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, March 29, 2007

Show Your Green Thumb Off With These Helpful Hints for Growing A Beautiful Rose Garden

By Tim Gorman

Beginning a rose garden can feel like an overwhelming prospect -- just choosing a rose to plant can blow your mind if you start looking at all the options out there. Books, designed to be "helpful", can make the situation worse. They contain so many hints, so much advice, so much of it looking contradictory -- it is no wonder you want to toss them out the window and give up! Forget the books for now; what follows is some basic, uncomplicated, information to get your rose garden started.

Rose bushes need plenty of breathing space, so look at your available room and figure how many plants you can handle based on spacing them at least 18" apart, further if possible. Climbers require even more room -- at least 12 feet between bushes! If you are planting miniatures in your garden, a foot to 15" apart should be enough space. Do not overcrowd if you want your rose plants to be healthy and blooming.

Roses should preferably be planted in the spring, but no later than early summer. They need time to get their roots deeply underground to survive cold and freezing temperatures. Also, most varieties of roses require around six hours of direct sunlight, so plan accordingly. Some roses are happy in the shade, however, so assess your garden space and watch the sunlight carefully. If you do not have lots of sun, check with the nursery to find a rose variety that is suitable for shady areas.

In the spring and summer, roses need to have a lot of water. You do not necessarily need to water your rose garden every day, only regularly and deeply, allowing water to seep down into the roots. This is best accomplished by watering every few days, for a long period of time.

Another good question for the experts: Which rose is best to plant? Generally, older, hardy breeds tend to be sturdier and easier to care for. Look for roses that have stood the test of time!
Do not be intimidated by the prospect of starting and taking care of a rose garden. Take your time, but don’t hesitate too long; investigate your options, watch your sun and talk to your nursery during the winter so that first thing in the spring, you will be ready to go and start your rose garden.

For more information on growing a rose garden in the spring try visiting www.rose-gardening-made-easy.info, a website that specializes in providing rose gardening advice, tips and resources to include information on summer rose gardening that you can use to grow a beautiful rose garden.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Gorman

Monday, March 19, 2007

Raising Roses and your Climate Zone

by Dave Owen

To become a proud owner of a beautiful rose garden this year, one of the first things you should research what climate zone you are in. It may be nice to know that your yard will receive lots of sunshine. But, one of the key bits of information you need concerns the annual temperature variance in your zone. It is primarily how cold your plants will get that will determine the plants that you will be able to grow.

Get Familiar With Your Zone

If you ask any experienced gardener about a reliable source of information about climate zones, they will tell you that they use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This map is broken into 11 different climate zones and covers all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. Refering to this map, you will be able to determine what to plant your garden.

On the growing instructions that come with your plants, there will be information about the growing conditions the plants need to thrive. Regardless if you will be planting vegetables, flowers or landscaping plants to use as landscaping, you will need this information. It is a good idea (if you do not want to waste your money) to check USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map before you purchase any plants.

You will find that the map is very large and colorful. Its was put together as the result of a joint venture between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Arnold Arboretum (of Harvard University). The map is the result of combining years of weather data.

This data tracked the average low (coldest) temperatures in different regions of the United States. The different climate zones are depicted with a unique color. Zone 1 is the region with the lowest (coldest) temperature. In this region, the temperatures can be as low as -50 F (-45 C). On the other end of the chart is Zone 11. In this zone, the lowest temperature recorded during any part of the year has always above 40 F (4 C).

The climate zones bounderies are set up for the most part as you would expect. They are set up with the colder zones starting in the northern portion of North America and warming as they move to the south. Due to elevation changes, there are some variations in a few zones. But, this is to be expected.

To find your climate zone is very easy. To find it on the internet, navigate to the USDA website (http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). On this map, you will be able to find your location and identify the zone. On this page, you can also select a map by state.

What is the importance of the zone to Rose Gardening

Roses are easier to grow than most people think. They require regular care and maintenance. Probably the number one thing roses need is the correct climate in which to grow. You can find varieties of roses that are very hardy, more so than others. Some are able to handle colder climate zones. That is if they have been properly prepared for the seasonal changes. If you are in one of the colder zones (lower numbered) you will need to find roses that are bred for your zone. If not, you may find that your plants do not look near as good as they did in the nursery.

Be kind to your plants, choose them for the zone.

About the Author
For more information about how to grow beautiful roses, visit Dave Owen's Rose Information.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Taking Care Of Your Prized Roses

by Lanny Hintz

Roses have been considered as one of the most popular and beautiful flowers all over the world. It has long been a symbol of beauty and loveliness. Having blooming roses in one's garden is such a sight to see aside from the sweet fragrance it radiates around the place. If you grow flowers in your garden, especially roses I am pretty sure that you consider them to be one of your prized plants. I know that you have been dedicating time and effort to ensure that they grow and produce beautiful flowers for people to admire. If we want our roses to thrive especially during the difficult summer months, we need to take the necessary steps and measures to ensure that they will last and survive for a longer period of time.

The climate during the summer can be extremely hot especially in certain parts of the country and the world. It is a must for you to constantly give your roses enough water to avoid for them from wilting or drying. It is important that you water the soil where your roses are planted instead of watering the plant or foliage. To help keep and preserve the moisture, try applying mulch (like wood chips or pine needles) around your roses.

For your roses to be at their best even during the summer, you should have fertilized your roses around three times during the year. You should have fertilized during the early spring, followed up during your roses' first blooms and then the last application during July. To keep pesky insects and diseases under control, obtain sprays from garden stores that help abate this problem.

It is essential that you regularly prune your roses. Utilize sharp pruning spears or cutters to make clean cuts and avoid damaging the branches. Your pruning spears should be kept dry to avoid it from becoming rusty. They should be regularly cleaned before using to prevent them having fungus that could give diseases to your roses.

Always get rid of dying or dead growth to prevent diseases from developing and to make your rose bushes look good. If you want your roses to be growing in the correct direction shape them while they are still growing. Also keep them away from other plants that may harm their growth.

The trick to growing roses is to have patience and effort in growing them. I'm sure that in no time you will be enjoying the beauty of your rose bushes.

About the Author
Lanny Hintz writes about DutchGardens coupon codes, Bloming bulb Discount Sales

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Improve Your Rose Garden With These Tips And Advice On Where To Find Rose Gardening Help

By Tim Gorman

When you are looking for rose gardening help, you have several different source options available to you, all of which are compiled by experts and other gardeners to assist you in your efforts. Besides books and magazines, you can also find volumes of help on the internet, where you can perform a direct search for the problem at hand.

While you could visit your local library and index books, magazines, and other periodicals, the internet is now the information superhighway, where you are guaranteed to find information related to your search on gardening help. There are several sites around the world dedicated to rose gardening, and these collect articles, web blogs, and other various information on roses, cultivation of the garden, and various problems that may arise.

If you prefer the old-fashioned method of research and help, you can visit the library. There are a large number of books dedicated to horticulture and gardening, and several of these concentrate on tips and tricks for rose gardening. You can also index periodicals and references such as encyclopedias to see if the question you have is answered in this media. If all else fails, you can ask for help at a local nursery or perhaps sign up for a rose gardening club or class, where you’ll find lots of help from both instructors and peers.

If you can’t find what you are looking for in a general article on rose gardening, you can find help from others who may have experienced the same problem. The internet contains discussion forums on almost any topic, including rose gardening. Here, other gardeners have discussed issues they’ve come across in their gardening efforts that have stumped them. Once a problem is presented, other rose gardeners offer help by sharing their experiences and solutions. If you can’t find the help you are looking for there, you can always present the question yourself and wait for a response.

For more information on rose gardening help and early spring rose gardening please visit http://www.rose-gardening-made-easy.info, a popular website that provides rose gardening tips, advice and resources to include information on summer, winter and spring rose gardening.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Gorman

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Tips on Growing Roses

by Carlos Torres

Tips on Growing Roses

Grow

In this guide, you will not only have all of the right skills at your fingertips, but you will get tips that you can use to grow your very own bed of roses. Check with your local gardening center or florist for the best type of roses to grow in you climate.

The following suggestions will help insure that your roses grow into healthy bushes, trees, etc.

1.Your new roses have probably dried out during shipping or storage, therefore before planting, either bury the roots in wet saw dust or peat moss for several days or soak them overnight in water. Keep the roots wet when planting, do not let them dry out.

2.Prune damaged and broken roots.

3.Prune main roots just enough to reveal white healthy tissue. This will help more roots grow.

4.Prune the plant back to three or four healthy canes. Try to keep the center of the plant empty. Prune the healthy canes back to about six (6) inches using sharp pruning shears. Keep the cutting blade on the lower side. Cut at a 45 to 60 degree angle. Cut about one fourth inch above an outside bud union.

5.In order to prevent infection, treat the cuts with some type of sealant or sealing paint.

6.Make sure that you have removed any suckers that may have started growing during shipping or storage.

If you are new to rose gardening, then it is wise to choose varieties of easy to grow roses to begin your rose garden. Easy to grow roses need some care as well.

Long stem roses tend to flower continuously and can grow 2-6 feet tall. Climbing roses are different from the regular roses that are planted as they are trained to grow upward like vines.

Water

If you start to water in hot weather, you must keep it up, soaking the roots thoroughly about once a week. 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. I have used empty plastic milk containers for watering the roots of my roses. Wash the container well. Cut several small holes near the bottom of the container. Bury the container ear the base of the rose plant with the top just above the ground. Fill the container with water and put the cap on the container. The water will slowly seep out, watering the rose plants at the roots.

Soil

Fill the container with garden soil that contains some compost or organic fertilizer. Carpeted with a thick layer of soil preserving and plant protecting mulch. Prepare the soil in the rose beds well before in order to allow for settling of the soil. For mulch, I have used old newspapers. They will keep the weeds from growing all season, keep water in the soil, and will slowly decay, putting nutrients back into the soil. I cover the newspapers with leaves or other mulch.
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. Then the plant should be placed in the hole carefully and the hole refilled with soil, covering the roots properly. The soil type, sun exposure, and nutrients it needs all depend on the variety.

Remember to take into consideration the type of soil you will use, the surrounding area where you will plant the rose, the amount of sun it will receive, and the temperatures it can tolerate.

Understand the soil type and provide good drainage.

Pruning

Rose pruning isn't as complicated as some people make it out to be. Here is a list of the proper techniques to guide through the pruning process. Using pruning shears or flower-cutting shears cut the stem at a 45-degree angle, no shorter than just above the first five-leaflet leaf below the flower.

Prune the healthy canes back to about six (6) inches using sharp pruning shears. Do hard pruning in the late winter or early spring just as new growth begins. Follow these tips and make rose pruning an easy gardening job.

There is no hard and fast rule regarding the time of pruning roses. With the help of pruning, disease is removed, thus helping the plant grow in a healthy environment.

Having a rose garden is one of the most rewarding gardens for the outdoor gardener. You don't need to have a large space to enjoy growing roses. There are so many varieties, you can have a rose garden in your yard or apartment.

About the Author
Carlos has a M.S. degree. He has been retired for almost a year and has been doing exceptionally well in MLM and online marketing. He has owned and operated business in the U.S. and abroad. http://snipurl.com/ziqq http://www.thepathtochoose.com