Care Of Fresh Cut Roses

by Sherry Russell - Powers

The care of fresh cut roses is best done if you cut your roses when partly opened, preferably on a sunny afternoon day. Don't cut more stem than you need (unless the plant has grown too tall), and make the cut one - quarter inch above a five -part leaf.

Immediately after cutting you should condition them for an hour or two before using them in an arrangement, bouquet, or corsage. This is how you do this:

1 - First wash off any soil or spray residue with warmer, not cold, water that is on the leaves and remove any lower leaves that will be below your water line in the vase.

2 - Scrap off the thorns below the leaves with a sharp knife.

3 - Make a new, sharply slanting cut at the end of the stem and scrape a little bark off the lower inch or so. This helps the roses to absorb water.

4 - Place the roses in room-temperature water. The water should be deep enough to reach up to the lower leaves.

5 - Stand container in a cool place, out of drafts, and in an hour or two the roses will be ready for use.

Roses that have wilted-either because they are not placed in water soon enough or from drafts- can usually be revived by this procedure:

Cut off the lower inch or so of the stem at a slant. Make two scrapes one to two inches long at the base. Place the scraped part in hot water- not boiling, but a little too hot to hold your hand in - and leave them in the water until the water cools. Then place them in cold water up to the base of the flowers. In about an hour they should be totally revived and strong enough for arranging.

Keep your bouquet or arrangement away from direct heat and drafts. Add water and rose food as necessary to keep the stems well immersed.

Some of the best roses for cutting are:

Dark Red Roses such as Carrousel, Chrysler Imperial, Crimson Glory, Nocturne and Miranda

Medium Red Roses such as Starfire, New Yorker and El Capitan

Light Red or Dark Pink such as Charlotte Armstrong, Montezuma, Tallyho and Red Radiance

Medium Pink such as Queen Elizabeth, Duet, Pink Favorite, Pink Peace and Show Girl

Light Pink such as First Love, Pink Princess, Picture and Radiance

Deep Yellow such as Lowell Thomas and Gold Glow

Medium Yellow such as Eclipse, Burnaby, Buccaneer and King's Ransom

Light Yellow like McGredy's Yellow

White such as White Knight, June Bride, White Queen and Pedralbes

Orange and Orange Blend such as McGredy's Sunset, Mrs. Sam McGredy, Mojave, Aztec and Hawaii

Apricot Blend like Paramount

Pink Blend such as Tiffany, President Herbert Hoover, Mission Bells, Confidence and Good News

There are several others. You should check at your local gardening center to find which grow best in your climate.

The care of fresh cut roses is not hard to do and very rewarding.

About the Author
For more information about roses including color meaning of roses,growing roses for beginners and rose symbolic meaning visit http://www.rosetypesonline.com/

Source: www.goarticles.com

About Roses

by Steve Knapp

Who doesn't love the most popular flowering plant on the planet, the rose? The beautiful rose can easily spark a conversation even among the quietest of people. Nearly everyone can tell stories of someone who has grown a gorgeous rose garden - or perhaps of someone who couldn't. Even small children know how beautiful and special roses are.

Visit your local florist and you're likely to find dozens of colors, types, and sizes of roses available. Roses would seem to be the most popular flower of all time. You can now buy various types of roses almost anywhere, from your local discount store, the supermarket, or even your neighborhood convenience store.

For me, the colors are the most appealing trait of the rose. Roses exist in a vast and varied array of rich and vibrant colors. However, I think I'm in the minority. Most people will tell you that the fragrance is what draws them to roses. The rose has a most distinctive aroma that is welcomed by nearly everyone. The scent is like no other on earth, which has led manufacturers worldwide to reproduce it in perfumes air fresheners for years. Not to mention the infinite assortment rose-scented potpourri, lotions, oils, and other bath products.

Growing your own rose bushes can be very rewarding. You can choose from a wide variety of colors, sizes, and types. Prices will vary depending on where you buy and what type and size you select. When deciding what type of rose you'd like to plant, don't forget to consider its placement. When planting roses you'll want to keep in mind that most of them do have thorns. Therefore, you might want to plant them away from areas where your small child or grandchild or other tiny visitor might happen upon something so pretty that they can't resist grabbing and end up with handful of thorns.

When planting climbing rose plants be sure you won't have vines trailing across the ground to be stomped by animals or other foot traffic. If your rose plant is the type that grows into a bush, you would want to place it in a spot that will allow for it to spread without being crowded. Always pay close attention to the sunlight requirements of the roses you choose. While most love loads of direct sunlight, some roses are delicate and unfiltered light would cook their leaves to an unwelcome brown.

Once you have chosen your rose bush, plant it with care and spend just a few minutes a week tending to its needs and you will be rewarded with a bounty of beautiful, fragrant blooms for seasons to come! Visit http://www.prunemyroses.com/ for all of the information you need to keep your rose garden healthy and beautiful.

About the Author
I'm a garden hobbyist, just like you... but I'm really good at finding answers on the internet. My friends & family have convinced me to begin sharing the information I've found that helps me keep my yard looking great all year-long. Check out my condensed eBook The Planting & Caring for Your Rose Garden now at http://www.prunemyroses.com/.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/