Rose Gardening- How To Take Care During Winter

by Beverly Kane

While winter is the season of hibernation and dormancy for your roses, it can spell disaster, if you let it face the season with out taking any precaution.

The tougher varieties like old garden roses and own-root types normally survive through the bitter cold, but the more delicate varieties like hybrid teas and budded roses can wither easily, if left unprotected.

Preparation process for your rose bush, begins right at the time of selecting the roses for plantation. While browsing the net or printed catalogues, or even admiring the roses on display at your local garden store, be careful to choose only those types which are tough to glide through the harshness of winter, typical of the area in which you live in. consult the "hardiness zone maps", if necessary before you make that final selection.

The key to making your roses make it through the harsh winter is to deliberately make them hibernate or push them into dormancy. You can achieve this by stopping any fertilizing activity by mid August, ceasing all dead heading and pruning activities by the beginning of October. You must let hip formation to further ensure dormancy.

Be certain to keep your plants in a frozen condition, if you live in very cold areas. Prevent the freeze/thaw/freeze cycles to happen repeatedly. To ensure this, never put any early covers on your plants. Bide your time till the first hard frost hits and the leaves start falling. Remove all fallen leaves, diseased leaves and other debris from around your rose bush at this time, as these insects and fungi hibernate during winter and return to damage during spring.

Prune and trim the taller roses, before you put on any winter covering. Do not prune these too thoroughly, as you will have to prune again to remove dead and disease-infected canes in spring. You can tie the canes together - this will protect them from the cold and gusty winter winds.
One of the very popular and easy methods to protect your rose bush during winter months is called "hilling". This method involves piling a lot of moisture-free loose soil or compost around your rose bush. This piling should be around 10 to 12 inches in depth. This is a very good covering for the plants, provided it is dry.

You should cover the mound with hay, leaves or evergreen branches, once it has frozen completely.

With this type of dry covering, with moisture-free soil or compost, your rose bushes have the winter protection that they need so badly to survive.

After your have successfully put your rose garden to rest for the winter, take some time off to sharpen your garden maintenance tools, so that you can start afresh in spring.
Winter is the time for short days and long nights. As you sit and warm your heels by the fire side, browse through the websites and printed catalogues to order for next year's roses.

About the Author
Beverly Kane is a staff writer at Home Garden Enthusiast and is an occasional contributor to several othe websites, including The Shopping Gazette.

Roses that Bloom in the Shade

by Susi Carter

Most roses need five to six hours of sun to prosper and bloom and there are indeed very few roses that tolerate or even enjoy being in partial shade. No known variety will thrive in full shade. There are some miniatures and a few climbing and shrub roses that are fairly shade tolerant and will adjust to partial shade.

Roses are natural sun lovers and no matter what variety you choose, most will produce less bloom even in partial shade. However, it is possible to select roses that do okay in the shade, and that do not noticeably lose any blooms. Those that can be adapted will produce larger and more lush bloom and foliage. Pale colored roses actually look better in the shade because shading helps them fully display their colors, where they would appear somewhat faded looking in full sun.

Here are some suitable varieties if you want to try to grow roses in partial shade:

Rosa 'Ballerina'

Ballerina is a variety of a hybrid musk rose producing single, very dainty five petaled flowers which grow in clusters. The flowers are pink and white, and held erect and above the foliage, creating a beautiful display. As with all musk roses, Ballerina has a distinct and delightful fragrance. Because it is naturally disease resistant and tolerant of partial shade, this is a variety that is relatively easy to care for. It will bloom well into the autumn, creating a long blooming season and will then produce vividly colored attractive hips. It can be trained as a climber, but looks better in its natural shrub form. Ballerina is a versatile easy to grow rose and makes an excellent subject for growing in part shade.

Knock-Out Rose

Rosa 'Radrazz', otherwise known as Knock-Out Rose is the award winning rose variety that is the most shade tolerant of any rose variety. The bright, cherry red blossoms are in a perpetual state of growth and production. The mildly fragrant bloom starts in early spring and continues the cycle through the summer, autumn, and even into winter. Not only is the Knock-Out tolerant of partial shade, it is also disease and drought resistant. Resistance to blackspot makes it a good subject for areas of high humidity. This versatile rose is a superior choice for beginners and pros alike as it practically guarantees success.

Playboy

Playboy is perhaps the most spectacular of the shade tolerant roses. It produces glossy foliage which sets of the bloom to perfection. The semi-double flowers are fairly large. Bloom color starts out in shades of yellow and then progresses to orange and finally reaches a deep red color as it ages and fades. Playboy has a very dramatic appearance and is beautiful at all stages as well as disease resistant. Being fairly easy to grow makes it a good choice for your part-shade garden and is especially suitable for a border or as a hedge.

Rosa 'Zephirine Drouhin'

Zephirine Drouhin is a well known old fashioned climbing rose with the added attraction of having thornless canes. The rich dark green foliage contrasts beautifully with brightly colored pink blossoms which are borne in profusion even in partial shade. This is a great rose for training over an arbor or trellis where it's clouds of intensely fragrant flowers can be admired from spring through fall.

No matter which of the above rose varieties you select, you are likely to have a positive rose growing experience, even in partial shade.

About the Author
Susi is webmaster of BackYardGarden.info dedicated to plants and flowers you can grow in your back yard garden.

A Flower Garden Adds Color to Your Yard

by Carol Stack


If you are looking to beautify your home, few things will do it as cost effectively as a flower garden. Just think of it; the garden can be large or small, in one area or spread out, roses, tulips, daffodils or any other kinds of flowers you fancy.

Some people think you have to have the proverbial green thumb to have a beautiful flower garden. While this is true with some types of flowers, if you stick to the easy to grow varieties you can have a gorgeous garden in no time!

Visit your local nursery or check online to discover what flowers grow best in your area. You will want to choose flowers that blossom at various times of the year so that there is constantly some flowers blooming.

Before you begin to plant your flower garden, you will need to prepare the soil, which means getting it ready to receive the plants. This should be done whether you are planting bulbs, seeds or annuals.

You will want to select a spot that is near a water source so you will not have to carry a bucket to and from the flowers every day. Next, remove any weeds or rocks from your new garden. Using a shovel or tiller turn the soil over. This will let oxygen in and help promote healthy roots.

Next, add some slow release fertilizer, making sure to follow the directions. Turn the soil again and you are ready to start planting.

After you have gathered the necessary tools, it may be helpful to arrange the plants while they are still in their seedling containers so you know where you want them to go.

Now, remove the plants and gently loosen plants that are root-bound. You only want to put the plants as far down as the soil it is in now. In other words, do not get over zealous and bury it too deep or not deep enough. A good thing to keep in mind while planting is that the crown of the root ball should be level with the soil.

Now, place the plant into the hole you just dug. Then push down the plant and soil with the side of the trowel or with your hands. You want to make sure the plant is set, but do not manhandle it.

Water the plants right away, the plants will be thirsty. Using a low-pressure garden hose or a watering can, try to keep the water on the roots, not the leaves of the plants.

When planting, do so either in the early morning or later in the evening. This will help prevent the roots of the seedlings from drying out.

If you are going to start your plants from seeds, you will want to do so inside six to eight weeks before you plan on putting them outside.

Bulbs for flowers such as tulips and daffodils should be planted in the fall so they have time to rest over the winter and be ready to sprout in the spring.

With a little work and a little expense anyone can have a stunning flower garden to brighten up their yard. Nothing adds beauty to a yard or patio like some colorful flowers.


About the Author
Carol Stack enjoys writing articles. She lives with her husband, children, four dogs and seven cats in the United States. They have a large yard that they are constantly working on to make more beautiful. Her website, http://www.freegardentips.info covers lawn care, organic gardening, landscaping and more.

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A Rose Gardening Book Can Help You Choose The Right Rose Bushes For Your Garden

By Tim Gorman

It doesn't matter whether you're just starting out with your rose garden, or whether you've been growing roses for years. There will be a rose gardening book that's just perfect for your needs. A rose gardening book can help you choose the right rose bushes for your garden, and give you ideas on how to care for them effectively. In return, your garden will flourish and produce magnificent roses year after year. So what exactly can you learn from a rose gardening book.

As a beginner, that question is much easier to answer. Preparing your garden properly before planting roses can make a huge difference to how well they thrive. There's also a lot of important ongoing maintenance that you need to do, to keep your rose garden in top condition. If you're looking for a "set and forget" type of garden, then don't bother planting roses. You need to regularly monitor and maintain your roses, otherwise you'll find they quickly become unhealthy and fail to bloom well. Although roses will probably survive and do all right without any attention, they will reward you a great deal more if you spend some time on them.

Even if you're more experienced with gardening in general, or roses in particular, you can gain a great deal from rose gardening books. New rose breeds are always being developed, and you can keep up to date with what's available in the new guides that are released. Also, caring for roses is a constantly changing field, with new techniques and ideas being developed and tested. Sometimes a book may contain just one new idea you've never heard before, but that one tip may make a big difference to the success of your rose garden. We can all do with a greener thumb!

Those who could be considered master rose gardeners can still find helpful information in rose gardening books. Any good expert knows that when you stop learning, you start to go backwards. Learning from other experts in the field is a great way to continually expand and enhance your own knowledge.

Rose gardening books are also a great way to choose the breed of rose you think would look perfect in your garden, or may even give you some clever ideas for designing your rose garden. Books are a fabulous way to find more information about rose gardening, and there's always something new that you can take away and apply in your own garden.

Fo rmore valuable rose gardening information to include tips for spring rose gardening, early autumn rose gardening, late autumn rose gardening, summer rose gardening and winter rose gardening please visit Rose-Gardening-Made-Easy.info.

Six Rose Diseases And How To Treat Them

by Lee Dobbins

Roses are beautiful but can be a bit challenging to grow. There are many insects and diseases that can chip away at the health of your roses. He are six symptoms of disease in your roses and how to treat them.

1. Malformed young canes or canes that are stunted

this is a fungal disease which is called powdery mildew. It covers stems bods and leaves with a white powder that spreads in the breeze. The leaves will turn purple and curl. To treat this, spray with Benomyl or Funginex.

2. Black spots on leaves

Aptly named, this disease is usually referred to as black spot. These spots are circular and have fringed edges causing the leaves to yellow. To treat this you want to remove infected leaves and pick up any that have fallen around the plant. You can also buy artificial sprays to treat and prevent black spot.

3. Stunted or malformed flowers and leaves

Malformed leaves and flowers can be caused by spider mites. These little tiny mites can be green red or yellow and usually hang around on the underside of the leaves where they have a good old time sucking the juices. You can try applying Isotox or Orthene to help treat these little pests.

4. Blistered leaves

If you notice the underside of your roses leaves are blistered you may have the disease known as rust. Blisters are an orange red color in turn black in the fall. This disease can live throughout the winter and in spring when new sprouts formidable attack them. To treat this get rid of any leaves that are infected both on the plants and on the ground. Spray Funginex or Benomyl every seven to 10 days for treatment.

5. Flowers which are malformed or do not open

this is another problem with roses that can be caused by bugs called Thrips. These are fain brownish yellow bugs that have fringed wings and damage your plant by sucking the juices from the flower buds. To get rid of them you'll have to cut off the infested flowers. Malathion and Orthene may also be used to treat this problem.

6. Leaves that are weak and mottled or show tiny white webs underneath

Here you may have a problem with aphids. These tiny blogs can be green and brown or red and often hang around in clusters under the leaves and flower buds where they suck juices. Try spraying with diazinon or malathion in on to get rid of them.

If your roses to not have any of these pests or diseases but are still unhealthy looking you might want to look at the way you are fertilizing them. Roses are very hungry and do require fertilization. Talk to your local gardening store to find out what's best for your area.

About the Author

Lee Dobbins writes for http://gardening.subjectmonster.com where you can learn more about all types of gardening including indoor gardening, container gardening and organic gardening. Get gardening tips to help improve your gardens today!

Hot Rose Gardening Ideas - Tips and Tricks To Growing A Better Rose Garden

By Tim Gorman

A lot of people love roses, and that's hardly surprising. When your rose bushes are thriving and covered in blooms, they look absolutely stunning. But if you're just starting out with a rose garden, it's not always easy to know how to arrange your garden to make it as attractive as possible. There are many difference factors that you need to take into consideration when planning your rose garden, including more than just what color the flowers will be.

Start by taking a look around at the various resources available to you. This can include rose gardening books, magazines, and websites on the Internet. Browsing can give you lots of good ideas, but here are a few to get your started.

First, how much space do you have available in your garden for roses? Once you know the space available, you will be able to work out how many rose bushes you need to plant. This is also dictated by the type of rose you choose, and some can be placed quite close together, whereas others, such as climbers, may need to be as much as twelve feet apart. If your rose garden area is small, it may be wise to choose miniature roses for the best effect. These are very attractive when they are planted closely together in a garden bed.

Next, think about colors. Do you have a favorite rose color? You might want to design your rose garden around that color there. Perhaps you want to create a pattern with different colored roses, or just find roses that will complement the color of your house. Many people find growing red and white roses alternately in a rose garden makes a pretty, patterned effect. If your house is a shade of peach, however, you might like to choose a mixture of peach and yellow roses instead.

Also, think about what plants you want to put around the base of your rose bushes. For part of the year roses are not particularly attractive and can even be a little bare, so it's good to have some other plants to fill in the gaps in the rose garden. Choose plants with flowers that blend well with your roses. They don't necessarily have to be the same color, just complementary. For example, a low growing purple flower would go well underneath a row of peach roses. Red blends well with pink or white filler plants.

Now that you've worked out exactly what effect you want in your rose garden, it's time to begin the preparation process.

For more helpful rose gardening tips to growing a beautiful rose garden be sure to visit Rose-Gardening-Made-Easy.info where you will find an abundance of information to include autumn, spring and summer rose gardening tips.

Tips For Rose Gardening In Early Spring

by Beverly Kane

In case your home is in an area where spring arrives in late March or early April, you can easily take advantage of the "early spring" for your rose gardening endeavors. Of course, if late March or early April makes the skiers in your area to come out, then you better wait till the winter paves way for the spring and then follow the tips mentioned here.

For rose gardeners, early spring means time for hectic activity. This is the time when you expect those wonderful rose buds to appear. But you have to prepare the roses for the growing

season ahead. Here are some useful tips on how to:

Rose bushes could have been covered with dirt or such protective materials. The first thing you ought to do is to gently remove the protective coverings, so that the bushes can experience the warm sun and the occasional rain during this time.

Before you do any pruning to the bushes, make sure to remove all the dead canes, which could not take the winter. Clear the bush area of all debris, fallen leaves etc and clean the surroundings.

Next you should add some nutrients to the soil, like organic compounds. You can either buy packaged material from your garden supplier, or make it yourself by mixing composted manure or mushroom compost. You could also use the usual blends of meals consisting of alfalfa, cotton seed, fish or blood meal.

Since roses need a very well-drained soil, make sure that water does not remain stagnant under the bushes. If you notice that winter has made the soil compact, use a spade or any other tool to break the compacted soil.

Once you have prepared the soil, you can extend your gardening activities during this time. You can even plant your container-grown roses here.

The next activity is spraying the fungicide. You could also wait for two weeks after the pruning is complete. Opinions on the best time differ so take your pick as to the most convenient time for doing this.

You must keep rotating the fungicide. Using the same product can make the fungus develop immunity to that particular fungicide.

It is recommended not to use any pesticide, unless you notice some real damage to your plants. But remember aphids mean that spring is here. Watch out for them. You can use a sharp spray of water to wash them away or apply an insecticide in a mister to the damaged parts.

Just like when we wake up from a long slumber and feel ravenously hungry, roses are no different either! Feed them well during this season with nutrition to wake them up properly from the winter slumber and water them adequately after each feed.

So! your roses are ready to face the spring. But your work is not over yet. If spring is here, how far can summer be? continue reading our May/June article, to learn how to cope with the summer months.

About the Author
Beverly Kane is a staff writer at Home Garden Enthusiast and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including The Shopping Gazette.

Choosing roses for your landscape

by Jenny Gill

Roses have long been a favorite among all types of gardeners, and roses continue to enjoy great popularity today. In addition to their beauty as cut flowers and in bouquets, roses are among the most useful and attractive flowers to grace the landscape of any home.

As a matter of fact, the exterior of any home can be made more graceful and more inviting through the use of wonderful landscape roses. Choosing the right ones, and ensuring that they compliment the overall style of the home, is very important to the overall success of the landscape.

Fortunately, the number of ornamental landscape roses makes finding them an easy task. The
difficulty consists of choosing the right ones from this variety. There are a number of classes of roses whose characteristics make them great for use as landscape ornamentals. For instance, the gardener who wants to grow roses up and over an archway or a trellis may want to use tall growing tea roses. Tea roses are renowned for their nodding blooms, therefore all who pass under the arch would be treated to the beautiful sight of roses in full bloom.

To accent a wall or other permanent structure, a true climbing rose is often the best choice. True climbing roses can be trained to many different effects, including climbing up the length of the structure, or accenting the tops and sides of a wall or building.

The Polyantha or modern day Floribunda rose is a great choice for gardeners looking for a vibrant splash of color for the background. These popular varieties of roses have large sprays of blooms, and they are popular choices for providing color in the landscape.

If roses are to be planted in front of other plants in the landscape, miniature or low growing China roses are a perfect choice. Roses can even be used as hedges, with modern Shrub roses and Rugosa roses being excellent choices.

Of course, as with any aspect of gardening, color is an important consideration. After all, every gardener's goal is a garden full of colorful, vibrant and healthy plants. Fortunately, roses come in so many shapes, sizes, textures and colors that there truly is a rose for every gardener.

The goal of choosing the best color roses for the landscape should be to compliment the color of the surrounding landscape. For instance, a spray of plain white tea roses can be striking against a dark red brick home, or an arrangement of pink roses can be the perfect compliment to a stone or marble entranceway. With so many colors of roses to choose from, it should be easy to find colors that compliment and enhance any decorating scheme.

One popular trend in the world of landscaping is to use a variety of different plants and flowers in the landscape. Whereas single species landscaping was in vogue a few years ago, most of today's gardeners like to use a mix of different colors, species and styles of plants. Doing so not only makes for a vibrant garden, but it is thought to enhance the health of the soil as well.

Fortunately, roses lend themselves well to this mixture, and roses can be a beautiful part of an overall landscape of plants and flowers. In addition, there are roses suitable for a variety of climates. Choosing the best rose varieties for your specific climate should mean fewer pesticides, few disease issues and an overall healthier garden.

Author: Jenny Gill is an international author with vast experience in a diverse range of subjects, for more information visit www.flowergardensyte.com

About the Author
Jenny Gill is an international author with an immense range of knowledge and skills in a wide range of areas. Jenny is a mother and a grandmother and devotes a lot of her time supporting the aged in her community.

Miniature Roses

By Jacqueline Carroll

Don't let the delicate appearance fool you! These little gems are hardy enough to grow outdoors in zones 6-10 without winter protection, and with a good cover of mulch they will survive winters as far north as zone 4. Miniature roses are surprisingly easy to grow, and they look great as edgings for your beds or borders, accent plants for rock gardens, and as houseplants.

Miniature roses range in size from the micro-minis which grow to about five inches, up to a height four feet or more. The flowers are from 1/2 inch to two inches in diameter, and the range of colors is similar to that of full-sized roses. Most types will bloom from spring until frost. Unfortunately, miniature roses have little or no fragrance.

When grown indoors as pot plants, miniature roses need a little special care. Even when grown in the sunniest window, they will usually need supplemental light. You will know your rose isn't getting enough light when the stems seem to stretch out leaving wide spaces between the leaves.

Miniature roses also need lots of humidity if kept indoors. Set your pot in a tray of pebbles and water. The pebbles will support the pot above the water level so the soil doesn't become waterlogged. As it evaporates, the water will provide the plant with extra humidity. If you house is very dry, run a cool-mist vaporizer now and then.

Spider mites and whiteflies are drawn to indoor miniature roses. To reduce the chances of these pests attacking your plants, give them a weekly shower. Take care to thoroughly rinse both the tops and the undersides of the leaves. To treat whiteflies, use an insecticidal soap at five day intervals or spray with a solution of four parts water to three parts rubbing alcohol -- add a squirt of dish soap for good measure -- and keep the plant out of the light until the alcohol dries completely.

Soap spray and alcohol spray also work for spider mites, and you might also try buttermilk spray: mix 1/2 cup buttermilk with 4 cups wheat flour to 5 gallons of water. Quarantine infested plants until you are sure that the insects are irradiated. In extreme cases, you can strip the leaves off the plant and cut it back by half. Don't worry, you won't kill it, and you'll soon see signs of new growth.

For the best blooms, use a fertilizer that is high in potassium. The last number in the N-P-K ratio indicates the amount of potassium, and an N-P-K ratio of 5-5-10 is a good choice. Mix the fertilizer to about 1/4 strength and use it once a week.

After your roses spend a season indoors, it's best to plant them outdoors and get new, disease and pest-free plants to use indoors. They can be planted directly in the garden or kept in containers, but remember that outdoor plants in small containers can dry out quickly. Harden them off before placing them outdoors permanently.

Jackie Carroll is the editor of GardenGuides.com, a leading internet destination for gardeners, and GardenGuidesKids.com. http://www.gardenguides.com http://www.gardenguideskids.com
http://www.rose.myzury.com

The Key To Rose Gardening

by Robert Singleton

Roses are universally favorite plants. The bright vibrant hues give gardens a splash of color. You can smell the heady perfume of roses during summer as they fill the air. With so many different varieties to choose from rose gardening is a marvelous experience.

While it's true that there many roses that you can choose from, the type is not important. What is important is that you plant them where you can reap the benefits later on. Roses are hardy plants. With so many gardeners breeding new hardy varieties, roses can now grow in any type of condition. Difficult soil and garden problems are no longer a barrier to well grown rose gardens.

The key to rose gardening lies in buying plants that are at least two years old, that have been field grown and are budded. If your young rose plants are pruned then the heavy stems need to be 1/4 inches in diameter at the top. On the other hand if the rose plant is not pruned, then there should be three or more heavy stems that are 18 inches in diameter.

You need to plant your roses in a sunny, well-drained spot. You should trim of all the bruised and broken stems off. In rose gardening roses needed to be eased into the ground. You first dig a hole 6 inches deeper than the rose roots need, then make the hole wide and big all around so that the roots will not grow crowded or bent.

The bottom of the hole should have small rocks or pebbles in it. This rock formation will aid in the drainage for the roses. After the stones have been placed, mix one tablespoon of fertilizer over the stones. Above this lay good fertile soil until the level is where you will plant your rose plant. In the mound of soil make a small hole and carefully plant your rose bush in there. You will need to make sure that the hole has room for the roots. Then cover the roots with soil, firming the soil every so often.

Rose gardening requires that you feed your roses at regular intervals to ensure healthy growth. The first feeding should therefore be given in early spring, before the roses bloom. The second feeding will come after the first heavy blossoming is finished. The third feeding occurs in late summer. If you are lucky there might be roses that will bloom until about November. If this is the case, then feed your plants a fourth time around.

While all this care does help in rose gardening, chemical pesticides are needed to prevent sucking and chewing insects from damaging your roses. This pesticide also works to cut down on the fungus that likes to grow on roses.

Rose gardening is a lovely pleasant smelling hobby to do. If you take care of your plant during the initial days, then you will be rewarded with big, vibrant blossoms that are a joy to behold.

About the Author
Robert Singleton Author of "Rose Gardening" and online business owner. Find more information in "The Gardener's Handbook" at: http://www.supremeuptime.com/Gardening/index.htm

Rose Classification

by Angie Noack

Although there is no one set of "official" classification system of roses, there are many different popular rose classification schemes that are employed throughout the world. The most popular of the systems in use has been proposed by The American Rose Society in cooperation with the World Federation of Roses. Although this classification system is not the only one in use, a large majority of internationally established societies have adopted this scheme for classifying roses.

According to the American Rose Society, there are three main groupings of roses: the Species; Old Garden Roses; and Modern Roses. Species Roses, the origin of every other rose class, are commonly referred to as "wild roses." These "wild roses" are easy to identify, as they normally have five petals, are once-blooming, and are generally thorny shrubs or climbers. Several popular Species Roses include: Cherokee Roses, Dog Roses, Gallic Roses, French Roses, and Redleaf Roses. Species Roses can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, as they flourish in temperate climates.

Unlike Species Roses, which existed millions of years before man walked the earth, Old Garden Roses are identified as a major class of roses recognized before 1867.

Most Old Garden Roses bloom once per season, usually at the arrival of summer. Old Garden Roses occur in a variety of shrub and vine sizes. Although colors vary, Old Garden Roses are typically white or pastel in color. These "antique roses" are generally preferred for lawns and home gardening because they are easy to care for. Several groupings of roses are classified as Old Garden Roses including: China, Tea, Moss, Damask, Bourbon, Hybrid Perpetual and Noisette roses. Many "antique roses" have a strong sweet scent, which makes them very desirable.

Old Garden Roses are the predecessors of Modern Roses. Any rose which has been identified post 1867 is considered a Modern Rose. This group of roses are very popular. The Modern Rose is the result of cross breeding the hybrid tea with the polyanthus. The colors of a Modern Rose are lovely, rich and vibrant. Most of the roses found in this class flower repeatedly when cared for properly. Perhaps that is why horticulturists find this class so attractive. The most popular roses found in the class of Modern Roses are the hybrid tea, floribunda, and grandiflora. Although Modern Roses are adored by florists and gardeners, they do not adapt well to colder environments.

After a rose has been classified according to the three main groupings, a rose can then be further classified by color, scent, growth habit, ancestry, date of introduction, blooming characteristics and size. It is very difficult for horticulturists to classify every rose, especially the hybrid roses which often seem like a grouping of their own. While there has been much debate on classifying roses, the American Rose Society appears to have the most functional system for these stages of classification. Perhaps this is why the American Rose Society's classification system has been adopted by so many rosarians the world over.

About the Author
Angie Noack is a home and garden strategist with a sharp edge for technology. With her unique ability to combine these two skills, she's able to help gardeners save time and increase productivity. You can find her online at http://www.ranchrose.com.

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Top United States rose gardens

by JillianScheeler

Top rose gardens to visit in the United States

Take a day trip to a rose garden

Roses have always been valued for their stunning beauty and intoxicating scent. They also have a long history of symbolism and meaning and are ancient symbols of beauty and love. In fact the rose was sacred to several goddesses such as Aphrodite and is commonly used as a symbol for the Virgin Mary. The rose also is the national flower for both England and the United States.
Many of the below listed rose gardens are only a day trip away and the majority of them are public rose gardens which are free to the public. So, take time to stop and smell the roses and visit one of these beautiful rose gardens located around the world.International Rose Test

Garden Washington Park
Portland, Oregon
Portland is known as the "Rose City" and has several public rose gardens; however, the International Rose Test Garden in Portland is the most well-known. It was founded in 1917 and is the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States.

Rose Garden in Woodland Park Zoo
Seattle, Washington
The Woodland Park Zoo Rose Garden was planted originally to provide a free, public display of roses. Currently, the garden houses 280 rose varieties.

Lyndale Park Rose Garden
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Located in Minneapolis, the Lyndale Park Rose Garden is the second oldest public rose garden in the U.S. With over 3,000 roses of 250 varieties, the layout of the garden has not been changed since it was planted by Theodore Wirth in 1908.

McKinley Park Rose Garden
Sacramento, California
A popular setting for weddings and day trips, this Sacramento Rose Garden is home to over 1,200 roses of all different varieties. The garden is free to the public during daylight hours.

The Centennial Rose Garden, Schmidt Mansion
Tumwater, Washington
Planted on the grounds of the Schmidt Mansion, the Centennial Rose Garden is maintained by the Olympia Rose Society for the enjoyment of the public. The garden was designed to display a plethora of rose varieties and within historical context. The garden documents the development of roses from ancient times to present day.

Elizabeth Park Rose Garden
Hartford, Connecticut
The Elizabeth Park Rose Garden is the oldest municipally operated rose garden in the country. With over 800 rose varieties which amounts to 15,000 plants total, this rose garden packs a lot in on two and a half acres.

Mesa Community College Rose Garden
Mesa, Arizona
This Mesa, Arizona rose garden is a unique and important part of the city's community. The garden serves as an iatrical part of education, allowing students from kindergarten through high school and community college and universities use the gardens as botanical laboratories and study areas.

Chicago Botanic GardensGlencoe, Illinios - north of
Chicago, Illinois
The Chicago Botanic Gardens is home to 26 distinct gardens, one of them being a beautiful rose garden that houses 5,000 colorful rose bushes.

The John E. Voight Trial Garden
Hales Corners, Wisconsin
Part of the Boerner Botanical Gardens, the Voight Trial Garden was opened in 1939 and was traditionally designed with gravel walks around the garden and grass walks through the rose beds. The garden also follows the traditional European design with two circular pools and a rectangular pool filled with water lilies and other plant life on the grounds.

Tyler Rose Garden
Tyler, Texas
As part of a 14 acre park, the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the nations largest rose garden and admission to the park is free seven days a week from dawn to dusk. This breathtaking rose garden is also host to the annual Texas Rose Festival held in mid-October.

Jillian Scheeler makes it easy to provide a list of top rose gardens in united states. visit the top ten rose gardens of United States. To recieve free part mini-course visit the United States Rose Gardens Website.

About the Author
Jillian Scheeler is a spontaneous road-tripper and avid writer working on assignment for TravelPost.com - The Premier Source for Unbiased Hotel Reviews and Ratings. This article can be reprinted freely as long as all links remain active.

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How To Reap Robust Roses

by Daniel van Starrenburg

Though there are approximately 5,000 different cultivars of roses, all of them can be grouped into two main classes: bush and climbing. When deciding which type to plant, carefully consider the characteristics of both the class and variety so that you will achieve the look or function which best suits your needs.

Climbers Are A Clever Way To Cover
If you wish to beautifully cover a wall or fence, or start a trellis, climbing roses are optimal since they will grow anywhere from eight to ten feet high. A large flowered climber such as the Rosa "Don Juan" is a good choice as its large (four to five inch wide) double, dark red, fragrant flowers cover a large area and bloom from mid season through the fall. Keep in mind that these large flowered climbers need light annual pruning of unruly canes to keep them in bounds. Although their flowers are smaller (approximately two inches across), Rambler roses grow so quickly that some may develop twenty-foot canes in a single growing season!

Bush Roses Create Beautiful Borders & Boundaries
Small, bushy varieties such as the Floridbunda or Polyantha, can create a lovely hedge because most varieties will spread up to two feet wide. You may also try planting Rosa "The Fairy" or Rosa "Iceberg"; they grow two and four feet high respectively, are disease resistant and rebloom throughout the season.

Other Variations
Miniature roses are frequently used in rock gardens or as borders and edgings around other shrubs, along walkways or patios. Since they typically only grow to be 6-18 inches tall, they are excellent choices for containers and for indoor light gardens. Best of all, they only need a six-inch square area of soil to grow in.

Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras are most popularly used for cutting arrangements because they bloom all season, are disease resistant and feature elegant, long stemmed blossoms. They are also the most common species of roses given as an expression of care and love.

Shrub roses are optimal for those who want to enjoy roses without providing much tender loving care. They are known for their vigor and adaptability, and exhibit a vibrant, healthy foliage. Rosa "Carefree Beauty" is an appropriately named example, which grows to a height of four feet and features fragrant, medium pink flowers. Rosa "Harrison's Yellow" is another good choice, featuring small delicate deep yellow blossoms and is known as an old favorite of the rose species. New varieties of roses are introduced by plant breeders each year with improved cutting qualities, color, fragrance and other characteristics.

About the Author
SavATree provides environmentally sensible tree service and lawn care to homeowners as well as residential, commercial, institutional, government and historic properties in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Industry certified arborists with expertise in tree care and lawn service.

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6 Most Common Dangers to Roses and Their Fix

by James Ellison

Most individuals could not defy a rose's beauty and aroma. These flowers are considered a bit hard to grow, but anybody can begin rose gardening in the convenience of their own backyard.
To be sure that your most treasured roses are in the pink or even red of their health, just follow these tips on coping with every rose health perplexity:

1. Black Spots on Foliage

This disease is usually known as black spot. Black spots occur as circular with fringed edges on leaves. They make the leaves yellow. The answer is to get rid of the infected foliage and collect any fallen leaves around the rose. Artificial sprays may be used to stop or treat this type of rose disease.

2. Stunted or distorted young canes

Called powdery mildew, this is a fungal disease that blankets leaves, stems and buds with wind swept white powder. It causes the leaves to roll and become purple. Spray with an organic antifungal to treat this fungal disease that could destroy your rose garden.

3. Injured underside of leaves

A disease of roses called rust is characterized with orange-red blisters that turn black in the fall. In spring, it blisters new sprouts. This disease can even live through winter. What you can do is to pick up and toss away leaves that are infected in the fall. Organic anti-fungal spraying every 5 to 7 days may help.

4. Malformed or stunted leaves and flowers

What probably caused this is the occurrence of spider mites. They are small yellow, red or green spiders on the underside of the foliage. They suck juices from leaves. The application of a strong stream of water may help in treating this infestation.

5. Weak and blotched leaves with tiny white webs under them

This might be the work of aphids. They are tiny soft-bodied insects that are normally brown, green or red. sometimes clumped under leaves and flower buds, they suck plant juices from the delicate buds. a strong stream of water from a garden hose may help roses to endure these bugs.

6. Flowers that don't open or are distorted when they open.

Thrips could be the cause behind this distortion and unopened flowers. It is defined with slender, brown-yellow bugs with bordered wings flourishing in flower buds. These bugs also suck juices from flower buds. You should cut and get rid of the infested flowers. Using neem oil spray may also treat this problem of your roses.

This important information concerning the diseases your roses are inclined to have will prove to be very helpful in making your rose gardening effort more rewarding.

About the Author
Jim's articles are from extensive research on each of his topics. You can learn more of roses by visiting: Rose Garden

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Rugosa Roses - Fragrant, Tough and Handsome Shrub Roses

By Alan Summers

Rugosa Roses are some of the toughest and most handsome shrub roses available. They are fragrant, black spot and mildew resistant and are vigorous growers - blooming recurrently throughout the season. Rugosa Roses can be distinguished from other roses by their tough, textured, deeply veined foliage and erect spiny stems. In contrast to their foliage, the blooms of the Rugosa Roses appears very fragile, almost like silk that has been crinkled.

Rugosas prefer light, sandy soil in full sun to partial shade, making them especially suited for seashore planting. Rugosa Roses tolerate both salt and drought. Rugosas require no spraying for disease and little fertilization. Unlike other roses, deer never touch Rugosas. In autumn Rugosas have beautiful, orange-red hips, rich in vitamin C, which attract wildlife and are useful for jelly. Rugosa Roses are ideal for hedges and planted in masses for erosion control, especially in sand dunes.

Originally from China, Japan and Korea, Rugosa Roses come in a variety of sizes and colors - white, several shades of pink and red to almost purple. This week we are featuring the most disease resistant Rugosa of them all - a rose with single, pastel pink blooms on a neat compact plant - Fru Dagmar Hastrup.

Fru Dagmar Hastrup - The Most Sought After Rugosa Rose

Created in Denmark in 1914, Fru Dagmar Hastrup is loved for its abundance of cherry red hips in the fall and its elegant pink blooms that emit a sweet clove-like fragrance. Its blooms will reach two to three inches across and repeat exceptionally well throughout the season and it has the unusual ability to display hips and blooms concurrently. The rich, green foliage will turn maroon and then gold in the fall. Fru Dagmar will reach only four feet tall and wide. A lovely addition to any garden.

Planting and Care

• For best results plant in spring or fall.

• Prefers a light, sandy soil in full sun to partial shade. Remarkably tolerant of shade and heavy clay soil.

• Fertilize with Rose-Tone.

• Deer resistant.

• Hardy in Zones 3-9. Click here to learn more about Rugosa Roses on the Carroll Gardens website.
  

Alan Summers, president of Carroll Gardens, Inc., has over 30 years experience in gardening and landscape design. He has made Carroll Gardens one of America’s preeminent nurseries, having introduced more than 20 new perennials and woody shrubs over the years and reintroduced numerous “lost” cultivars back to American gardeners.

Carroll Gardens publishes a weekly online newsletter written by Alan. It contains valuable gardening advice and tips and answers to customer questions.

Every Saturday, Alan hosts a call-in gardening forum on WCBM radio - 680 AM. For those outside of the WCBM listening area, they can listen to radio show via the internet.

Visit CarrollGardens.com to learn more about Carroll Gardens, the weekly newsletter and the radio show.

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Choosing the Right Roses

By Steve Welker

There are an extremely large number of rose varieties available at this time, most of these varieties are suitable to raise in your home garden. With so many different types to choose from deciding which roses to grow can seem more like a difficult task than a part of the fun of growing roses. By keeping just a few important factors in mind you can simplify this task and put the fun back into selecting your roses.

Color

How will a particular color of rose look in your garden, be sure to look at other peoples gardens and in magazines to see how different color arrangements work together. For some people the color of the roses will not be a very important consideration for others it will be one of the most important. Either way you will need to be sure that the color will complement the other colors in your garden and not clash with what you already have in place.

Size

Size will also be an important factor, how will the roses look in your garden once they have grown to their full height. Can your garden aesthetically support twenty-foot roses or will you need to stick with a species that only grows to about eight feet high. You will need to measure your garden before you start looking for roses. You will need to know the width and height of your garden to aid in selecting the proper roses. Your roses will need adequate room to grow and will need enough exposure to sunlight and air to thrive. If you have limited space you might want to consider growing miniature roses instead. Miniature roses require much less space and our easy to care for and maintain.

Climate

While characteristics that deal with the visual appeal of roses like the height and color are important the most important considerations are the ones that deal with how well the roses will be able to thrive. The climate that the rose needs for proper growth is one of these, if the climate the rose needs does not match with your local climate these roses will never grow very well. For example if you live in an area that has long cold winters you will need to select varieties of roses that can tolerate cold weather.

Maintenance

How much time do you want to spend maintaining your roses? Do you live in your garden or are you a busy individual that only has small amounts of time to devote to their garden. Some roses require very high levels of maintenance, while these roses are quiet beautiful and would be a stunning addition to any garden you have to have the time and dedication to make them thrive. If you select a high maintenance rose and do not devote the necessary time to them you will be very disappointed with the results. There are roses on the market today known as "Modern Roses"; these are beautiful plants with a great fragrance and long lasting blooms. However they are also prone to disease and very high maintenance.

On the other hand you have "Old Garden Roses" these plants may not be quite as beautiful as the modern roses but they have been specially bred to be very disease prune and to only require minimal maintenance and care. They usually bloom for several months at a time and also have a very strong and pleasant scent. This strong scent can cause problems for people with allergies to fragrances. If that could be an issue for you should consider "shrub roses", these are also long blooming plants with a strong resistance to disease without the strong fragrance.

If this is your first time attempting to raise roses you might want to consider "landscape roses", they are very easy to care for and disease resistant. Landscape roses will add a great deal of beauty to any garden. If you have trellises around your home you might want to consider one of the varieties of climbing roses. These are very similar to landscape roses except that they grow upward like a vine.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Growing Roses at http://www.rose-gardening.us

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Dramatically Change Your Garden with a Climbing Rose

by Alan Summers

William Baffin

There is no investment, for less money, that will so dramatically change the appearance of a garden or landscape than a properly placed climbing rose. You can probably recall any number of beautiful magazine images of sunny, rose-covered arbors or a rose-covered lattice framing at a home's front door. Climbing roses are extremely versatile garden performers. You can choose to let them artfully climb vertical structures, leisurely tumble over a picket fence or carefully train them on horizontal fence rails to create a narrow hedge. This week we are featuring a climbing rose - William Baffin - the most reliable of all the medium to deep pink climbers.

William Baffin, a Canadian developed variety that is just about the best of the renowned Explorer series of roses, has been proven in thousands of gardens over many seasons for its colorful reblooming, low maintenance requirements, excellent disease resistance, unusual cold hardiness and salt tolerance. You will be rewarded with big color from clusters of up to 30, double, strawberry-pink 2 1/2 inch blooms that are moderately fragrant. Clusters of small orangeed hips follow in the autumn and remain into winter, until relished by the local bird population. Beautiful, glossy, green foliage that is totally resistant to diseases, acts as a backdrop for the blooms. William Baffin matures at 10-15 feet, making it ideal for a trellis or arbor. Although bred in Ontario Canada, William Baffin performs equally well as far south as Florida.

Planting and Care

• For best results plant in the fall or spring. Fall planting works particularly well with William Baffin.
• Plant in full sun for best blooms, but will tolerate partial shade.
• Plant in well-drained, compost enriched soil.
• Mulch well the first winter.
• Pruning and shaping, when necessary, should be accomplished after the initial spring bloom.
• Fertilize with Rose-Tone monthly from early spring until late summer.
• Hardy in Zones 4-9.

Visit http://www.carrollgardens.com/roses/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=420-08-12584" to view William Baffin Climbing Rose on the Carroll Gardens website.

About the Author
Alan Summers, president of Carroll Gardens, Inc., has over 30 years experience in gardening and landscape design. He has made Carroll Gardens one of America's preeminent nurseries.

Visit http://www.carrollgardens.com/emailsignup.asp to sign up for the Carroll Gardens weekly enewsletter.

Visit http://www.carrollgardens.com/ to learn more.

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Spring Rose Care - The Easy Way

by Alan Summers

Spring rose care will help get your roses off to a more enjoyable blooming season. Modern roses are the longest blooming of all shrubs. Many varieties start flowering in mid-late spring, with recurrent bloom cycles through late fall. Unless you are looking to grow absolutely perfect blossoms for competitive exhibition, roses actually require much less work than you may usually read about. Carefully chosen varieties of shrub roses will - with no summer spraying - yield a full season's bounty of blooms.

Spring Rose Care - Timing
Spring rose care should be accomplished after winterkill (if any) has become apparent, but before the new leaves unfurl. There are several ways to figure this. I've found it is most successful to work on the roses just as the Forsythia starts to bloom, rather than slavishly following the calendar.

Spring Rose Care - Feeding
If you hilled-up your roses with mulch last fall, the first thing you need to do is to tear down the mulch mounds and spread it around the roses so that the total mulch depth never exceeds 1 ½ inches. If you have more, remove the top layer. The first spring rose care fertilization consists of four different products, a handful of each should be sprinkled around the plant in a circle, about 12-18 inches out from the stem: Espoma Rose-Tone®, Espoma Kelp Meal®, Espoma Epson Plus and Greensand (Five additional feedings, a month apart, consist of just one handful of Rose-Tone®--nothing else Never feed after September 1st; late feeding encourages late emergence of tender growth, which will be winterkilled). Use 1/3 to 1/2 as much of all products, at all times, on miniature roses.

Spring Rose Care - Pruning
Pruning is usually considered to be the most time-consuming of all rose care tasks. Recently, a research study compared 2 beds of the same Floribunda roses. One bed was hand pruned by skilled rose growers. The other was pruned with a combination of a power hedge trimmer and a lawn mower raised up on huge wheels. Throughout the season, the two groups were compared for flower production. Guess which plot did the best. Hint: it wasn't the hand pruned plot. Carefully chosen roses are much tougher and more forgiving then most people realize. At any rate, spring rose care pruning is not difficult if you keep the following points in mind:

• You will need five good tools: sharp by-pass pruners, by-pass loppers, small pruning saw, elbow length (gauntlet) leather or rubber/plastic impregnated gloves, and safety goggles.
  
• Over-pruning roses in spring tends to weaken the plant. Never prune away more than one-third of the live growth.
  
• On all roses, remove diseased, dead and broken canes. A cane that has blackened from winterkill, or suffered physical damage, should be shortened to an inch below the offending section.
  
• Where possible, cut on a 45 degree angle.
  
• Once-blooming (as opposed to recurrent-blooming) roses require no further pruning in the spring. These are primarily antique roses and old-fashioned ramblers. Do whatever additional pruning necessary after blooming in early July.
  
• Reduce hybrid tea roses to 4-5 vigorous canes not shorter than 30 inches. Grandifloras should be reduced to 5-6 canes not shorter than 36 inches. Reduce floribundas to 7 to 8 canes not shorter than 24 inches. In general, try to achieve a vase-shaped plant for most roses in these categories.
  
• Especially on hybrid teas and grandifloras, cut 1/4 inch above an outward facing bud. Cut so the 45 degree angle allows water to drain away from, rather than into the bud.
  
• Mini roses, shrub roses, rugosa roses and repeat blooming antique roses just need a haircut, trimming them to size.
  
• Treat English roses and romantica roses as grandifloras.
  
• Trim modern climbing roses and pillar roses to shape. Aged canes should be removed, as should those that grow away from the support or criss-cross awkwardly. Massive rejuvenation pruning is best postponed until early July and done, if at all, every 3 to 5 years.
  
• To prevent cane borer, put a dab of Nubark™ Rose Stick on the cut wound of any cut branch greater than pencil thickness.
  
• To discourage diseases and insects, rake up and discard all pruned material, including leaves, with the trash.
  

Spring Rose Care - Spraying
On roses that have been troubled by fungus diseases a spray of lime sulphur during spring rose care will kill the over-wintered spores of blackspot and mildew. Mixing the lime sulphur with horticultural oil will control a broader range of pests. To achieve full effectiveness from the oil, this spray must be applied on a day when it is not going to freeze the following night. Spray the roses to the dripping point and spray all the surrounding mulch. This spray must be applied when the roses are still dormant--before they start to leaf out. During the next few days, top dress with enough mulch so that total coverage is 2 to 2 ½ inches. As roses leaf out, occasionally they are troubled by green aphids on the tips. These are easily controlled with insecticidal soap.
About the Author

Alan Summers, president of Carroll Gardens, Inc., has over 30 years experience in gardening and landscape design. He has made Carroll Gardens one of America's preeminent nurseries.

Visit http://www.carrollgardens.com/emailsignup.asp to sign up for the Carroll Gardens weekly enewsletter.

Visit http://www.carrollgardens.com/ to learn more.

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Tools For Gardening Roses

By Kim Beck

Roses unlike many flowers require more attention and care to insure that your roses are the most beautiful they can be. They also require you have some basic tools that will make your gardening of roses easier. Here is a list of the tools you should have on hand.

Pruners - Pruners are used almost on a daily basis. Actually there are two types of pruners, the "anvil pruner" and the "bypass pruner". I would recommend always using the bypass pruners, this type will not crush the canes and stems of the roses. As your roses age you will find a need to remove or cut back old thick canes. These can be thick and will require you have a pair of "Loppers".

Gloves - You will be thankful from day one that you invested in a good pair of leather work gloves, if you can find them get the kind that have the fold-down cuffs. The cloth gloves for basic gardening have their place but it's not in the rose garden.
Shovels - Shovels that are lightweight, with fiberglass throats and strong handles that are padded are great choices. Here's were spending the extra dollars will save you in blisters and dollars over the long haul.

Wheelbarrow - This may seam like such a simple thing but so many people are tempted to purchase those fancy gardening carts that "do it all" in the garden but believe me when I tell you there is no substitute for a good old fashion wheelbarrow. They will haul everything in and out of your rose garden you come across.

Kneeling Pads - There is no getting around this, if you garden you are going to be on your knees. There are some choices here, the standard knee pads work fine for most and when you move to a new spot they move with you. The kneeling pads for gardening come in several sizes and are quiet comfy on the knees. There are also kneeling pads that come on short kneeling blocks with handles. With so many choices your sure to find the right one for you.

Rakes - There are basically tow types you will want to have, a garden rake and a leaf rake. The garden rake have steel tines and are used for leveling and smoothing the garden bed. Leaf rakes are need to remove leaves and debris from the garden, I recommend having two sizes here the regular size leaf rake and the smaller head leaf rake for getting those tight places.

Watering Wands - One of the first things you will want your watering wand to have is brass fittings instead of plastic, they will last you alot longer than the small increase in cost. If you can find a wand that has a shut off valve on the wand itself you find this to be very convenient. Watering wands are great for really giving your roses a good root soaking. If you have roses growing in containers then a watering wand is just what is needed.

Gardening Fork - This is a must have for the avid rose gardener. Be sure to choose a quality one with steel forks and a padded sturdy handle, this will make turning and loosening the ground around the base of your roses much easier.

Having all these tools will make your love for gardening roses much easier and enjoyable. You will enjoy years of beautiful roses.

Kim writes for Gardening Tips For Roses. Find all the tips, advice, resources and information for gardening roses all in one spot. Visit http://www.gardeningtipsroses.com/

Rosa glauca (rubrifolia)

A Rose with Handsome Foliage that Grows Well in the Shade.

From the mountains of central and southern Europe comes an exceptional rose - the Rosa glauca, also known as rubrifolia. Introduced into England around 1830, this species rose is known for its unique and stunning foliage and small rosehips that remain through the winter--unlike most roses, which are known only for their blooms. The foliage is dusty mauve in the sun and grayish mauve in the shade - especially beautiful in cut arrangements. And it's almost thornless too! With mauve canes to enhance to the beauty of this shrub rose, you can add a unique interest to your garden, especially in winter.

Rosa glauca's beautiful blooms are a match with the foliage. The single, one-inch, star-shaped blossoms are dark pink with white centers and gold stamens in early summer. They are followed by small oval, orange-red hips in autumn.

This upright shrub arches when its branches become loaded with flowers and can be used almost anywhere on your landscape. Its branches can reach up to ten feet tall - let them arch or take advantage of the long stems and train it as a climbing rose.

Rosa glauca will bloom on both old and new wood, so prune only when it has finished flowering for the season. This is a beautiful, easy to care for shrub that will bring you joy all year long, whether outdoors or as part of an intriguing flower arrangement.

Shade-tolerant shrubs with foliage in hues of grey are very scarce indeed, as are shade tolerant shrubs that bloom pink in the summer. Rosa glauca has not only the foliage color, but also a graceful habit that adds informal charm to the shade garden.

Planting and Care

• Fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil
  
• Plant in full sun to moderate shade
  
• Fertilize with Rose-Tone at planting and feed once a month during growing season
  
• Prune immediately after flowering.
  
• Hardy in zones 2-9
  
• Very resistant to black spot and mildew.

About the Author
Alan Summers, president of Carroll Gardens, Inc., has over 30 years experience in gardening and landscape design. He has made Carroll Gardens one of America's preeminent nurseries.

Visit http://www.carrollgardens.com/emailsignup.asp to sign up for the Carroll Gardens weekly enewsletter.

Visit http://www.carrollgardens.com/ to learn more.

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Plant a Rose Bush in your Garden

by Completely Free Catalogs

Now that summer is here and upon us many people start thinking about what garden project they will work on this year. Whether you are creating a new garden or adding to your existing garden and spicing it up a bit. Why not plant a rose bush in your garden? It is not as hard as some may think and they are beautiful, who doesn't love roses?!

There are thousands of rose types to choose from and the choices can be overwhelming. Most importantly pick a rose bush that will do well in your climate. You can visit a local nursery to see their selection and you can also ask questions. Your local nursery is a great resource for learning about roses, plants and more - use it! If your neighbor has a rose bush that you have been admiring, don't be shy ask them what type of bush it is. Some rose bushes will need more maintaining then others so be sure and ask as many questions as you can so you know what you are in for when you start.

After you have picked the right rose bush next you will have to figure out where in your garden you will be planting it. Be sure and pick a good location. Ideally you should have your plans laid out prior to purchasing your rose bush. Choose a spot that will allow for six hours of sun light each day, where air circulates and the soil receives good drainage. These are the most important factors when planting your new rose bush.

Most bare-root rose bushes are planted during late winter. If you purchase your roses in a container you can plan to plant them in the early spring. You should avoid planting roses during the summer. The hot weather can stress your new rose plant which will prohibit it from growing. If you still decide to plant your rose bush during the summer, you can expect to water it every day usually.

And there you have it, the basics for planting a rose bush in your garden. Take time and pick the right rose bush for you and make sure you have a location that will meet the needs of your new rose bush. Happy gardening!

About the Author
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Yellow, Red or Pink Rose Gardening?

by ken sharp

Roses are truly beautiful flowers. They are so complicated and delicate and will definitely give notice to your rose garden. But which color theme do you go with this year? Red, yellow or pink? How about white? Hmmmm...Something to think about. You dont want to rush into things here.

You want your garden to be something special and show everybody that you spent a lot of time and hard work on it.

First plan, plan, plan!

Then when you found your theme, as you are buying the roses for your garden, think about these tips...

First choose the right potting soil for your rose garden. Your rose garden should have at least 1.5 feet of fresh and fertile potting soil. Make sure your soil is very ventilated and drains easily. Where you put your flowerbed is also important. Your rose garden should get anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of sunlight every day.

Mulching is good for roses. It keeps the rain water from caking up the top soil and also controls a weed problem. Since roses need water once a week, the mulching will help with any rain that may come in between watering sessions. Roses will need one inch of water per week and you should water them once every week in one session, opposed to watering them throughout the week.

Different kinds of roses have different meanings to people. Here are a few for you to consider when building your rose garden...

Two entertwines roses means that a wedding or an engagement is in the future of some lucky couple. A single red rose means I love you. Two dozen roses means congradulations. For dozen roses means unconditional love. A single rose, regardless of color, means thank you. One dozen roses is meant for graditude. Yellow and white roses means harmony. Red and white roses means bonding. Red and yellow roses means happy celebration. Yellow roses are for friendship. White roses means I miss you. Pink roses means thank you.

Roses require light pruning. To prune your roses, you will need to remove any old stems and leaves. This will enable the sap to reach any new stems and leaves that will need it.

When buying roses, they will come in to formats. Either packaged or plain rooted. You should buy the plain rooted ones right before you plan to plant them, because they cannot last long outside of soil. The best time to plant roses is after winter, after the ground is thawed-Right after winter for southern states or somewhere during spring in the northern states.

So when you are planning your rose garden, remember these simple tips and have fun building your garden!

About the Author
For more information on roses and rose gardens, please go to:
http://containergardening.awardspace.com/roses.html

Rose Gardening: Water, Sun and Shade.

by Derek Gardner

My rose is not blooming? The rose is not getting enough sun. Roses need a minimum 6 hours of direct sun a day to do well. The rose plant needs more water. Roses like as a minimum 1 inch of water per week during the growing season. The rose has been given too much fertilizer especially Nitrogen. Too much fertilizer can either damage the rose or cause it to grow additional leaves and stems at the expense of blooms. The rose is a new plant. Do not expect too much from a plant during its first year. Rose is a once blooming variety. This means it will bloom once a year in the late spring or early summer. Soil pH is too low or too high. If the pH is not within the range of 6.0 to 6.8 then nutrient uptake will be less, and the plant won't be getting the food it must have to produce flowers. Not enough foliage. If the bush does not have enough foliage, it can not make the food it needs to make new flowers. Inadequate foliage can be result from disease or too little fertilizer.

How much water do roses need? Roses welcome lots of water. Water kindly, at least 1 inch/week, if possible 2 inches/week during growing season. You should water every 4-7 days during the summer. A rose bush needs about 4-5 gallons/week during the hot summer. Roses get their food either through the leaves (foliar feeding) or through the roots. The only medium for transporting food is water. Infrequent deep watering is better than frequent light watering. This will help to promote a deep root system. Deep root systems help the rose to survive droughts and winter freezes. Light and frequent watering causes roots to form very near the soil surface, and that is not good. When watering late in the day, you should try to avoid getting the leaves wet, because it promotes disease. But on a hot day wetting the foliage can reduce transpiration and relieve heat stress on the rose.

How much sun does a rose need? Roses prefer a full day of sun. Give roses at least 6 hours of direct sun a day. Morning sun is especially important because it dries the leaves which helps prevent disease.

Can roses be grown in shade? Generally roses do poorly in shady conditions. They bloom less, are leggy, and get diseases more easy. But Hybrid Musk's and some Alba's can tolerate partial shade. The Floribunda "Gruss An Aachen" can be grown in shade. Some other roses that may grow in partial shade are the Iceberg(FB), Rugosas, Zephirine Drouhin (Bourbon), Madame Plantier and Souvenir du Docteur Jamain(HP)

About the Author
Much more information about Rose Gardening on this site - check out your self.

The Most Popular Roses

by Chester Smith

When most think of flowers the image that comes to mind is that of a rose. A rose can be used to express any kind of emotion. It can indicate love or it can denote sadness. It can bring a peace of mind or it can excite the receiver.

Little wonder that most of us want to buy a rose. And it is easily understandable as to why many of us would want to see roses blooming in our gardens.

People like all the different varieties of roses. Yet as is the case with most things there are some roses that are more popular than the others.

The image of rose that comes to the mind of most people is that of a hybrid tea rose. A hybrid tea rose usually has a large bloom at the end of a cane. The blooms of hybrid teas come in almost all colors except blue and black.

It is the hybrid teas that are sold the most at florists shop. Examples of this type of rose are Double Delight and Mr. Lincoln.

Another popular variety of roses is the Floribundas. These were earlier called hybrid polyanthas. These usually have smaller blooms and the blooms are usually in clusters.
However there are some exceptions in which the blooms appear singularly. These are the roses ideal for landscaping purposes. Examples of this category are Iceberg and Angel Face.
At times you can also combinations of the Floribundas and the Hybrid Teas. These are called Grandifloras. These are comparatively smaller plants.

Their blooms are also smaller and tend to come in clusters. Queen and Elizabeth are two such combinations.

Then there are the Miniature roses. These are roses that are smaller in bush, foliage and bloom size. The looms of the miniature roses tend to lie in the range of ½ to 2 inches.
Miniatures are very popular roses. The biggest advantage with them is that they can be grown anywhere, even in containers. Behold and Fairhope are two representatives of this category of roses.

Mini-Floras are roses that are too large to be miniatures but too small to be either a Hybrid Tea or a Floribunda. These are usually not fit for landscaping purposes. Cachet and Autumn Splendor are two examples the roses that are covered by this category.

The next sets of roses that are worth a mention are the Old Garden Roses. These are the roses that had been classified before 1867. These include the mosses and the gallicas.

Shrubs are next roses that we can talk about. This is catchall category. This includes roses that are hybrids of other categories and the roses that do not fir easily in any other categories. Ballerina and Rose de Rescht are two roses that fall under this category.

Any such cannot be completed without a mention of the Climbing Roses, which are named so because they can climb to great heights. These are very vigorous in nature. When they are in bloom they tend to be covered in blooms for a month or even longer.

The canes of these roses are flexible. The blooms of the Climbing Roses are small in size and are arranged in large clusters. American Pillar and Seven Sisters are but two of the roses that belong to this category.

These are the prominent categories of the roses that are favored by the gardeners. Each of them needs a certain climate for growth and it is this climate that determines the region of their growth.

So pick your favorite keeping in mind the growth conditions and fill your garden with roses.

About the Author
Chester Smith runs a website dedicated to Rose Gardening. The site features free blogs for users who wish to create blogs about roses.

Try visit Rose Garden Care...

Learn Rose Gardening - And Have Fun Doing It!

By Robert Mosse

Are you ready to learn rose gardening? Here are some basics to help you start growing healthy, vibrant roses. It's a great thing to do for yourself and your garden!

In any rose garden there are some overall needs. Roses do need good garden soil, sunlight, and the availability of water. So let's begin to learn rose gardening with where your roses will "live."

The Rose Bed:

Almost any soil is, or can be made into, good garden soil. The best soil for your rose bed is a well-drained, fertile, light soil at least two feet deep. A pH between 6.0 - and 6.5 is ideal. Make sure your rose bed will get at least 4 hours of full sunlight a day, with 6 hours being best.

Purchasing Your Roses:

Roses can be easily bought from nurseries and garden centers. They will come as either "bare root" roses, or in containers (packaged).
Bare-root roses come with the roots protected in a moist packaging substance. Purchase these roses as close to planting time as possible, and plant them while they are dormant. Depending on your climate, the best planting time is late winter or early spring, after any frozen ground has thawed.

How To Plant Bare Root Roses:
1. Before planting, soak the roots in water overnight.
2. Dig a hole and make a mound of soil in the bottom of it. Set the plant on the mounds, spreading the roots evenly around the mound.
3. Place the rose so the bud union is at the same height as the ground surface.
4. Cover the roots with loose soil and press lightly. Add more soil until the hole is half full, then fill with water, letting the water soak in.
5. Fill the hole with soil, and you're done!

How To Plant Container, or Packaged, Roses:
1. To plant the rose while it is still dormant, take it out of the box and plant it like a bare-root rose.
2. If the rose is growing (showing leaves and flowers), cut the bottom of the container off, and cut several openings on each side. You want the roots to be unrestricted.
3. Set the rose in the planting hole to the right depth. Fill the hole with soil and water.

Mulching Roses:

Mulching your roses is good for any soil and in any climate. It is extremely helpful in dry areas. Mulch keeps the soil temperature steady, and prevents heavy rain from causing the top soil to cake up. Mulching also helps to controls weeds.

Watering Roses:

Roses need to receive 1 inch of water per week. What's the best way? Watering deeply once a week, instead of watering lightly more often. Overhead sprinkling is great when done in the morning. This lets the foliage dry out before nightfall. Using soaker hoses or other drip-irrigation systems may be a more convenient way to water your roses.

Winter Treatment:

It's fairly easy to help most roses get safely through winter. Start by shoveling a protective mound of soil around the base of the rose. Then add a few scoops of mulch around the base, and they should stay well insulated.

Pruning Roses:

As you learn rose gardening, you'll find that much satisfaction comes from pruning your roses. By pruning, you remove old wood and encourage sap to flow into younger and stronger branches.

Most roses need moderately light pruning. Prune roses in late winter or in early spring, as soon as the buds begin to swell, but before they start to open. In warm climates, pruning can be a year-round activity.

Of course, there is more to learn about rose gardening... but these basics will see that you're off to a good start. The main thing is to enjoy the beauty and blessings our roses bring us every day!

Copyright 2006 Robert Mosse
Robert Mosse is a garden and lawn care specialist and author of the "Easy" Lawn and Gardening Book Series. Find out more about growing roses ... and get Robert's free Guide for 101 Gardening Tips.

The Basics Of Pruning

By Bambi Coker

The technique of pruning varies with the type of rose and the landscape purpose for which it was planted, whether it’s growing in the ground or in a container. Pruning can range from removing unwanted buds to severely excising canes. Proper pruning stimulates growth at the buds closest to the cut, which produces new flowering stems.

The first step in pruning any type of rose is to remove any dead, damaged, diseased, or weak and thin canes, cutting them off flush with the bud union or, in the case of own-root plants, flush with the crown. Look for any canes that are broken or wounded, or that have cankers (dark, sunken lesions caused by a fungus), and prune below the injury, at the highest point where the pith (the central portion of the cane) is healthy and white. Make the cut exactly 1/4 inch above a growth bud. If the injury extends below that point, cut to a lower growth bud.

Next, remove canes that are growing into the center of the plant or those that cross each other. Canes that grow inward keep light and air from the center of the plant and will eventually cross, chafing one another. These abrasions can become entry points for insects and diseases. Using shears cut these canes down to their origin, whether that is another cane, the bud union, or the crown. It is important to keep the center of the plant open to let in sunshine and allow air to circulate freely.

Always prune to an outward-facing bud so that canes do not grow into the center of the plant. Prune at a distance close enough to the bud that no stub remains to die off and harbor insects or diseases but far enough away that the bud will not die. A good distance is about 1/4 inch above the growth bud. Equally important, cut at the proper angle so that water runoff won’t drip on the bud or collect in the cut and retard healing. The ideal angle is 45 degrees, slanted parallel to the direction of bud growth.

Pruning in Warm and Cold Climates

In warm climates where rose plants grow quite large, pruning to the recommended height is not desirable because it will remove too much of the plant. Instead, prune away about one half to two thirds of the plant each winter or early spring by removing the older canes and shortening the remaining canes. In cold climates where there is a great deal of winter damage, pruning heights may be determined for you by the amount of winterkill. Prune canes down to where there is no more winter damage, even if it is almost to the ground.

The higher a plant is pruned, the earlier it will flower. But don’t jeopardize the health and vigor of the plant by pruning too high just to have blooms a few clays earlier. There is little advantage to pruning your roses lower than the heights prescribed above; unlike disbudding (which we’ll discuss later); it will probably not make the plants produce larger flowers.

Preventing Disease

Although black spot and other fungal diseases manifest themselves on leaves, their spores can over-winter on rose canes. If these diseases plagued your roses during the previous summer, you should prune them lower than recommended, cutting away and discarding much of the source of the problem. Although you won’t be able to see the spores on the canes, you can be assured that cutting off a few extra inches during spring pruning will reduce the number of spores to some degree. Never leave rose cuttings on the ground. They look unsightly and harbor diseases and pests that may potentially re-infect the plant or spread to others.

When to Seal Cuts

Pruning cuts more than inch in diameter can be sealed with pruning compound, orange shellac, or grafting wax (available at garden centers or hardware stores) if boring insects are a problem in your area. Pruning compound and orange shellac are the easiest to use because they can be painted on. Otherwise, sealing is not necessary. Some types of white glue, which is sometimes used as a sealant, are water soluble and will wash away with the first rain or watering; they should therefore not be used.

Inspect After Pruning

Several weeks after you have pruned, take a second trip through the garden with your paining shears. If you pruned early in the year, a late frost may have caused minor dieback on some of the canes. This dieback should be removed. Cankers that were not apparent at pruning time may be visible and should also be pruned away.

Don’t be too harsh when pruning young plants. Until plants are well established and have been growing robustly for two to three years, remove only weak, damaged, or dead wood. Shape and shorten the plants as recommended above without cutting away any of the older canes. In the following years, old canes can be removed as new ones develop.

Bambi Coker © All Rights Reserved

http://www.RosesSecretsRevealed.com

http://www.aaaroses.blogspot.com

Choosing the Right Roses for your Garden

By Kathy Burns-Millyard

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.

4. If certain fragrances invoke an allergic reaction, you'll want to plant roses that have a softer fragrance than the others.

5. It's smart gardening to learn what the advantages and disadvantages would be if you were to choose certain roses over others.

6. You will want to consider the size of your garden space, so that you can ensure proper exposure to the air and other elements as well.

7. If you are hoping to make your roses into bouquets, you will want to know if they can be cut. Hybrid teas can. Some roses will fall apart at the petals if they are cut.

8. You should also consider what other types of flowers or plants you intend on adding to the rose's environment. You want to add plants and flowers that will not create a damaging environment to your rose's ecosystem.

Some Common Types of Roses

After you get a sense of the type of roses that you would like to plant, you'll naturally want to know which types of roses best fit with your planting ideas. There are too many varieties of roses to list here, but this list covers some of the most popular. You should consult your nearest garden center for advice on whether your choice is fitting to your garden's abilities.

Landscape roses - Landscape roses are great for the novice gardener. They are disease resistant, and require a little bit less maintenance. Hybrid teas are not good for the novice.

Climbing Roses- These roses are different from the regular roses that are planted as they are trained to grow upward like vines. Most people like to use these for trellises, or buildings. Some of them are hybrid teas, wichuraine, and large flowered climbers. They are a beautiful addition to the look of one's house.

Shrub Roses - Shrub roses like the beautiful rugosa are both long blooming, and disease resistant. These are also great for the novice planter. They are gorgeous even when they are not in bloom because the foliage is so pretty.

Old Garden Roses- These roses are not very good for those with severe allergies to strong fragrances because they have a strong fragrant odor. However, they are disease resistant and continue to bloom for months at a time.

The Modern Rose - These are very special roses because they are the result of cross breeding the hybrid tea with the polyanthus. They are also referred to as Floribunda. They are a beautiful combination of the best those two flowers have to offer. They are long blooming, fragrant, and they are great for cutting.

Miniature Roses - Miniature roses are exactly what they sound like. They have all of the fragrance and beauty of a regular rose, but they have smaller blooms. These particular roses are great for indoor planting.

While note all inclusive, this article should be a great help in getting you started on the way to having your very own, gorgeous rose garden.

© 2004, Kathy Burns-Millyard and Garden-Source.com

This article is provided courtesy of http://www.Garden-Source.com - You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

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