Growing Beautiful Roses: Selection, Planting, and Care

Choosing Healthy Roses

With over 5,000 varieties, select roses with healthy green stems—not shriveled or brown. Price doesn't guarantee quality; newer popular varieties may be trendy but not necessarily better.

Rose Categories

Two main types: bush roses (shrubs) and climbers (need support). Bush roses include Hybrid Teas (over 60% of U.S. roses), Polyanthas (large clusters), Floribundas (larger than Polyanthas), and Perpetual Hybrids (June bloom, continuing through summer). Climbers include Ramblers (long canes for walls/fences), Pillar Roses (for buildings/posts), and Climbing Hybrid Teas.

Soil Preparation and Planting

Use quality garden loam enriched with leaf mold, compost, peat moss, and manure. Prepare beds well in advance. Fall is ideal for planting, but spring works too. Plant immediately upon receipt; soak dried-out roots in water first. Trim loose, long, or broken roots. Dig a hole large enough for roots to spread, setting the bud union just below ground level. Space Hybrid Teas 18 inches apart; prune canes to 6–10 inches from soil.

Ongoing Care

Cultivate, spray, and prune regularly. Well-cultivated beds reduce watering needs. In summer heat, soak weekly. Spray insecticide every 10 days. Winterize by mounding sod after first frost, or use straw and evergreen mix. In cold areas, lay climber canes on ground, peg down, and cover with soil mounds.