A rose is a perennial flowering shrub or vine of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species. The species form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp thorns. Natives, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and fragrance

Thursday, May 11, 2006

How to Grow a Rose

Rose Garden Care
Roses are the perfect way to a get woman to swoon, however, roses are not cheap. Each rose can cost several dollars a piece. If you buy a dozen roses it could cost you as much as $50. That gets expensive quick. There are two solutions to this dilemma. You can either stop buying flowers for your sweet heart and risk complete rejection or plant your own roses. The second option is much easier on your health and well being. Roses not only beautify your house but they give you a ready supply of flowers for that one you love.

Planting Roses

The fear of planting roses has long been a major deterrent to having a beautiful flower patch. Roses are not at all hard to plant. First, go to the nursery and find a rose bush that you like. A red rose is always a good choice. After you find the perfect a rose bush that you like dig a hole just larger than the root ball of the bush and remove the pot or burlap covering from the roots. Place the bush in the hole and fill it. Then add a generous helping of water. Be careful not to put any harsh fertilizers in the hole as they will burn your roses. It is as simple as that.

Care for your Roses

Roses aren't very hard to care for but they do take some maintenance throughout the year. Roses need lots of water each week. If you live in a dry area you might consider a drip system or an automated sprinkler system. This will help reduce the time you spend taking care of your roses. A drip system is the preferred choice as it uses less water and helps control the weeds.

Fertilizing

You should fertilize your roses often. Your roses will be hungry for nutrients. Try to use fertilizer that is rich in phosphorus. The middle of the three numbers on the fertilizer bag is the phosphorus. Be sure to stop fertilizing your roses in the early fall.

Pruning

Pruning your roses is especially important to controlling the growth of you rose bush. As you prune you roses you will divert the plants energy from old growth to new growth. Every spring prune out all of the dead limbs on you bush. Then cut several of the larger branches just above the buds. The rose bush will grow new branches from the buds. To give your bush a good shape cut it so that the buds are facing the way you want the bush to grow.

Deadheading

One of the most important things to do to keep beautiful roses blooming all year is to deadhead them often. Deadheading is simply trimming the dead roses off of the plant. This will encourage you rose bush to produce more roses and it will keep your rose bush looking beautiful and healthy.

Next time you are thinking about buying roses remember how much money you could save by planting your own rose bush. Not only is it less expensive but, think about how convenient it would be to pick a rose on you way in the house. Now that will impress your sweet heart.

About the Author:
By Justin Grover