how to care for roses: everything we need to know

Learning how to care for roses is easy with just a few simple guidelines.

Everyone can grow roses. The modern roses are easy to take care of.

Select the rose type you like, plant your roses in an area with good sunlight and drainage. Give them regular water and fertilizer. Prune them and use pest control as needed.

Soon you will have America's national flower flourishing in your garden!

Rose care is very rewarding.

Choose modern rose bush types

Select your rose bush types depending on how you intend to use them in the landscape. You may want to feature your roses as specimen plants, climbing on an arbor or feature them in containers on your patio.

Find the colors, types and fragrances to suit your desires. Select roses that are blooming. They you get to see their colors, forms and enjoy their fragrances.

Hybrid Tea Roses

Hybrid Tea Rose

Hybrid Tea Roses have long stems with one flower per stem. These are the cut flowers used in the florist industry.

Their flowers are large with a high center and many petals. More petals mean longer lasting blooms.

Many have a wonderful fragrance from the original tea roses. They flower early in the summer and then sparsely the rest of the season.

They are very effective as specimen plants in the landscape. They may grow from 3 to 6 feet.

Generally, they are not as disease resistant as many other rose bush types. So they require attentive care.

But they are gorgeous!

Floribunda roses

Floribunda rose

Floribundas have many loose-formed, smaller flowers on the end of the stem.

The center flower blooms first. Then the side flowers open later giving an extended bloom time.

They are more cold hardy than hybrid tea roses. They are continual blooming, from summer until frost.

The abundance of flowers and lower growing plants make them useful as hedges.

They are generally are 2 to 4 feet tall and they are known to be easier to care for than the hybrid tea rose.

Grandiflora Roses

Grandiflora Rose

Grandiflora Roses were developed by crossing the hybrid teas roses with the floribunda rose.

They have the larger flowers of the hybrid tea rose. Some have a wonderful fragrance from the tea roses.

They have the hardiness and numerous flowers of the floribunda rose. Queen Elizabeth was the first grandiflora to be registered in 1954. It's hard to find a more regal flower with its shell pink color.

Today there are many wonderful grandiflora rose bush types. They are an excellent choice for home rose growing and they are very rewarding.

They grow from 3 to 5 feet, occasionally taller.

knockout roses

Knockout roses are easy care.

The popular Knockout Rose has greatly simplified growing roses! They are practically a no-care rose.

They bloom all season long from spring until frost in waves of flowers about 6 weeks apart.

Knockout roses are extremely disease resistant, no pesticide applications required. They do not require deadheading of their spent flowers.

They may be used in the landscape like any other shrub and they have flushes of flowers all summer.

They grow to around 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.

other rose types

Miniature roses look much like a hybrid tea or floribunda roses. Miniatures are great for low growing hedges or growing in pots. Under most conditions they grow from 1 to 2 feet tall.

Climbing roses are popular for growing on fences, arbors or a trellis. Their long arching canes may grow up to 15 feet long. They need to be tied up to their support.

In harsh winter climates, lay the canes on the ground and cover them for winter protection. The next spring put them on their supports again.

where is the best place to plant a rose?

The correct location for our roses is one of the most important aspects of how to care for roses.

roses love the sun

Roses need at least 5-6 hours of sunlight for strong growth and good flowering.
They are delighted with 8 hours of full sun.
The most common reason roses don't flower and grow well is because they don't have enough sunlight.
There are some roses that will grow in shady locations, but not many. Don't try planting a rose in the shade, unless it is specially bred and labeled as a shade rose.
The planting area should have good air circulation to help prevent leaf diseases.

what is the best soil for a rose?

Roses need well drained soil.

Rose roots will grow down to 24" to 36". We want to make sure the roots are not rotting in water.

We can check the soil drainage by digging a hole about a 12" wide and 18" deep. Fill the hole with water and let it drain completely away. This wets the dry soil.

Fill the hole with water a second time. Many times, the hole will drain out in 10 to 30 minutes. Ideally the water will drain within an hour, 3 to 4 hours at the most.

What if the soil doesn't drain well?

There several options for drainage situations. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Amend the soil with organic matter.
Plant in a raised bed.
Plant the roses in containers.
What does Iowa State University say about soil drainage?

air circulation

Good air circulation is the key to preventing leaf diseases on our roses.

Plant roses at least three feet apart, four feet apart is best.

When we are planting roses against a building, plant them far enough away for good air circulation. Plant the rose a minimum of 1/2 its mature diameter away from the building.

We water our roses in the morning. Then the air circulation has time to dry the leaves before night time. This helps prevent leaf diseases.

how do we plant a rose?

Whether we are planting a rose from a container or bare root, the steps are much the same.

We found a beautiful red rose.

when is the best time to plant a rose?

Spring is the best time to plant a rose.

Wait until after the last frost and then plant your roses. Roses planted from a container may be planted all the way up into May. They need to get a good start before the heat of the summer.

Bare root roses should be planted as soon as we can comfortably work the soil, like February or March. They take longer to establish. It's not safe to plant bare root roses in the late spring.

Roses may be planted in the fall six weeks before the first frost. They need to establish before cold weather. It depends on what plant zone we live in.

how to plant a rose from a container

Dig the hole before taking the rose out of the container.

Before planting a rose make sure it is well watered in the container.

Select healthy, vigorous roses.

Dig the hole two feet wide and about twice the depth of the container.
Dig the sides of the hole straight up and down.
Make the hole the same width at the bottom as it is at the top.
A good hole is necessary for growing healthy roses.
Amend the soil that will be going back into the hole. Mix the soil from the hole with plenty of organic matter.

Organic matter not only provides nutrition, but it loosens the soil. It gives the roots room to breathe and get the oxygen and moisture they need.

We may put a bit of time released fertilizer into the bottom of the hole. Cover the fertilizer with a little soil, so the roots don't contact the fertilizer directly. The roots will get the fertilizer when they grow to it.

Take the rose out of the container after the hole is prepared.

If the small feeder roots are exposed to the air for any length of time, they will dry up and die.

If there are roots going around in the bottom of the container, gently straighten them out.

Plant the rose the same depth it was in the container.

Firm the soil with your hands.

Set the rose plant into the hole at the same depth it was in the container.
Fill around the rose about half way up with the amended soil.
Then fill the hole to the top with water. Let the water soak away and water it again.
Now, fill the planting hole with soil and firm the soil down with your hands.
Water the rose again.

Apply some mulch around the rose for weed control and to maintain moisture.

how to plant a bare root rose

Dig the planting hole the same as for a container rose.

If we see dead or broken roots, they should be removed. Put the bare root rose into some room temperature water for about an hour to make sure it is well hydrated.

Getting a bare-root rose ready to plant.

The roots should look plump and healthy.

Make a mound of amended soil in the bottom of the planting hole.
Set the rose into the hole and spread the roots down over the mound of soil.
Add more amended soil about half-way up in the hole and water the plant thoroughly.
Fill the hole the rest of the way up to the level the rose was planted before.
Firm the soil down with our hands.
Water again and apply mulch.

Do not fertilize the bare root plant until we see good growth on the rose.

how to care for roses

The rose planting is finished, now we need to know how to care for roses for their long life.

Taking care of roses is easy.

how often do we water roses?

Taking care of roses includes regular watering. Once your roses are established, they are very drought tolerant.

Check them about once a week to see if the soil is dry. Water deeply with about 1" of water.
Apply the water at the base of the plant. This is how to grow roses with fewer leaf diseases.
If you do water by sprinklers, do the sprinkling in the morning.

The leaves need to dry off before night. Because wet leaves at night encourage leaf diseases.

Fertilizing Roses

If your roses flower all summer fertilize them about three times during the growing season.
Fertilize the last time around Labor Day to give the new growth time to harden off before winter.
Roses that bloom once a year are fertilized once a year, early in their growing season.
Apply the fertilizer at the leaf drip-line. The feeder roots that pick-up water and nutrients are out at the drip-line.

Use a rose food or a fertilizer such as a 5-10-5. This is how to care for roses.

simple Pest Control

Systemic pesticides have simplified how to care for roses.

If you have a pest problem with either bugs or leaf diseases, get a rose food that has a systemic pesticide and fungicide included with the fertilizer.

The systemic pesticide is taken up into the plant through the roots. It then works from the inside of the plant out to control the pests and diseases.

This greatly simplifies rose care. It eliminates the necessity of spraying the top of the plant.

Follow the directions on the pesticide container.

how to prune roses

Pruning roses results in larger blooms and healthy new growth. Pruning rose bushes controls the shape, size and health of the rose plant.

how to deadhead roses

Deadheading is removing spent flowers that are withering and past their peak appearance. It's done throughout the flowering season. It's how to care for roses and get more new flowers.

Cut above a five-leaflet.

Cut just above a five-leaflet leaf. Don't cut to a three-leaflet or the resulting growth will be weak and spindly.

Prune to an outward facing bud, so the new growth will go outward instead of toward the interior of the bush.

Cut about 1/4" above the leaf axial. Cutting too close to the leaf axial will injure the new bud.

If you leave too much stem above the axial, there is a chance the cane will die back.

The flower in the photo is not actually ready to be trimmed off. But it makes a nice picture.

Only deadhead the spent blossoms. This is how to care for roses.

When is the best time to prune roses?

Pruning is best done in the early spring when the buds are swollen, but not leafed out.

Pruning keeps the roses healthy.

Cut off all broken, diseased and crossing canes.
Normally 1/3 to 1/2 half of their height is removed to keep the rose a manageable size.
Prune to outward facing buds.
Prune to three to seven strong, evenly spaced canes that will allow plenty of light and air into the center of the plant.

Shrub roses are pruned to keep them in their allotted space, full and natural looking. Normally reduce their height by about half each spring.

Knock Out roses are pruned in the spring before they leaf out, cut back about one third to keep them at a nice manageable size of 3 to 4 feet.

Miniature roses are pruned to about half their height. Leave about six canes, while shaping the plant during the spring pruning.

Climbing roses are pruned after they have bloomed. Many bloom on last year's growth. If they are pruned first thing in the spring their flower buds would be cut off.