Lesson 5: Annuals, Perennials and Biennials
Roses
Roses are among the most beautiful blooms in the garden. Versatile and hardy, they are among the easiest plants to grow. Unfortunately, they have a reputation for being very demanding. Some are, but newer varieties have been bred to make them almost carefree.
Roses like a minimum of 6 hours of good morning light. They thrive in a slightly acidic, well amended soil. A good mixture would have compost, bonemeal, sulfur and soybean meal, well mixed. They do like manure, particularly horse manure, well dug in.
Roses should always be watered at the base of the plant. Wetting the leaves encourages both blackspot and mildew problems. The only exception to this is when you suffer a heat spell, with temperatures over 90 degrees. Then along with a deep morning watering, a light shower will help them withstand the stress of high heat.
A regular (twice a year) program of spraying with dormant oil and copper will help retard fungi and help reduce aphid problems. Rose Defense is an excellent product, and if it's used weekly throughout the season it will effectively control most rose pests.
Pruning in temperate winter zones can be done in the Fall or Spring. But even if you hard prune in Spring, removing dead canes and broken stems will help keep the bush healthier throughout the winter. Hard pruning takes the bush back down to 3-4 of the strongest canes, leaving the center of the bush open for air.
For those gardeners living in very cold climates, there is a new class of roses, bred especially for these conditions. The Explorer series of roses offers the home gardener a stunning choice of colors and varieties to choose from. Many roses are also bred to be blackspot resistant. These are good choices for very damp humid climates.
Another variety of rose, called the landscape or groundcover rose, is excellent for very tough spaces. Colorful, hardy and easy to care for, they are an excellent choice for filling in bare spots.
If you have never tried growing roses, go online and visit www.heirloomroses.com for a glimpse at the true beauty of these plants.
