Growing Roses in Containers
Wouldn’t you just love to have roses blooming in your home at your kitchen window or possibly in a bay window in your living room? Have you considered growing roses in containers? You can grow roses inside your home if you do your research and learn how to care for them. Proper care of container pots is very important to the health of your roses. You need to make sure that you get the right sizes and types of pots to put your roses in. The five gallon pots are the best size of pots to grow roses in. You can expect the roses that you grow will get to the height of two to three feet if they are properly cared for.
You need to make sure that the pot that you use has a hole in the bottom so it has sufficient drainage. It will also help to add a saucer to the bottom that is filled with gravel. This will soak up any standing water that is left so that the roots are not getting too wet. You will find that there are many different roses that thrive very well for growing roses inside your home. These roses include Ballerina, Cecile Brunner, Hermosa, Peace, Sea Foam, Valentine, along with several others.
In selecting containers, you should make sure that you have the right pot made from the right material. The best types of pots that are ideal for roses are those that are made of porous terra cotta. These types of pots help to improve the air circulation for the roots of the roses. Concrete pots work very well also but they tend to be very heavy, which makes them less desirable for rose growers. Large ceramic pots or fish bowls make wonderful decorative containers. Another good type of pot is the fiberglass or plastic pot. These are great pots for areas that are extremely hot because they will retain soil moisture a lot longer. Plus these pots are lightweight, which makes them much easier to handle and move around the home. For very large or heavy pots you can find saucer dollies with rollers on the bottom to make it easier to move them.
Another very important factor when you grow roses indoors is the soil that you use. Do not fill your pots with soil you dig up from your garden. It will be too heavy and who knows what weed seeds, bugs and bacteria may be present in this soil. Use potting soil that you can purchase from the local nursery or garden store. The cheapest kind will work. If you need large amounts many nurseries sell it in bulk quantities. Proper care of the rose after planting is more important than selecting the perfect potting soil. Your goal is to produce healthy beautiful roses that you can enjoy indoors.
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Making Rose Potpourri
How to Make Rose Potpourri and Enjoy the Scent When Blooms are Gone
Most people enjoy the scent and beauty of fresh roses. In fact, they are one of the most popular garden flowers grown. However, once cut, a rose has a short life; soon it will fade and dry out. For those that love roses, this doesn’t mean that you have to throw away the flower. In fact, making rose potpourri is a great way to preserve the petals and keep enjoying the scent well after nature has taken its course. Rose potpourri is easy to make and anyone can learn to do it.
The first step of the process is to select the best roses for the job. Not all roses are created equal and there are pros and cons to each kind. The popular red rose probably looks the nicest when completely dried; however, its fragrance is often weak. Orange and yellow roses have the strongest scent, but can discolor when dried, making them more suitable for wet potpourri. You also need to begin the drying process at the peak time, which is usually when the rose is about halfway open. Finally, when making rose potpourri, the drying process is critical. Keep in mind that rose petals will shrink significantly. It’s also crucial to stay away from metal as a mixing medium. Glass or plastic are much more suitable. Also, use only plain salt if called for in your recipe.
There are two types of potpourri: wet and dry. Dry potpourri uses petals that are completely dried- if you applied pressure, they would crumble. The other ingredients added are also dry. This is the easiest type to use with your first attempt at making rose potpourri. However, it can be worth the trouble to try a wet potpourri, as the scent is more apparent and lasts much longer. Wet potpourri is usually made by carefully drying and curing rose petals in salt for approximately two weeks. Other ingredients that are added, include spices, rose oil and a fixative agent such as dry lavender, oak moss, sandalwood or orrisroot (available in chopped form at many herb and spice shops). Seal the potpourri in a glass jar and allow it to meld and cure for a month. After that time, the scent will have developed and the potpourri is ready to use. Allow yourself a learning curve as you figure out the process, and use a good recipe. By experimenting with the different fixative agents and spices you can create scents that are either feminine or masculine in fragrance.
There many uses for this delightfully scented potpourri. It can be added to pillow stuffing or made into pomanders and hung in your closet. They are easy to make into sachets that can be added to any drawer or given as gifts for friends and family. Sachets are small bags or envelopes made of satin and tied with ribbon. Another clever idea you can use is to place a small amount of the fragrant mixture in a linen or lace handkerchief and tie the four corners together with a satin bow. These are especially nice to use in your lingerie or linen drawers.
Roses are only in bloom for so long. However, making rose potpourri is a fantastic way to preserve your rose petals and enjoy their scent long after their bloom has faded.
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Rose Bush Care
How the Beginner Can Reap Enjoyment from Growing Roses
What does it take for a beginner to reap the enjoyment from growing roses? Although there are many different varieties of roses from which to choose, the care they require is very similar. To get the best from your rose bushes, you need to put a little time and effort into your rose bush care. Choose the correct variety of roses for your area, as well as the right location for planting them, and then follow up with proper watering, fertilization, insect treatment, and pruning.
The most important part of rose bush care after choosing the right type of rose is the right location for it. If you choose a rose that grows well in the conditions you have in your area it will require less care from you in order to flourish. You want to make sure that you plant your roses in full sun or areas that get at least six to eight hours of sun, and you want to plant them far enough away from other plants so that they have plenty of room to grow and breathe.
When you plant your roses, make sure that you mix plenty of organic material into the soil since roses thrive on this. Check the soil pH and add appropriate ingredients to get your soil to a pH of around 6.5, and to make sure that your soil drains well. Dig the hole large enough that is bigger than the plant so the soil mixture will surround the new plant. The proper soil mixture is important for rose bush care so the rose will have the nutrients it needs to grow.
Once your rose is planted, the next component to consider is proper watering. You want to water the roots of the rose deeply about once a week and allow the soil to dry in between watering. Try to avoid watering the leaves of the plant since this can make it more susceptible to disease. You should fertilize your roses on a regular schedule (3 to 4 times during growing season) or follow the directions provided by the supplier. Cover them with mulch to keep the soil moist and warm and to limit the growth of weeds that compete with the roses for nutrients.
Roses need to be pruned after the first two years, and this should be done in the Spring, usually in April. After that, climbing roses need to be pruned every three or four years while other types of roses normally should be pruned every year. You want to cut away any dead or damaged parts of the bush.
Another essential element of rose bush care is keeping insects away from the bushes. The organic method for doing this relies a lot on having companion plants mixed in with the roses. More conventional methods can involve chemicals. It is best to ask someone at the gardening center which pests are most common in your area and the best way to deal with them. They should be able to provide information about both organic and chemical treatments that you can try.
Armed with this information your basic rose bush care will be easier than you first thought. Follow these guidelines and watch your roses grow into beautiful bushes filled with blooms, ready for you to cut and share with your friends.
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Growing Miniature Roses
Miniature roses have been traced back many centuries to the miniature China rose. However, the forerunner of today’s miniature rose dates back to 1917, when it was discovered growing in a window box in Switzerland. In 1936 the first miniature rose named ‘Tom Thumb’ was sold in the United States. Today there are miniature varieties of every other type of rose offering a huge diversity of form, color and fragrance.
Just because they are small doesn’t mean they are fragile. Actually they are pretty tough plants, since they are propagated and grown on their own roots which make them hardier in cold weather than other types of roses. They seem to do better in climates where temperatures do not go below 10 degrees F. for long periods of time.
Keep in mind that smaller plants mean smaller roots that don’t grow as deep as the roots of larger roses. This means they will need more frequent watering if you are in an area that doesn’t receive adequate rain. Their smaller size also means that you should use smaller amounts of fertilizer. A rule of thumb in fertilizing these roses is to give them one-third as much and twice as often.
During the growing season it is important to remove the faded flowers as they occur, this is known as deadheading. This is about all the pruning they need during the growing season and into the fall. Real pruning should be done in the spring but only to remove the dead parts.
Don’t let anyone try to persuade you that it is easy to grow miniature roses inside on a window sill. The major problem is that they need to be outside where they can get sufficient light and conditions are better for the overall plant health.
Miniature roses are wonderful to use in landscaping, but don’t be fooled by their small size as they grow to full size quickly and bloom all through the season. They are especially good to use for up-front placement. They make a beautiful flower border or to outline larger plants. Miniature roses are ideal for container gardening in a beautiful pot. Place them at the entrance to your house or around on your deck for small spots of bright color.
When using miniature roses in landscaping here are some tips on choosing the colors to accent your plan. If you are unsure about picking the colors, limit your choices. This may be a case of less is more and fewer colors work better together. There have been spectacular gardens using a single color especially if you have plenty of green foliage as background for the roses. Another tip is to pick colors that go well with the color of your house and trim to tie the landscape together creating a finished look.
Once you have chosen a color scheme for your landscape or garden, stick to it to avoid obvious mistakes. Colors can be harmonious meaning that they blend together smoothly producing a soothing effect. Usually they are varying shades of one of the primary colors such as red, blue or yellow. Contrasting colors can be use to accent each other. As an example you could combine blue salvia with Beauty Secret a medium red miniature rose or blue petunias next to Golden Halo, a bright yellow rose. Whatever you choose, if it doesn’t work, you can always change it for the next season, but don’t be afraid to try something new.
Check out the Guide to Growing Roses for more information.
You might also like these tips on growing Sensational Miniature Roses.
Learn the Secrets of Caring for Knock Out Roses
The Knockout rose is considered a top-notch landscape rose that produces ever-blooming cherry-red flowers with 5 to 7 petals and a light fragrance. These hardy growers can reach 3 to 4 feet in height with round foliage and great disease resistance. They can be a beautiful accent to your home and landscape if they are well cared for. However, if you just plant them and let them go, you might not get the perfect flower that you want. Growing and caring for Knockout roses is fairly easy for a beginner gardener to do, but maintaining them will take more effort and research. You need to understand how these roses differ from other roses in order to have knockout results. This includes how and when to prune your roses, how often you should water them, and what types of fertilizer to use.
Check out the best types of rose food to feed roses. They are fierce eaters and need good fertilizer in order to have maximum blooms every year. In caring for Knockout roses, you need to work plant food into the soil in the early spring as their first feeding. This is when the leaf buds of the plant begin to swell. You should use at least one round tablespoon of plant food per plant that you are feeding, or just follow the directions on the package of the fertilizer that you use. The next feeding should be right after the first heavy bloom.
The third feeding of your roses should be in late summer. There are some areas that will need to have a fourth feeding around October. You will find that most growers of roses follow a monthly feeding schedule for their roses in order to keep them looking at their best. Another aspect in caring for roses is to remember that they need sufficient water in order to thrive. During the hot summer months, special attention must be taken to make sure that they don’t dry out. If there is not enough rainfall, then you will have to manually water them.
When caring for Knockout roses, you have to watch for the pests and diseases that can damage or even kill roses. Black spot and mildew as well as blight on the plants are the main disease conditions. Insects such as the red spider, aphids, and thrips are the main insects to control. While these roses are disease resistant you can keep them healthy by following a few simple rules. These include: proper pruning, encouraging the good bugs in your garden that feed on the bugs that bother your roses, keeping your garden clean and using a dormant spray that kills the disease organisms before they become a problem.
Now you know how even beginners can grow beautiful, healthy Knockout roses that are the envy of the neighborhood.
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Tips on Growing Roses from Cuttings of My Favorite Bush
Have you ever wondered if growing roses from cuttings was possible? In actuality, roses can root very easily and soon you’ll be able to share your favorite roses with friends and family and enjoy the easy process of making tip cuttings. Keep in mind that it does require some patience because it usually takes about three years for your new rose plant to become fully established. First, you will need to start in either late summer or early autumn and select a healthy cane that is at least two feet long, an ideal piece will have at least one bud that is almost ready to open. Cut the stem just above this un-opened bud.
Remove the lower leaves from the stem so that at least three leaf joints are visible. These joints are where the new roots will form. Removing any thorns will also make the rose stem easier to handle. Once the leaves are removed, cut the stem to 10 inches in length and dip the end into a rooting hormone which will help to encourage faster rooting. You can either use one that is commercially available, for those growing roses from cuttings, or you can make your own by chopping willow twigs and soaking them in a bucket of water overnight. If you choose to use the home-made method, allow the cut stem to sit in the water overnight.
Next, you will need to plant each cutting into a small pot filled with good quality soil. You can add sand at the bottom for better drainage. It’s important to keep at least 2/3 of the cutting under the soil for better root growth. Gently mist the cutting and the soil and then cover and secure a plastic bag over the pot, keeping it outside in a brightly lit, but sheltered spot. You will need to check your cutting often to ensure that your stem is moist but not wet. Within a month, your rose cutting will have taken root.
You can also choose to plant your rose cutting directly into your rose garden in a well prepared spot that is sheltered from the mid-day sun. Follow the same steps but do not cover with a plastic bag. If flower buds should appear when growing roses from cuttings, remove them so that the young plant will be able to produce strong, vegetative growth. By the following autumn, you should be able to plant your rose cutting in its permanent home in your rose gardening plan.
For more on growing roses from cuttings click here.
Tips for Deciding When to Plant Roses
You’re ready to get started with your rose gardening, but there are some things to consider before you dig your first shovel of dirt. You have heard the saying “timing is everything,” well it is no different in deciding when to plant roses. If the temperatures where you live does not go below minus 10 degrees F., you can plant in either the fall or spring. This will give the roots a chance to make a home before they are stressed by extreme cold or heat. The best time, though, is to plant them in the spring when the danger of frost is gone and the soil is not frozen. If your winters are mild then the best time to plant roses is in the late fall or early winter (December or January).
If you are buying roses from a reputable mail order rose-grower they will ship your roses when it is time to plant them in your area. If you purchase bare root roses they should be planted in the dormant state, however, container grown roses can be planted at most any time during the growing season. Regardless of when you plant, it is a good practice to choose a day that is not windy or very hot.
If you plan to grow roses in cold winter climates (below -10 F), here are some tips on when to plant roses for the best results:
- Plant hardy roses such as ‘Applejack,’ ‘Carefree Beauty, ‘‘John Cabot,’ or ‘Prairie Princess,’ that are known for their cold hardiness.
- Choose own-root roses that are hardier than budded roses such as most miniatures and many old garden roses. They don’t have a bud union that is vulnerable to the cold temps.
- Plant deeper than normal so the bud union is well below the surface and has a layer of soil above it for protection.
- Winterize to protect your roses. Most roses properly prepared for cold weather are hardened off. Roses generally are hardened off gradually with the onset of fall and winter. In this process the plant’s cell walls thicken as they become dormant. More on winterizing your roses will be the topic for another article.
Temperature also influences the spacing of your roses. Rose plants don’t grow as large in areas where winters are severe. As an example, hybrid tea roses need 1 ½ to 3 feet between plants while large hybrid perpetual roses require 3 to 5 feet, and climbing roses need 8 to 10 feet of space.
Roses crave sunshine but dealing with too much or too little depends on choosing the appropriate varieties and planting sites for your climate. In areas where temperatures are generally above 32 degrees F. roses tend to grow and bloom most of the year. So it is important to water, deadhead, and fertilize more often. In temperate climates roses need some rest but may require winter pruning and leaf pulling to force them into dormancy.
Heat tolerance has some surprising effects on roses, especially on the color and the character of roses. Red roses with 45 to 50 petals need heat at night to open properly. For cooler zones roses with fewer petals are preferred. Warmth fuses the colors of the petals, while heat (temperatures over 90 degrees F) slows growth. More heat means that you need to water often so that the soil never dries out.
Armed with this information on when to plant roses, assemble your tools, landscape plans and roses. Now it is time to “Start your Shovels!”
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Beginners Want To Know When To Plant Roses
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