Clever tips for growing and maintaining a rose garden

Roses are cherished garden plants. Although modern roses are more tolerant of disease than their ancestors, they remain somewhat demanding. However, with careful attention to plant selection, site, pruning and fertilization, anyone can grow at least a few roses without constant problems. Here's how to get started.

Roses begin developing new roots at the same time that they grow new leaves, so early planting gives them an entire season to become established.

• Roses are often grown in rose beds so that their growing requirements can be easily met, or they may be mixed with a few annuals or low-growing perennials. Select a sunny site where you can care for the plants. You can set out dormant bare-root roses, which are usually offered by mail-order nurseries, in early spring before the first leaves appear.
• Many roses, however, can be grown in a perennial border, where they blend magnificently with bluebeard, catmint and lavender.
• Other types can be massed as ground covers, grown as hedges or showcased as specimens.
• Later in the season, after the plants have begun active growth, plant only container-grown roses. These can be planted all summer, providing the soil around their roots is kept moist afterwards. Also, small roses can be grown in containers all year.

• To prepare for planting, dig a hole 45 centimetres (18 inches) deep and wide and enrich the soil with compost, well-rotted manure or peat moss. Mix in a timed-release fertilizer or a commercial plant food developed for roses, according to package directions.
• Next, look at the main stem. Many roses are grafted, which means the stems of a desired variety have been attached to the roots of a hardier rose. This forms a callused bump just above the roots, which is called the graft union. It can be injured by cold, so in Zones 2 to 6 this bulge should be 2.5 to 10 centimetres (one to four inches) below the soil line; the colder the winter, the deeper it should be. Where winters are mild, set plants higher, with the graft union about 2.5 centimetres (one inch) above the soil.
• If you are planting a container-grown rose, adjust the depth of the hole so that the graft union is at the desired level. Slide the plant from the pot, set it in the hole and fill around it with soil.
• If you are planting a bare-root rose, create a cone-shaped mound of soil in the centre of the hole at the height required for the graft union to be at the desired level. Set the plant atop the mound and spread the roots out around the cone's sides. Fill the hole around the cone with soil.

• Water the plants well and spread five to eight centimetres (two to three inches) of compost or organic mulch. If there is no rain, water every third day with a deep, slow soaking, taking care not to wet the foliage.Once roses are established, they need 2.5 centimetres (one inch) of water weekly.
• Fertilize established roses at least twice each season, in spring and early summer, with a balanced, timed-release fertilizer or one formulated for roses. In Zones 8 and 9, where hybrid tea roses may rebloom in the fall, feed them a third time in late summer.
• Prune roses in early spring to improve air circulation and discourage fungal infections. To help plants rebloom, prune off old flowers as they fade.
• From Zone 6 northward, insulate the base of plants from extreme cold by piling a 30-centimetre-deep (12-inch-deep) cone of soil and mulch around plants in late fall, after they go dormant. Even if buds higher up on the plants are killed, those protected beneath the mulch will survive.

Maintaining roses has never been easier! Remember these expert tips and create a beautiful rose garden in no time.