subject: Growing Successful Rose Gardens [print this page] Roses are perhaps the most popular of all garden plants. There are a number of different varieties in endless colors. Some roses can be grown as ground covers while other may be trained to grow on arbors, trellises and other garden structures. Many varieties bloom continuously, with diligent deadheading, throughout the entire growing season. Others still are treasured for their fragrance.
Before attempting to grow a rose garden be sure to choose an appropriate site. Roses prefer at least six hours of full sun a day. They also prefer well drained soil (roses won't grow well in wet soil) rich in organic matter with a pH be between 6.5 and 7. Become familiar with roses you plant. Knowing the mature size of a rose will prevent excessive pruning and unnecessary transplants.
Roses are quite versatile and can be grown on a garden wall, fence, arbor or other garden structures. Climbing roses are vigorous growers and can provide a garden with a colorful privacy screen. Rose covered arbors are a classic way to create transitions between garden spaces.
Let rambling roses take over a bare, sunny corner of your yard. Vigorous growing pink, white, red or yellow rambling roses will send out long shoots from the base of each bush, and quickly create a colorful groundcover. With many showy flowers on the old stems, they bloom once each season. Rambling roses are easily trained making them perfect for on arbors or trellises.
Roses work well when planted as part of an entrance garden, just be sure to keep them at a distance from walkways as their thorns can be quite painful. They can create a focal point by being planted and trained to grow up a lamp post. By coiling the canes around a post or other column, they are forced to grow more horizontal than if trained vertically by running up the sides of the column. This technique helps create more blooms.
Potted roses are a great way to add color to your patio. You can turn your patio into a sanctuary with planters of miniature roses in a mix of colors. Fragrant rose varieties or roses are excellent for gathering spaces such as patios and decks.
For added color consider planting low growing annuals, such as alyssum or verbana, around your roses. Roses should be planted in the garden in places where there is easy access since roses require frequent watering and deadheading.
Roses are the ideal garden plant and no sunny garden is complete without them.
