New Rose Garden/Bushes

[ApplePi]

Hey all

My husband and I moved to a new house, and we're finally settled enough for me to create a new front yard and back yard garden. This time around, I want to do roses in the front yard.

Any suggestions on beginning from scratch? I will of course peruse the threads, but I figured this would be a good place to start as well

Much thanks!

 

[heirloomgal]

Hi @ApplePi ,

I have had terrible luck growing roses, so I can't offer much growing tips aside from the fact they like good soil, but I can suggest a few gorgeous varieties; Blaze is a red blooming climber and gorgeous. Depending where you live some of the Rugosa roses are beautiful too and bloom all summer. They are not the easiest perennial flower to grow in certain conditions, but they make lovely cutting flowers for bouquets.

 

[flowerbug]

beginning from scratch puts it succinctly.

my early years (from 4 to 18) i lived in one place long enough to do some gardening and learned how to take care of houseplants and also roses out front in the eastern exposure. the further the rose was from the house the less chance it had of surviving our winters, but i kept trying.

i'm pretty sure blood was their favorite fertilizer, but that is sort of kidding because the best results i had from them were the few years i had fish to bury deeply enough that we couldn't smell them.

this is all so long ago now that newer varieties probably exist and better knowledge than mine. all i can say from more recent experience is that they don't like lowland mostly clay soil and a climate where fogs and dews sit heavy for a lot of the season.

if you're on a hill, with good air flow, sunshine, some rains, not too harsh a climate then i'd say you're in a good spot. if you're in a spot they may not like well enough then look for the types that are noted to be hardier or acclimated to your conditions. as a kid i never knew any of this. i learned by doing and failing (repeatedly) and paid my dues by getting stuck by thorns or trying to get the insecticides on the plants by using some powder squirt bottles that probably would give me nightmares now if i were to see one again...

it was, though, from roses that i learned about ants herding aphids and i spent many years and hundreds of hours watching ants and reading about them and will still read anything that comes across the popular press now about new ant discoveries.

i guess i'm not in a very specific mood this evening...

 

[digitS']

I looked back on your earlier posts and see that you are in North Carolina. That sounds like a good location for roses. Yes, people may be very good gardeners but have trouble with such a popular flower. You shouldn't be discouraged in North Carolina .

Close to the house would be good advice here and it was probably what the previous owner was thinking when they planted a rose on the north side. It had grown large but didn't bloom the first year that we lived here. We had bought the home in December but I looked back at the photos the realtor had of the Summer listing of the place. It wasn't blooming then! The next year, I had it pruned and moved it to a full sun location. That rose has lived and bloomed well every year since. It's been about 25 years . (A very vigorous clematis vine took its place in the shade.)

With strong growth, be willing to do some serious pruning during the final weeks of dormancy. Wear heavy leather gloves. Sulfur spray may be needed for mildew and, yes, aphids can be a problem ... although, House Sparrows can be your and the roses' allies in keeping them under control.

Roses are beautiful. Wishing you the best of luck!

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not a rose expert but I have grown some. My suggestion is to decide what type of roses you want to grow. There are all kinds of different roses. Some climb, some form a bush, some grow free standing canes. Pruning requirements differ but I think they all require some type of blood sacrifice, even wearing leather gloves and long sleeves. Some have a lot of aroma, some not much. Some are more disease resistant than others. You may need to support or train some, others not.

All gardening is local. In North Carolina you should have a lot of options as to which types you can grow. I found this article at the North Carolina extension service. It may help you. Some extension agents or offices are better than others but I find your county extension office is usually a good source for local knowledge.

Roses for North Carolina | NC State Extension Publications

Sooner or later most home gardeners think about growing roses. Landscape uses are quite varied because of the many different types of roses. They can be mass planted in beds, used as specimen or trained plants, planted as screens or hedges, or located near fences or arbors and allowed to climb...

content.ces.ncsu.edu

Not just for roses but about any landscaping plant I suggest you look at sunlight requirements, roses need sunlight. Look at soil types you have and amend before you plant if you need to. It is so much easier to do that before you have something growing there. Especially look at drainage requirements. Roses do not do well in soil that doesn't drain. If the area stays wet you are going to have problems, think mildew, leaf spots, and such. Look at the final size, you don't want them blocking walkways or a door like I did with a knockout rose at a shed door one time. That took extra pruning but was beautiful. Check out feeding requirements. My tea roses were spectacular instead of just being gorgeous when I fed them.

It can be helpful to put your general location in your profile so that information is always available to us. If Steve had not mentioned North Carolina I would not have known to look for that brochure.

 

[ducks4you]

Yeah, what @Ridgerunner said.
MY two cents is to start with a cheap rose that is sitting on clearance and has LOTS of growth.
I have lost roses and they are NOT cheap online.
Dig a hole 2x as wide as your rose needs and just a little bit deeper than the roots.
Trees and bushes are often planted too deep, so plant slightly above the ground. Gravity will settle it in.
ALSO, you only prune them in the middle Spring after frosts and freezes. Every rose has winter dieback...unless you live in the deep south.
All roses are grafted. If you cut below the graft, you will get the rootstock, hardy but might be a rose that doesn't flower.

Caring for Roses: A Beginner’s Rose Growing Guide - Garden Design

Discover ten essential rules for growing beautiful roses in your garden year after year. Includes rose planting tips, rose care advice and rose pruning guidelines.

www.gardendesign.com

Rose hips make a nice tea, btw.
Take a moment and include your location with your avatar bc I won't remember where you live next time you post.

 

[digitS']

The next year, I had it pruned and moved it to a full sun location. That rose has lived and bloomed well every year since. It's been about 25 years .