Roses are a beloved flower. They easily enchant us with their color and fragrance. This perennial plant with origins in China has become a symbol of love and friendship in our culture. Most gardens have rose bushes because of their beauty, their perennial nature, and because they are relatively low-maintenance. As hobby gardens have taken off since the pandemic, so too has the quest to find the most beautiful roses to add to one's yard or garden. In that vein...
Welcome to a month of roses. Each week, I will unpack tips and tricks that I have learned as I have grown roses in the garden and around our home. I look forward to writing about fertilizing, pruning, winterizing, cutting roses for best vase life, and many other topics. I will also experiment with growing rose bushes from cuttings and look forward to sharing my findings.
Golden Opportunity climbing rose
Sourwood Creek Farm, while extremely small, has a designated rose bed with many beautiful rose bushes. A few of the bushes we inherited with our home. However, they were planted under the shade of a tree. They did not do well until transplanted out to the farm last year. Now, they are thriving and healthy.
Unknown inherited rose, Distant Drums, Julia Child
Roses need 6-8 hours of full sun. They need rich, well-draining soil, and they thrive when fertilized regularly. Roses should be watered regularly at the base of the plant, not on the leaves. Those with sandier soil should water more frequently than those with heavy clay soil.
Lady Banks Rose, Photo by Rebecca Matthews on Unsplash
There are many classes of roses such as wild species roses; old garden or tea roses; ramblers that easily climb buildings and brick walls; hybrids that have been bred for repeat blooms, petal count, or bloom size; english roses; and floribunda roses. Many more categories exist. As we have invested in different rose bushes at the farm, we have considered disease resistance, repeat blooms, and color. We have english roses, ramblers, floribunda roses, and tea roses.
Julia Child rose
Roses are such a beautiful perennial flower. When they receive the right care, they bring so much beauty to a yard or garden. A rose bush would be a wonderful gift for a friend or family member. Follow along during the month of April to find out more about caring for these beautiful plants.
Posts to look forward to in this series:
Propagating Roses from Cuttings
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