The first summer roses in my garden are now coming into bloom and I can hardly wait to breathe their sweet scent. The beauty of flower and fragrance has inspired many gardeners for hundreds of years. While not the easiest of plants to grow, roses reward the gardener for the effort made with luscious blooms that can take your breath away.
Some of our favourite tips for growing great roses are as follows.
When you purchase a new rose bush choose varieties carefully. Some are more fragrant, more disease resistant or have unusual colour combinations. Look for No. 1 Grade roses and pick a healthy plant that shows good vigour.
When you go home to plant your new rose, choose a sunny location (min 6 hours). Roses don't like a lot of competition so be sure the place you choose doesn't have large trees very close that are going to hog all the nutrients, water, and sunlight.
Try not to plant in the hottest time of the day and water your new rose bush in the pot before you plant it. Roses are heavy feeders so be generous with nutrients and soil amendments.
I recommend the following for planting new roses:
½ cup bone meal
½ cup alfalfa meal
½ cup fish meal
2 shovelfuls of peat moss
2 shovelfuls of manure or compost
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