6.5.
Fertilize in the spring when roses begin to leaf out and continue regularly until just before the arrival of winter frosts.
Remove dead flower heads occasionally to instigate new bloom growth.
Prune your roses at least once per year. With new plants, prune after the first blooming period is over. For older plants, pruning after the winter will help to begin rejuvenation and new growth. In colder climates you may also want to prune just after the first frosts to p"

Beginners Guide To Growing Beautiful Roses

2005-08-06T01:58:00.000-04:00

Beginners Guide To Growing Beautiful Roses: "Roses have always been a symbol of peace, love, friendship, and even death to all who see them. For centuries, roses have come to characterize great taste and eternity during events such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. They are always the flower of choice when someone is hoping to create a bond with another.
anyone can purchase roses in a gift shop or florist, but it takes a special person to want to grow their own roses. There are too many types of roses to list them all here, but this manual will be your comprehensive guide to planting and caring for your very own roses. By using this website you will learn to:

� Plant your own roses
� Caring for your roses
� Pruning your roses properly
� Tips on arranging your rose bouquet
� Tips on drying roses
� How to use roses as gifts
� How to fertilize your roses
� How to water your roses properly
� How to prevent diseases in your roses
� How to treat diseases that your roses get infected with
� How to revive dead roses
� How to choose the best roses for your garden

That is a lot of stuff to learn by reading one simple manual, but this one has it all. By the time you have finished reading this, you will be prepared to add the beauty of roses to your garden."

Easy Care Roses

2005-08-06T01:56:00.000-04:00

Easy Care Roses: "If you love roses, but dread spraying and pruning every spring, try some easy care roses. With two-thirds of an acre to tend, I stopped growing high-maintenance hybrid teas and turned to rugosas and hybrid musks--they�re much easier and very satisfying alternatives.
Rugosas and musks bloom on old wood, so there�s no need to prune the canes each year to generate new branches. Just cut out dead wood -- canes that are dark brown or gray -- and trim away occasional branches that clog the inside of the plant, to promote good air circulation.
With very few exceptions, hybrid musks and rugosas are free of black spot, rust and powdery mildew. They bloom repeatedly through the spring and summer, and many are fragrant. Between the two groups you�ll find diverse enough heights, shapes and colors to meet all your needs. "

Summer Rose Care

2005-08-06T01:55:00.000-04:00

Summer Rose Care: "Roses are popular flowering plants in gardens throughout the United States. To achieve best results, roses must be given proper care during the summer months.
Watering
Roses will require watering during hot, dry weather. The actual amount and frequency depends upon weather conditions and soil type. In most garden situations, a deep soaking about every two weeks should be sufficient. The soil should be soaked to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Apply the water directly to the soil. Over-head watering wets the foliage and may increase disease problems. If overhead watering is unavoidable, the best time to water is during the morning. This allows the foliage to dry quickly.
A mulch around the roses will help to conserve soil moisture and also help to control weeds. Possible mulches include wood chips, shredded bark, pine needles, and cocoa bean hulls. Spread 2 to 4 inches of mulch around the base of each plant or over the entire bed.
Fertilizing
To encourage healthy, vigorous growth and abundant bloom, roses should be fertilized three times a year. The first application should be in early spring immediately after pruning. The second application should be made during the first bloom period. The third application should be made in mid to late July. Do not fertilize after July 31. Later fertilization may produce succulent new growth which may not harden sufficiently before winter. A general purpose fertilizer, such as 5-10-5 or 10-10-10, should produce excellent results. Thoroughly water the roses after fertilization."

ROSE DISEASE PROBLEMS

2005-08-06T01:54:00.000-04:00

ROSE DISEASE PROBLEMS: "Bacterial leaf spot causes dark brown sunken spots on
the leaf and flower stalks. The flower buds die without
opening. The disease is worse in spring. Cut out and
destroy infected plant parts.
Crown gall causes formation of roundish galls (Vis. 5) with
irregular rough surfaces. Galls above ground level should
be pruned off and destroyed. Galls on the plant crown are
not easily pruned off so destroy the whole plant. Avoid
infested soil.
Rose anthracnose causes purplish brown, circular, one-half
inch leaf spots. The center of the spot turns gray and
drops out. Black spot sprays generally control this
disease.
Black spot causes black spots (Vis. 1) on the leaves. The
leaves turn yellow (Vis. 2) and drop. Remove and destroy
fallen infected leaves.
Botrytis blight causes flower buds to turn brown and
decay. The petals of unopened flower buds (Vis. 3) are
easily lifted off the stem. Infected blooms may eventually
be covered by a gray mold (Vis. 4). Remove old flowers as
they fade.
Powdery mildew causes upward curling of young leaves
and makes a white, powdery coating (Vis. 6) on the leaves.
Brand canker develops while plants are under winter
protection. Infected roses have a black sooty appearance
when uncovered in the spring. This disease is sporadic
and does not directly affect the blossoms or leaves.
Destroy infected canes.
Brown canker causes cankers with light chestnut brown
centers and deep purple margins. Small flecks and purple
spots form on the leaves. This disease attacks canes
while the roses are under winter protection. Brown canker
may be worse on bushes hilled with soil.
Common stem canker gains entrance thr"

Rose Pruning Tips

2005-08-06T01:53:00.000-04:00

Rose Pruning Tips: "Canes are cut back to three or four buds from the base or bud union. This leaves short sturdy canes of about 4 to 5 inches long.
Hard pruning is recommended for newly planted bush roses of the hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda tribes. Hard pruning is often used by growers to produce show blooms for exhibition.
This method is not good for established garden roses and should not be practiced. It can still be used to rejuvenated sickly plants and neglected ones, but hard pruning is no longer accepted as correct pruning.
Moderate or Medium Pruning
Canes are cut back to about half of their length. Weaker stems are cut back more depending on their location on the bush.
Moderate pruning is the accepted method for treatment of established garden roses. Floribundas, hybrid teas, grandifloras, and tree roses all respond best to this pruning practice. If the roses are fed well, you can expect show quality roses on beautifully shaped bushes.
Light or High/Long Pruning
Canes are cut back to about two thirds of their length. This means that after removal of unwanted wood the remaining stems are merely tipped.
Light pruning is not generally recommended as it will produce spindly bushes and if practiced year after year will result in an early blooming bush with poor quality flowers. "

When To Cut Roses

2005-08-05T00:49:00.000-04:00

In general, the more petals a rose has the slower it will open and the longer it will last. So, the best roses to use as cut flowers are the fully double varieties. Flowers with fewer petals open quickly and need to be replaced more often. Old garden and shrub roses generally wilt rapidly because their petals lack the substance (thickness and sturdiness) of modern roses and therefore don’t make good cut flowers.
In addition to the form of a rose, you should consider its blooming stage. A rose will last longer if it is cut when the sepals have separated from the bud and have turned downward, and when the bud has softened but before the stamens are visible. If you squeeze the bud and it is still hard, wait a day or two before cutting it or it may not open after it is cut.
Roses should be cut from a well-watered plant, late in the afternoon when the sugar and nutrient content of the plant is highest. This provides the bloom with ample energy to develop and open normally, and to stay open longer without wilting. During hot weather, when there is chance that a flower may be dehydrated by late afternoon, water the plant well several hours before cutting.

Leaves On Roses

2005-08-05T00:48:00.000-04:00

Roses have compound leaves which are made up of several leaflets. Most modern roses have five-leaflet leaves except in the area near the flower, where three-leaflet leaves usually appear instead. Old garden roses may have seven, nine, or even more leaflets. The top leaflet, called the terminal leaflet, is attached to the rest by a small stem known as a petiole; the other leaflets have stalks known as petiolules. The leaf’s base has a wing-like appendage known as the stipule; the tip of the stipule is called the auricle.
New stem growth starts from a bud eye in the leaf axil, the point at which a leaf joins the stem. The part of the stem between the highest leaf and the flower is known as the peduncle, also referred to as the neck. Peduncles are generally thornless and soft-wooded, and vary in length and thickness depending upon the variety. Often, a small leaf-like structure known as a bract appears partway down the peduncle.

Canes & Stems Of Roses

2005-08-05T00:44:00.000-04:00

The main branches of rosebushes are known as canes. These arise from the crown, the point where the branches are joined to the root shank. (On roses that have been budded [grafted] to more vigorous root systems, the point where the canes are grafted to the roots is called the bud union; the bud union functions as the crown.) A new cane that arises from the crown or the bud union is often called a basal break.
Stems are growths emanating from the canes and terminating in flowers. Roses produce stems of differing lengths, depending on their class. For example, most hybrid teas have longer-than-average stems, making them good cut flowers.
Both canes and stems are usually covered by red or green thorns (also known as prickles), although some roses are thornless. Thorns vary in size, shape, and number. They can be so distinctive that they alone can be used to identify certain roses.
http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com

Rose Secrets Revealed.....GUARANTED!

2005-08-04T04:08:00.000-04:00

Rose Secrets Revealed.....GUARANTED!: "If you�re sick and tired of surfing around the internet trying to pick up little bits of information here and there, or buying that monthly magazine hoping it addresses your Rose concern �Well Stop� it�s all here, in one place. Did you know�
There is more to Roses than you might have first thought. To be more precise there is more to the Roses themselves, than you would ever have considered. Let me explain�
�Understanding The Correct Conditions Roses Require Is The Key To Successful Roses.�
I was so fed up with buying beautiful Roses bringing them home, planting them in my garden bed only to watch with disgust as they would deteriorate and die. I would watch as black spots would appear on the leaves and I'd spray madly but still no improvement. I would feed my Roses, prune them, but it didn't matter what I did, I couldn't get it right. And then....
I would find everything I could on Roses and try to figure it out, I couldn't even understand half of what I was reading because it assumed I already knew so much, when I didn't. So I got fed up with all the jargon and tried to find an easy plain english guide I could follow. And I did.........
Did you know that there is a correct way to choose a Rose to buy? Did you know that you can actually buy a Rose to suit your climate conditions? Did you know that you can recognize pests and disease and eliminate them? Did you know that there is a special way to prepare the soil before planting? Imagine knowing all these secrets� "

Just Because I Like To See The Roses

2005-08-04T00:06:00.000-04:00

Rose Grades

2005-08-04T00:04:00.000-04:00

Rose Grades: "Grafted roses are sold based upon American Nursery Standards grades 1,
1 1/2, and 2. Plants that are sold as own-root are not graded, so there is no real clear-cut standard. Size can vary from source to source.

Standard Rose Grades

Grade 1 plants have three or more canes that are about 3/4 of an inch in diameter and have no more than 3-4 inches between the graft union and the top of the roots. They also have a large, well-developed root system. Grade 1 plants must be 2 years old when harvested from the field. These are generally premium-priced rose plants. Grade 1 1/2 roses have two strong canes and with care will catch up to Grade 1 roses. Grade 2 roses are the 'bargain' or 'cheap' roses. They are often plants with very small canes, often substandard, and are usually not worth the extra effort required to nurse them along. It is usually better to buy several Grade 1 roses each year than a dozen inferior plants that may never result in good garden specimens."

Selecting Budded and Own-root Roses

2005-08-04T00:03:00.000-04:00

Selecting Budded and Own-root Roses: "Roses are propagated commercially in one of two ways. The most common method is to take a bud from a desired cultivar and graft it onto a species rose rootstock. Rootstocks used are often Rosa multiflora, Rosa canna, or Rosa laxa. These are selected because of their ability to produce vigorous root systems. The place where the cultivar and rootstock are joined becomes distinctively swollen. This is referred to as the bud union or 'nob.' All canes of the cultivar come from the bud union.
From a gardener's point of view, this produces a rose that tends to have a better root system. From a nurseryman's point of view, budding results in plants that reach the market quicker. Less time is spent in the production fields. "

The A to Z of Everything Roses

2005-08-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

Do yourself a favour and get hold of a copy of this great Guide, everything you could ever possibly need to know about Roses is all here.

Including how to buy a rose, controlling pests and disease, the history of roses, shade tolerant roses, roses to suit your climate, the soil requirements, pruning, transplanting, feeding, watering, deadheading, cuttings, propogation, and so much more.........

Highly recommended resource.

Why Won't My Rose Bloom

2005-08-02T23:21:00.001-04:00

Frequently Asked Questions about Roses: "Here are some of the reasons that roses don't bloom.
The rose plant is not getting enough sun. Roses need at least 6 hours of direct sun a day to perform well.
The rose needs more water. Roses like at least an inch of water per week during the growing season.
The plant has been given too much fertilizer, especially Nitrogen. Too much fertilizer can either damage the plant or cause it to grow extra leaves and stems at the expense of blooms.
The rose is a new plant. Don't expect too much from a plant during its first year.
Rose is a once blooming variety. This means it will bloom only once a year in the late spring or early summer.
Soil pH is too low or too high. If the pH is not in the range of 6.0 to 6.8 (ideally 6.5) then nutrient uptake will be reduced, and the plant won't be getting the food it needs to produce flowers.
Not enough foliage. If the bush doesn't have adequate foliage, it can't produce the food it needs to make new flowers. Inadequate foliage may result from disease or too little fertilizer. "

List of Fragrant Roses

2005-08-02T23:21:00.000-04:00

Frequently Asked Questions about Roses: "Here is a list of some very fragrant roses as recommended by posts to the newsgroup rec.gardens.roses.
HT: Double Delight (mentioned most often), spicey, red-white bicolor
HT: Fragrant Cloud, reddish-orange
HT: Mr. Lincoln, dark red
HT: Crimson Glory, red
HT: Chrysler Imperial, red
HT: Papa Meilland, dark red
HT: Perfume Delight, pink
HT: Secret
ER: Gertrude Jekyll, pink
ER: Othello, dark red
Alba: Felicite Parmentier, once-blooming
Damask: Mme. Hardy, white, once-blooming
Tea: Sombreuil, cream-white
Bourbon: Souvenir de la Malmasion
HP: Souvenir du Dr Jamain "

Deadheading Roses

2005-08-02T23:20:00.000-04:00

Frequently Asked Questions about Roses: "Deadheading is cutting off flowers as they wither or don't look as good. Old blooms left on the plant may have been pollinated and may begin to form seed pods (hips). The formation of hips requires a lot of energy from the plant and slows flower production. By preventing the formation of hips, deadheading encourages the rose bush to grow new flowers.
The choice of which spot to deadhead at is influenced by what shape you want the bush to take, and which direction you want a particular cane to grow. Usually, you will want to cut the stem at a 45-degree angle just above an outward-facing leaf. Make sure the high side of the cut is the side the leaf set is on.
To deadhead, remove the flower by making a diagonal cut just above the next 5 or 7-leaf branch down on the stem. The idea is to cut to a bud eye capable of producing a healthy cane. If this would cause too much of the cane to be removed, a 3-leaf branch can be chosen instead. The first year cut back to the first 3 or 5-leaf branch. In following years cut far enough down to get to a 5-leaf branch with a leaf bud that is facing outward. This will open up the plant.
Once blooming roses do not need to be deadheaded. They bloom once and then they are finished blooming for the year. However, once-blooming roses may be (in fact, should be) pruned after they are finished blooming. They should NOT be pruned in the fall or before they bloom because they bloom on the previous year's growth.
Stop deadheading as of September 1 in zones 4 and 5. It is a good practice to let the last roses on HT's produce hips because it makes them more frost hardy. It causes the plant to undergo chemical changes that slow down growth, inhibit blooming and generally prepare for dormancy by focusing its energy on 'hardening' the canes. The formation of hips te"

Modern Roses

2005-08-02T23:19:00.000-04:00

Modern Roses: "The early crosses between Teas and Hybrid Perpetuals, Chinas and Bourbons, Gallicas and Albas brought us the culmination in the 1840's of the hybridizing efforts of the Victorian plant breeders--the Hybrid Perpetuals, the darlings of the Victorian garden. These crosses combined the balance, elegance and perpetual flowering characteristics of the tender Teas and Chinas with the robustness and profuse flowering characteristics of the European roses, themselves products of crosses between Portlands, Chinas, Damasks, Gallicas and Bourbons.
Intense competitions sprang up between various rose breeders and garden factions and the idea of rose shows and exhibiting one rose against another took hold. Regulatory bodies were formed to set forth form and procedure for these competitions, and a 'competition standard' for each type of rose was soon forthcoming.
Breeding experiments continued in the search for a hardier repeat-blooming rose and the search for an intense yellow color in the large-flowered roses. Alas for the Modern Roses--although many admirable characteristics can be found in the genes passed on by the older roses, various weaknesses and susceptibilities were also bred into the new roses. Some traits predominate, some are masked. If you look at a modern rosebush today, you will see traces of its ancestry in the way the leaflets set on the stem, the curve and color of the prickles, leaf color and shape, the habit of growth (tall and lanky like some of the Damasks, squat and very shrubby like the Rugosas), even the 'signature' of its fragrance--lemony, citrine, 'old rose' and damp tea. As with all hybrids, some are extremely tough and enduring, some are fragile and weak. They grow, they bloom, they make us happy.
We don't apologize for the way Modern Roses have turned out--they are children "

Powdery Mildew

2005-08-02T23:16:00.000-04:00

The Herban Goddess: "For all of you who don�t know what this natural predator of the rose looks like, a brief description is in order. Powdery Mildew appears like a thin, silver-white frosting on the leaf. You can�t rub it off. It disfigures the leaf by eating away at the pulp and leaving the veins intact.
Powdery Mildew over-winters, and jumps from plant to plant in an infected landscape. In my yard it seems to start first on lilacs, moving to Shasta daisies and coreopsis, finally landing on the rose.
I start treating for this fungus very early in the season. Even before I feed with Bayer�s All in One food, systemic insecticide and fungicide, I spray my lilacs, daisies, coreopsis and roses with any of the topical fungicides available on the market.
Since springtime in Colorado can bring anything from draught to torrential rain to blizzard conditions, and since temperatures in spring can go from cold to mild to warm and back to cold, all within the space of a day, I think it is prudent to treat the above-mentioned plants well before time to feed. Powdery Mildew gestates from spore to infection in wet, warm to cool conditions. This is one of the reasons why lilacs, roses and some other shrubs should be watered at their base and not overhead where the leaves will be left wet. However, a few days of cool to warm rain will undo the most careful gardener�s scrupulous watering routine.
Should you notice the frosting on any plant, quickly remove the effected leaves and place them in the trash (don�t drop them on the ground). Clippers and hands should be washed with antibacterial soap and hot water then rubbed with alcohol before touching another plant. The risk factor for susceptible plants can�t be overstated. "

Early Rose Development

2005-08-02T05:31:00.000-04:00

An exert from the "Rose Secrets Revealed" Guide:
The rose apparently originated in central Asia about 60 million to 70 million years ago and then spread over the entire Northern Hemisphere. Early civilizations, including the Egyptians, Chinese, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans, appreciated roses and grew them widely as long as 5,000 years ago.
Researchers discovered paintings of roses on a tomb wall of Thutmose IV, who died in the 14th century B.C. References to the rose have been deciphered from hieroglyphics.
In 1888 while excavating Egyptian tombs the archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie found the remains of roses used to make a funeral wreath in the second century A.D. He identified the rose as Rosa richardii, a cross between Rosa gallica and Rosa Phoenicia — also known as St. John’s Rose. The petals, although shriveled, had retained their pink color and amazingly, when soaked in water, were restored to a nearly lifelike state.
About 500 B.C. Confucius wrote about roses growing in the Imperial Gardens and noted that the library of the Chinese emperor contained hundreds of books on the subject. Legend has it that the rose gardeners of the Han dynasty (207 B.C. - 220 A.D.) were so obsessed with this flower that their parks threatened to engulf land needed for producing food until the emperor ordered some rose gardens plowed under. Few records of the rose’s evolution in Asia survive, although references do occur in Asian literature and art.

ROSE DISEASE PROBLEMS

2005-08-02T03:46:00.000-04:00

Feeding Roses

2005-08-02T03:44:00.000-04:00

Feeding Roses: "The standard practice is to apply a small handful of powdered rose feed around each plant and hoe in slightly after pruning in March - April (After the winter frosts). Repeat this in June - July, but no later as this may result in the production of frost sensitive growth.
Hunger signs can include premature petal fall or small, poor quality flowers. Pale or discoloured leaves or small leaves with scorched leaf edges are other signs. If your rose is consistently showing signs of disease or any stunted growth or weak stems, this may be cured by a good rose feed.
We recommend a rose food called 'Bio Toprose', available from our garden centre, although there are many rose feeds on the market that will do the job just as well.
With a little additional attention, flowering performance can be vastly improved. Roses respond to regular watering and liquid feeding. Dead heading after flowering will encourage rapid repeat blooms."

Radio News Features: Summer rose tips: Black spot: A scourge of urban roses

2005-08-02T03:18:00.000-04:00

Radio News Features: Summer rose tips: Black spot: A scourge of urban roses: "Radio News Feature
Summer rose tips (part 2 of 2): Black spot: A scourge of urban roses
(Listen also to part 1 )
Robert Singleton talks with UC Riverside urban horticulture expert Dennis Pittenger.

Running time (min:sec): 1:00
Copyright � 2002 Regents of the University of California
Permission is granted for rebroadcast of this piece, either edited or in its entirety.
Announcer's tag: A recurring plant disease problem could again surface at any time in California's urban rose gardens. Robert Singleton has more from the University of California.
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Download (broadcast-quality audio): To save a 22KHz 16-bit mono WAVE file of this story to your computer, PC users right-click the WAVE link below (Mac users click and hold) and then choose 'Save Link As...' from the pop-up menu."

CLICK THE HEADING TO GO AND HEAR THIS AUDIO.

Changing the pH of Your Soil

2005-08-02T03:17:00.000-04:00

Changing the pH of Your Soil: "The soil pH value is a measure of soil acidity or alkalinity. Soil pH directly affects nutrient availability. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 as neutral. Numbers less than 7 indicate acidity while numbers greater than 7 indicate alkalinity.
The pH value of soil is one of a number of environmental conditions that affects the quality of plant growth. The soil pH value directly affects nutrient availability. Plants thrive best in different soil pH ranges. Azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries and conifers thrive best in acid soils (pH 5.0 to 5.5). Vegetables, grasses and most ornamentals do best in slightly acidic soils (pH 5.8 to 6.5). Soil pH values above or below these ranges may result in less vigorous growth and nutrient deficiencies."

August Rose Tips

2005-08-02T03:15:00.000-04:00

Rose Tips - August 2002: "Even though we think of August as a high point of summer, it is time to fertilize the roses for the third and final time this growing season. Roses should be fertilized during August, but NO LATER than this weekend (August 16-18) as roses need to start their dormancy period.
Dig a shallow circular trench around each rose bush and apply an 8 oz. cup of 13-13-13 fertilizer. Water in thoroughly. When you have completed your fertilizing and watering go back and water again - one gallon per bush. Cover the shallow trench by hand.
Fertilize miniature roses no more than a 4 oz. cup of 13-13-13. Always water thoroughly. They do not require as much fertilizer and you do not want to burn the roots. When you apply 13-13-13 fertilizer you get a rapid availability of nutrients to the roots of your roses. If your roses show foliage as pale green color, weak spindly stems, small flowers--starting at the bottom of the plant, the rose bush may be deficient in nitrogen. Nitrogen, the first number, is necessary for plant cell growth and plant respiration (breathing).
If your rose bush looked healthy last week and you suddenly noticed a cane with wilted leaves, in all probability it is a canker disease. If the cane is dark in color (as opposed to green) you should cut the canker cane out from the rose bush. Go down to the part of the cane where it is green to make the cut. In some cases this could be all the way to the soil area. Canker is usually caused by damage to a rose cane."

Growing Roses in a Greenhouse

2005-08-01T22:57:00.000-04:00

Growing Roses in a Greenhouse: "You can indeed grow roses in a greenhouse. The allure of year-round roses is hard to resist. There are some pluses & minuses, usually depending on how you look at the situation. A greenhouse gives you more control over a 'crop,' but you also have to pay more attention to control over a 'crop.' Greenhouse growing is not as forgiving as outdoor growing because you are in charge of an artificial environment. Go out of town for a week, and disaster can strike. Greenhouse growing is a separate hobby, with different gardening habits and behaviors.
I have successfully grown cuttings and got an early start on the season in a greenhouse. At this time, I have two greenhouses: one that I heat to 45 degrees F for wintering over geraniums, carrying over cuttings, and to bring cymbidium orchids into bloom. I have a second greenhouse that I don�t heat, for protecting potted roses (Our lowest winter temps are usually low 20�s for a few days)."

Birds and Your Roses

2005-08-01T22:54:00.000-04:00

Maine Rose Society: Rose Articles: "About the last week of May and the first week of June I started to notice a problem with some of the buds on my roses. It appeared like some types of insects were eating the sepals. About a week or so before I started noticing the problems with the buds I had mulched the rose beds with some two-year-old shredded decomposed leaves. MY first thoughts were that some insects or caterpillars came from the compost. I started examining the sepals and it appeared that they were being eaten horizontally. Sometimes one or two sepals were cut across, sometimes halfway around the bud, sometimes all the way around the bud. After examining them for a couple of weeks I came to the conclusion that the sepals were not being eaten, but being cut off somehow. I contacted my friend, John Mattia in Orange, CT., and described my problem. He said that he had a similar condition but not as bad as mine. I had more than 100 buds with this condition. John contacted Baldo, the bug man, (Baldo Villegas) an entomologist for the State of California and e-mailed some pictures of his damage. Baldo could not give any definitive answer to what was causing it. One morning I was looking out the kitchen window and saw a male gold finch destroying the rose buds. He would perch on top of the bud; pick the top of the bud between his feet, and then jump down on the brace and start pulling the sepals down from the top. Sometimes they would break off part way down and sometimes they would break off at the base. I watched him for about five minutes and he jumped around on about a dozen buds and did the same thing. I put up some of my rose bloom protectors throughout the beds and it did discourage the bird some. When the buds did open they looked like they had a severe case of the thrip. About a month later there was a picture in the local daily newspaper showing a male gold finch playing "

Corn Gluten Meal for Crabgrass Control

2005-08-01T22:52:00.000-04:00

Corn Gluten Meal for Crabgrass Control: "The idea of using corn gluten meal for weed control burst on the scene in the early 1990's after Dr. Nick Christians at Iowa State accidentally discovered its herbicidal properties while he was testing it for suppression of turf diseases. After several years of efficacy studies and product development, corn gluten meal has gained national attention as being the first effective 'organic' herbicide. Corn gluten meal is not a registered pesticide because the U.S. EPA has granted an exemption for corn gluten meal as an herbicide.
Corn gluten meal is a product of the wet milling process. It is a pre-emergent herbicide which inhibits root formation during germination. It is currently labeled for control of crabgrass, barnyardgrass, foxtails (Setaria spp.), dandelion, lambsquarters, pigweed, purslane and smartweed. Data suggest it has at least some activity on an even wider variety of plants. It is safe to use on established turf. Do not use corn gluten meal in an area in which you are trying to establish turfgrass. "

Tips On Pruning Roses

2005-08-01T07:33:00.000-04:00

Pruning: "One of the most needed and the most annoyingly difficult tasks that goes with proper roses care is pruning rose bushes. It takes a steady hand and the proper procedure to ensure the best possible roses that you can get. Basically the act of getting rid of dead and damaged pieces, and teaching the new growth to grow in the correct outward facing direction is what pruning rose bushes is all about.

This just means that you are training them to grow facing the outside of the shrub or bush. This gives your roses the correct amount of circulating air to thrive in. Here is a list of the proper techniques to guide through the process of pruning rose bushes.

First of all you got to * Soak your pruning shears in equal parts of water and bleach. This will help to protect your roses from diseases and insects.

�Pruning in the early spring, just after the snow melts is best. However you want to do it before any new growth appears. The best time would be when the buds are swelled, or red.

�Hand shears are the best tool for pruning the smaller branches. (about 4 � inches thick) Loppers are best for the branches that are thicker or the thickness of a pencil. This will make it easier. You should use a heavy pair of rose gloves to avoid the thorns."

Facts on Growing Roses

2005-08-01T07:32:00.000-04:00

Grow and Enjoy Your Own Roses: "Here are three essential keys to growing knockout roses, or any type of rose for that matter. First of all you need some morning sun, because it will help dry off the dew. Any rose that stays damp for too long, will eventually turn ugly with diseases. Now, the second essential component in growing knockout roses is air circulation,

Yes, in order to give proper care for their leaves, you will have to plant your shrubs where breezes will blow through them and dry them, and you got to prune them to keep their branches from blocking airflow."

Roses of Excellence Breeding for Disease Resistance

2005-08-01T07:31:00.000-04:00

Roses of Excellence � Breeding for Disease Resistance: "Reading in one of the forums on the Internet, 'Mildew on seedlings, and how to prevent it', inspired me to write about my experiences since 1974. Mildew is enemy number one here in the Pacific Northwest.

Curiously I became interested in hybridizing roses in 1968, before I had learned much of rose culture. In the spring of 1969 I joined the local rose society hoping to possibly find a hybridizer and learn more about the subject. I was out of luck and had to learn everything out of books. I did my first crosses that same season. Some of the top rosarians in our local rose society thought I was crazy to start from the 'top' down. However, I soon learned more about the culture and care of roses and that they had to be sprayed regularly. I was lucky and happy to get my first few dozen seedlings in the spring of 1970. When the first mildew appeared I of course sprayed regularly with a fungicide. In 1974 I had about a dozen seedlings of a cross of Blanche Mallerin X Pascali planted close together in the same box. One of them stood out from the crowd. Every other one was covered with mildew, but this one was completely clean. It was then that I learned that some roses are disease resistant. I only kept this one, and when it went outside it could go 3 months without spraying. Incidently, in 1980 this one would become �Canadian White Star�� (CWS�) and was my first rose to be introduced."

Watering Roses No 1 Job In Summer

2005-07-31T03:24:00.000-04:00

U-Daily Bulletin - HOME & GARDEN: "WITH THE current hot weather, watering remains the most important garden job for August.
Foliage on most shrubs, trees, and flower plants has hardened and is a little less demanding of water. Harvesting crops is important for the vegetable gardener; the rose fancier needs to deep soak, wash off pests from leaves and feed a balanced fertilizer for the big fall bloom. Roses need a good pruning (no more than one third of the bush). Deadhead (snip off old flowers) and pinch back the stem tips of leggy plants to keep them dense and ready for new branches and leaves to appear before fall."