Black Roses

For centuries the colour black has been associated with death, decay and mystery; the black plague, the black underworld and the ‘black sheep of the family’.  When we think of the rose, we imagine beauty, health and romance, a symbol of love and warmth. The Black rose is a mix of two opposites combining the mysterious with the beautiful.

 Legend tells us that whoever receives a black rose will have a mystical and powerful experience.

There are six types of black rose, the Black Baccara, Black Beauty, Black Magic, Black Ice, Black Velvet and Black Jade; all are such a deep red that they appear almost completely black.

The Black Baccara Rose

The Black Baccara rose with its velvet petals is the closest breeders have come to producing a naturally black rose. It is the darkest, most mysterious rose of them all. On its edges, the Baccara rose is almost black, but as the blossom unfurls, it reveals interior petals which are a rich burgundy red.

Black Baccara Roses were originally developed for the cut flower market, for they have an unusually long vase life as well as their unusual colouring. However, in 2004 the “Meidebenne” Black Baccara Hybrid Tea Rose was introduced for the garden and it has been discovered that it does not have a high resistance to disease. The Black Baccara Rose does not have a strong fragrance but adds a touch of mystery and intrigue to any garden that feeds it.

The Black Beauty Rose

The Black Beauty rose was introduced in 1973 from France. With large petals and long stems it is one of the Hybrid Tea varieties. Like most of the Black roses, they appear jet black in the bud stage, but as they open they reveal a rich scarlet. The back of each petal is dark and velvety that feels soft and silky to the touch. This Black Beauty doesn’t have much fragrance; however the rose blooms all through summer and autumn. It is well worth pruning the Black Beauty rose, for when it blooms the colours are striking.

The Black Magic Rose

The Back Magic rose is the offspring of the ‘Guinee’ rose and has inherited its strong Damask perfume and rich red colour. The black magic rose is a large flowered climber and they bloom for a significantly long time. These stunning flowers grow up to ten feet tall and fill the garden with a powerful burst of perfume. The Black Magic rose is strong, resistant to disease and extremely popular with rose enthusiasts around the globe.

The Black Ice Rose

The Black Ice is a cluster flowered Floribunda Rose and gets its name from the ‘Iceberg’ rose which is in the parentage. These wonderful roses have black buds that open up into beautiful scarlet blossoms that continue to grow throughout summer and autumn. They grow 2-3 feet in height.

The Black Velvet Rose

With its dark green leathery foliage, this large flowered Hybrid Tea is burgundy red with a black velvety look which is where its name originates. The roses grow one to a stem and grow up to six feet. The Black Velvet rose is known to be notoriously resistant to disease.

The Black Jade Rose

The Black Jade Rose has extremely strong stems that hold clusters of 5-10 blooms. Like most of its Black Rose cousins, the Black Jade rose is almost black as a bud, however when it opens up it reveals bright golden yellow stamens that contrast against the dark petals. The Black Jade rose is a repeat-flowering bush with glossy foliage and is extremely disease resistant. It grows up to three feet in height.


The White Garden Rose

The elegant and majestic white garden rose is a symbol of purity, innocence and secrecy.  Unlike its cousin the red rose; myth states the white rose was stained with blood or made to blush from a kiss.

It was the white rose, not the red rose that was originally the symbol for true love. However, today white roses are portrayed as angelic, while red roses are very much associated with passion and love.

The white garden rose is particularly well known for its aroma. The Winchester Cathedral variety fills the air with the fragrance of honey and almonds.

One of the most popular varieties of white garden roses, the Winchester Cathedral is a very strong rose and blooms extremely early in the year. The Fair Bianca white garden rose has a very unusual appearance, with a green eye in the centre and a very strong and spicy fragrance. The Fair Bianca is notorious for being disease resistant.

If you want to fill your garden with the lovely aroma of lemons then plant the madam Hardy white garden rose which fills the air with citrus fragrances. Or there’s the Queen Mary 2 which is a new rose of the Hybrid Tea variety named after a cruise ship and which smells just like bananas.

Rosa Kent Towne and Country white garden rose is a very small white rose standing at only two feet tall and wide. However just because it’s small does not mean it is weak. This strong little white rose battles through the winter months to bloom its semi double flowers throughout the summer.

Another white garden rose is the Panda Meidiland, another smaller white rose which has singular blooms and a golden centre. This variety doesn’t have a fragrance at all but is very good at fighting off disease and very easy to look after.

The White Flower Carpet is a white garden rose that only grows to two and a half feet tall but has twelve luminous white rose petals throughout the summer months. This rose grows very quickly and is mostly used to cover a large area quickly or as a white rose hedge.

A tiny little white garden rose called the Gourmet Popcorn, named because it resembles a popcorn ball on a stick has rich golden centres and is extremely popular with rose lovers.  The Gourmet Popcorn white rose has miniature rose flowers but can reach to heights of three feet.

The Rosa Rugosa, otherwise known as the ‘Alba’ white garden rose has rich and fragrant blooms which burst into flower in late summer to autumn. The Rugosa varieties of white roses are extremely tough and are some of the most carefree, easy to grow roses. They are wonderful to look after because they don’t need much pruning and can push off disease easily. Another type of Rugosa rose is the Blanc Double de Coubert which also has a strong fragrance with 25-30 petals.

The white garden rose is strikingly beautiful as well as beautifully fragrant and is an asset to any garden.


Rose Tree Garden

If you love roses, you will love rose tree gardens. A Rose tree garden is simply beautiful.

However there is no such thing as a rose tree that you plant in the ground like an apple tree and watch grow. A rose tree is an accumulation of roses that are grafted together to form the shape of a tree.

To make a rose tree you will need a long slender cane approximately 1 meter in length to support the growth of the roses. The ‘tree; is created by making two grafts, one at the top of the cane to support the Floribunda, Grandiflora or Hybrid Tea and one at the bottom of the cane to support the rootstock.

Usually the central cane must be staked to support the weight of the grafted rose at the top. In areas that are prone to wind, it is especially important the cane is staked.

Problems with Rose Trees

All roses are prone to pests and disease attacking them, however as well as this, the rose tree is especially vulnerable to the sun. The cane that supports its structure is prone to scalding. Rose trees are not only susceptible to the sun, they are vulnerable to the cold and during the winter it is particularly difficult to protect rose trees from ice and frost.

Usually roses require mulch placed around the base to protect them from the cold, however rose trees need mulch placed all the way up the cane. This can be done by either transplanting the rose to a safer place or by producing a wire mesh to surround the cane which you can then fill with mulch.

Pruning Rose Trees

To achieve the right look for your rose tree you will need to constantly prune your roses. It is especially important you only prune the flowering part of the rose tree not the central part where the cane supports it. If a rose tree isn’t pruned properly it will be more susceptible to disease which causes an uneven distribution of weight which could then result in the stems breaking.

Species of Rose Tree

There are several different species of rose trees.

Double Decker Rose Tree

As the name suggests, the Double Decker Rose Tree produces two layers of flowers. The Yellow Ribbons Double Decker Rose Tree is one of the most beautiful rose trees to hit the market.

The Roseberry Blanket Weeping Tree Rose

This wonderful rose tree produces large sized fuchsia blooms that have arched rose stems which overflow with roses and cascade towards the ground as if weeping.

The Betty Boop Rose Tree

The renowned American animated character has her own rose that matches her for sparkle. The Betty Boop Rose Tree is yellow and ivory with scarlet edging and glossy green leaves that never fail to attract admirers. The Betty Boop Rose Tree blooms quickly without deadheading or shaping and is consistent in all climates, which is why it is so popular with rose enthusiasts.

Rose trees are an extremely rare sight and add height to the colourful landscape of a rose garden. When you see your rose tree blooming happily, you will feel enormous pride as you rest in your sea of roses.

 


Growing Roses From Cuttings

Have you ever wondered how to grow roses from cuttings or simply want to speed up the time it takes for your cuttings to root? All it takes is a little bit of know-how and time and you can have beautiful roses born from cuttings in no time.

How to Grow Roses from Cuttings

Firstly, as if you were performing an operation, you need to use sterile tools. Bacteria from dirty tools will prevent roots forming so it is best to wash tools and pots with water containing two full caps of bleach and then allow them to dry.

Roses, just like us, can get stressed during the day, which is why it is a good idea to take your cuttings in the morning or late evening when the roses are hydrated and away from the burning midday sun.

Many rose growers use rooting hormone for their rose cuttings because not only does it encourage rooting sooner, it wards off root rot, damp off as well as a range of other diseases that can kill the rose.

What a lot of people don’t know is that turkey roasting bags make superb temporary greenhouses for growing roses from cuttings. Not only are they durable but they can be washed and used as many times as you want! By covering your rose cuttings you will help to keep the humidity higher which will give a much higher success rate. You can also mist your cuttings with a water bottle several times a day to help keep the humidity levels high.

You will need to use 3 parts peat moss and 1 part Perlite as a soil medium which acts to retain moisture as well as provide the drainage that roses need to survive.

A lot of people go wrong when they pull out their rose cuttings to check if they have rooted. This is like picking a scab to see if a cut has healed, don’t do it. All this does is injure any cuttings that have rooted. What you can do however is to very gently pull at the stems to see if they feel attached, if they do, they may be rooting. However the best advice is to just wait for a few days to make sure you don’t harm the cuttings as they root. If you see new growth appear then you know the cuttings have rooted.

For the more curious growers who simply cannot wait, there are pots and cups with good drainage made just for you. They are clear so you can see when your roots have formed.

If you have decided to grow your cuttings inside your house, you will need to make sure they are hardened off. If you suddenly move them outside they may burn, dry out too fast or even go into shock.

Cuttings are extremely vulnerable and it is integral to the life of your roses that you ensure the cuttings are not subject to excessively cool or hot temperatures. It is a good idea to keep newly rooted rose cuttings indoors or protected inside a greenhouse while they struggle through their first winter. If the cuttings have already been planted it is vital they are protected with mulch or another way of keeping them warm.

Fertilising is important but it is advised strongly not to fertilise cuttings until after they have put on new growth. When they have shown signs of maturing, you can use a liquid fertiliser at half the recommended strength to ensure the new roots you have put so much time and effort into are not burnt.

Information

  • Leaf joints are the visible scars on the stem where the leaves grow.
  • You can buy your own root hormone from any garden centre or you can make your own from willow bark tea.
  • Misting inside the greenhouse bag every other day is enough to keep the rose cuttings at optimal humidity for growth.
  • If you plant your cuttings in early spring they will root faster than any other time of year.
  • Many people use clippers to cut leaves from the stems, however all this does is cause the remaining shrubs to rot.
  • By keeping your tools sterile with a 10% solution of bleach to water, you will notice a higher success rate in growing your roses from cuttings.

Growing Miniature Roses

Miniature roses may be small but they are bursting with character and strength. They are bred to stay small in size and have much smaller flowers than the regular rose bushes; however they come in a variety of wonderful types and colours.

Types of Miniature Roses

Climbers

Climbers are miniature roses that can be trained to grow against supports. The award winning ‘Jeanne Lajoie’ is a miniature rose that grew to a massive 7 feet as well as the ‘Snowfall’ miniature rose that has canes that stretch out 7-12 inches.

Micro-Mini

These are some of the smallest roses you can get. They have tiny blossoms of ¼ to 1 inch in size. The ‘Bambino’ has ¾ inch orange blossoms on an 8-12 inch plant. The ‘Chasing Rainbows’ variety are a beautiful yellow contrasting with scarlet edging on a 10-15 inch bush.

Miniflora

The American Rose Society classed this variety as having a slightly larger plant and bloom size than the typical miniature roses. The Miniflora average plant size is 2 ½ – 4 ½ feet. The ‘Moonlight Sensation offers fragrant flowers in pale lavender on a 3 inch plant. The Miniflora ‘Harm Saville’ has rich red blossoms on velvety petals that grow on an 18-20 inch plant.

Trailers

Trailers are miniature roses that have a cascading growth habit which makes them lovely in hanging baskets and flowing down walls. The ‘Sequoia Gold’ has beautiful yellow fragrant blossoms that keep on blooming all through the season. Another miniature trailer rose is ‘Green Ice’ a tough rose that has buds which start out apricot and then change to double white flowers and then change again to a fresh light green.

How to Plant Miniature Roses

Miniature roses are simply just smaller than usual, so they don’t need to be treated any different to normal size roses.

All you need to do is dig the hole the same depth as the size of the pot the rose came in but approximately a foot wider. Once you have done that, you will need to very carefully remove the rose from its pot and very gently loosen the roots. If the roots are tightly bound in the soil you can use a sharp knife to score the sides of the root ball.

If you want you can add organic matter to the hole for the roots to feed from. Once you have the hole prepared, you can then place the rose in the hole making sure to carefully spread the roots. Once you have done this you can then fill the hole in with soil and gently firm it down.

Water is essential to the growth of your rose and once you have planted it carefully, you should thoroughly water it making sure to add a layer of mulch which will protect it.

Feeding

Roses love their food, especially roses that bloom all season like the mini roses and so fertilising is vital.

There are lots of different fertilisers to choose from and if you follow the instructions you can’t go wrong.

  • Add fertiliser when the rose first produces leaves
  • Feed with fertiliser after each heavy flush of blooming.
  • It is important to stop feeding 6-8 weeks before the first frost.

Pruning

It is best to prune miniature roses, like other roses before new growth starts in late winter and early spring. You do not need to go overboard with pruning, it is not necessary and it will only damage a rose trying to g row. It is important however to get rid of the dead or broken wood first. You only need to trim back a third of the plant to maintain its shape and encourage new growth.

Watering

You will need to keep alert to your rose’s watering needs. The amount of water depends entirely on the climate and the soil your rose is rooted in. If you provide an inch of water each week, that should act as the minimum. However on hot days you will need to water your miniature roses much more frequently. We need more water in sunny weather and so do our roses. A rule of watering is to make sure you water your roses deeply so the water travels at least 12-18 inches below the surface. This means your rose is more likely to survive longer without being watered as it can find water below the surface.

One key piece of advice is to avoid getting rose leaves wet during humid weather, wet leaves encourage fungal diseases.

Diseases and Pests

Those annoying pests and diseases can be eradicated with a new product called ‘Messenger.’

As with every flower and all roses you will need to inspect your miniature roses for signs of insect damage from Japanese beetles, trips and chafers etc and treat accordingly.

Miniature Roses as House Plants

Miniature roses do not do well as house plants and are often relocated outdoors. They need a lot of sun and humidity which they receive in summer however when the heat from indoors gets to them they don’t survive very long. If you are given a mini rose as a gift, it will live a lot longer if you transplant it outside where it can really thrive.


Bush Rose Garden

Bush roses are the most popular of all roses because they are easy to grow in any beds or borders and are bursting with flowers throughout the summer.

Bush roses are grouped into their types by their flowering habits, winter hardiness, size and type of growth.

Hybrid Tea Rose Bushes

Older Hybrid Tea rose bushes are usually 2 to 6 feet in height. The buds are usually very long and pointed with one rose to a stem. Occasionally they surprise you and produce clusters of three to five roses per stem. The lovely Hybrid Tea rose bushes come in a variety of colours including ivory white, various shades of scarlet, yellow, pink as well as orange. The lengths of the stems differ depending on the particular rose.

The majority of Hybrid Tea rose bushes have a lot of fragrance which smells the strongest in the morning before the fragrant oil evaporates from the petals.

Floribunda Rose Bushes

Floribunda rose bushes usually bear a lot of roses per stem and are increasing in popularity for use in bed plantings where a number of blossoms are required.

Grandiflora Rose Bushes

Grandiflora roses are a mixture of hybrid teas and floribundas. They are a lot like Hybrid Teas in their toughness and in their type of bloom. They can have either single flowers on long stems or clusters. The flowers are a lot smaller than those of hybrid teas but are very good for cutting.

Miniature Rose Bushes

The Miniature variety, like their name suggests are very small. Some of the smallest miniature roses only grow up to 6 inches but the largest miniature roses can grow up to 24 inches tall. The cute miniature rose is used for rock gardens, edging beds and borders as well as featured beds in a landscape.

Rose Bush Varieties

Abbeyfield Gold

The Abbeyfield Gold rose bush is surprisingly strong scented with a beautiful mid yellow interesting shaped bloom. It flowers between late spring to early frost and grows between 90 and 120 cm in height.

Alison

If you don’t want an overpowering scent in your garden, the Alison rose is for you. It has a light sweet fragrance and is extremely disease and weather resistant with ongoing blooms to admire again and again. This lovely rose bush is peachy pink and grows up to 90-120cm.

The Birthday Boy

If you love fragrance you will love this beautiful deep magenta rose bush. The Birthday Boy has such a strong smell it will overpower any other flower sharing your garden. Not only is this little gem eye catching it is wonderful to be around. The Birthday Boy can fight off disease but not as much as other rose bushes and would need to be inspected often to check for disease. If it is not as resistant to weather conditions as you would like then it might be a good idea to transplant it to a more protected area of the garden or surround it with mulch to protect it from the elements. The Birthday Boy thrives between late spring and early frost.

Rachel

The Rachel rose was named after Rachel de Thame, a rose lover and is a mixture of cream, pink and peach with a strong and sweet perfume. The Rachel rose is often mistaken for a carnation and grows like most rose bushes between late spring and early frost every year. It reaches heights between 90 and 120 cm and is extremely resistant to disease.


Best English Garden Rose

Background

The English garden rose has been a symbol of politics and war since the fifteenth century in the ‘War of the Roses.’ In 1455, York and Lancaster fought over the control of England and as a result York adopted the white rose and Lancaster adopted the red rose as symbols of power.

Today a rose grown in England feeds from soil rooted in memories of its political past and grows with pride. On a warm summers evening, the English garden rose fills the atmosphere with radiance and is a delight to see. Even on a rainy day the English rose garden waves it magic as you watch the rain fall like tears from its petals.

It was the Victorians who first invented the formal English rose garden, where they used to display their talents at growing roses for everyone to see. The climate in England was kind to species brought in as guests from far off lands in times of old and they soon became residents, grew up, bred and cross bred. In some parts of England we have continued what the Victorians started and have some of the most beautiful rose gardens only England can offer.

One of the best places for roses in England is the Garden of the Rose in Hertfordshire, home to the Royal National Rose Society and is heaven for rose enthusiasts who come from all over the world to admire.

English Garden Roses

One of the most successful rose breeders in England is David Austin. He combined spring flowering old gardening roses with modern floribundas and hybrid teas which came to be known as “English Roses.’ These beautiful roses are wonderfully fragrant.

From a survey of gardeners in England here are some of the best roses in English rose gardening.

Canary Bird (Rosa Xanthina)

This beautiful rose is very large and has arching stems with neat leaves and single canary yellow fragrant flowers about 2 inches wide. This bright and cheerful rose is extremely tough and is classed as wild managing to grow up to eight feet. Not only is it eye catching, this lovely English garden rose offers a musky scent and appears in late spring but very rarely in autumn. If the winter is particularly severe, this tough rose can die. The Canary Bird Rose loves the sun and well drained soil to thrive.

City of London Rose

What a strange name for a rose, I hear you say. However this rose is nothing like the grey image of London. With a strong citrus scent and light pink petals this rose should have a better name. It was introduced in 1987 and forms a rounded bush about 3 feet tall, spreading to approximately 2.5 feet with bright green foliage. This rose was grown by Harkness in England and is a cross between the New Dawn and Radox Bouquet roses.

Gertrude Jekyll

David Austin launched the Gertrude Jekyll rose in 1986. This wonderful English garden rose is vigorous, free flowering and extremely disease resistant. The Gertrude Jekyll rose grows up to 5 feet tall producing double pink flowers. This rose has a damask scent so potent there have been experiments to produce perfume commercially from it.

Jacqueline du Pre

Launched in 1989 this free flowering rose grows to a height of 6 feet and spreads to 5 feet. Like the City of London rose the Jacqueline du Pre was bred in England and is a cross between the Radox Bouquet and the Maigold. A stunning flower, this rose has double cupped petals 4 inches across, ivory white with a pink tinge and a distinctive red stamen. Like many of the English garden roses the Jacqueline du Pre has a marvellous musk perfume and has been used to create stunning hedges to accentuate any English rose garden.

 Rosa Moyseii

One of the most eye-catching of all the English roses is the Rosa Moyseii. It has single dusky scarlet flowers with yellow stamens very close to the branches. It grows to a massive 12 feet tall, spreading across 10 feet and has long red hips produced in autumn, which offer enchanting colour to the English winter garden.

 Rosa Mundi (Rosa Gallic a Versicolour)

One of the oldest English roses, this beautiful variety has been growing since 1581. It is believed this rose was named after Henry II’s mistress, Rosamund. The Rosa Mundi thrives in the summer and grows to 5 feet in height. Unfortunately this stunning rose suffers from mildew; however it has breathtaking crimson flowers striped with pale pink and offers unique beauty to the English rose garden.


Organic Rose Gardening

The very first rose to ever bless the earth didn’t survive with the help of environment damaging chemicals; the very first rose depended on the nourishment nature provided. Roses have been grown naturally for so long that the development of chemicals only attempts to accomplish what Mother Nature does instinctively. We do not need to depend on chemicals to secure the health of our roses. Organic rose gardening allows you to increase the lifespan of your roses as well as fundamentally protect your family, pets and wildlife from the damaging effects of man-made chemicals.

Man cannot compete with nature. Nature always knows best. The world and everything that lives within it has been around far longer than anything we can invent to make it better.

Process

Whenever a rose needs food or water, it stretches its roots within the soil and extracts everything it needs to ensure survival. Like every plant, roses go through the process of photosynthesis which uses water and sunlight to make energy.

The soil is bursting with bacteria, nematodes, worms, fungus as well as various organisms which break down dead material that fills the soil with vitamins needed for nutrition. Chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are toxic to organisms that benefit the rose and only shorten the lifespan of the rose. In killing the helpful bacteria, harmful fungi can attack the rose at its roots. What many people don’t realize is their roses can become addicted to the harmful chemical fertilizers they use and as a result it means you have to constantly supply the roses with chemicals. The more chemicals you use, the worse it is for your roses. After a while, they will depend on chemicals instead of the best source of nourishment only nature can provide.

Cost

Organically growing roses doesn’t cost much at all. Money is saved from avoiding the cost of fertilizers and pest control. Roses do not need chemicals; they can be fed and cared for without them.

Secrets of the soil

The secret of organically growing beautiful roses lies in the soil. For effective organic growth, the soil needs to be bursting with nutrition. This can be achieved by working compost into the soil of a new garden or to the surface of mulch in an existing garden.

A compost pile is perfect for the organic rose gardener. It is so easy to create soil that roses will thrive on. All you need to do is create a pile that consists of decayed plant clippings, grass clippings, animal waste, kitchen scraps and dried leaves and allow it to decompose over time. The organisms already found in the soil will break down the waste and transform it into the nourishment essential for healthy roses.

A compost pile doesn’t have to be in the garden, you can create one in a container if you prefer. However, it is highly recommended that you stir the pile every now and again to ensure the pile is decomposing properly.

Pests

Pests are a nuisance to roses; they eat away at them and cause many roses to die. However, even though the organic method avoids the use of most types of pesticides organic rose growing doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself against those damaging rose pests. Some insects, such as wasps and lady bugs actually eat the harmful bugs that feed from roses. These beneficial insects can be killed by the chemical pesticides used through inorganic methods of growing roses. Birds, frogs, lizards and even snakes rid the environment of pests.

If nature has done everything it can to rid the rose of pests and the rose is still fading, rose owners can purchase organic pesticides that are not only effective but less toxic to the environment. Organic pesticides allow rose owners to target a specific problem by killing a specific pest without killing anything else that could be beneficial to the rose.

Goal

Every rose owner can achieve beautiful roses by trusting the judgement of Mother Nature and knowing when to organically eliminate pests. Organically growing roses means not having to sacrifice the environment and instead of poisoning it, working with it to create a balance that supports the needs of the beautiful rose.


Transplanting Roses Information

Why would you transplant a rose?

Roses are transplanted for a variety of reasons. Some rose owners transplant their roses because they want to transfer them to a sunnier part of the garden or they want to change things around a bit. However, before you start pulling your rose out of the ground it is important to remember a few important things.

Preparation

It is important to prepare the ground you are planning transferring your roses to. If you take your rose out of its hole and leave it waiting in the hot sun while you dig the new hole, it will lose its moisture and inevitably suffer.

In some cases where the rose is being transported to a completely different location by vehicle, it is always good to cover the rose roots with a damp strip of Burlap to stop them drying up.

Water

Once you have decided you are going to move your rose, you should water it well the day before; you can’t go wrong if you supply your rose(s) with plenty of water. If you try transplanting a dry wilting rose, the success rate won’t be very high because it will be searching for water when it’s not even in the soil.

Rose roots run extremely deep and as a result, some are lost when the rose is being pulled out of its earthy home. Rose roots run so deep that you wouldn’t be able to dig deep enough to extract them when transplanting the rose.

However a rose full up with water is more likely to survive a transplant.

Roots

When you have dug around the rose base and exposed the roots, it is important that you try to take as much of the root ball as you can.

Pruning

A common mistake many rose owners make is pruning healthy flower growth from the top of the rose plant. This is damaging to the rose and only acts to cut its growth away instead of encouraging it.

The growth of a rose plant is important in the production of sugars.

Transplanted

If you notice your rose is wilting at its tips, then it means your rose isn’t able to support its top structure and needs water. To combat this you need to give your rose plenty of water and prune the tips that die as a result.

Tips

You can add half to a full cup of bone meal to the hole where the rose will go which encourages the rose to grow and develop. Once you have done this, you can then place the rose back into the hole but slightly higher that it was originally, which will allow it to settle into the hole. The rose bud union can be about one or two inches above ground level.

Once the rose has been watered again and has settled in its new environment, a good tip is to press slightly on its base which will remove any air pockets.

Recommendation

Believe it or not, roses can go into shock if they are transplanted during seasons of growth, which is why most rose owners only recommend transplanting roses when they are sleeping during the winter months. To add to this by transplanting a rose just after the annual pruning, it is easier to manoeuvre around a garden.

However, whatever the season, with the right preparation and lots and lots of water the simple steps outlined here can be followed by anyone. All it takes is a small amount of time and effort to transplant roses and enjoy their majestic presence in your garden.


Rose Planting Guide

Rose plants need fertilizing. They need to be in the right depth of hole, but above anything else, the beautiful rose needs to be in the optimum place to get nourished and continue to flower. There are a number of elements to planting roses that we need to consider.

Sunlight

If a rose flower doesn’t receive the right amount of sunlight it will struggle to stay alive. The majority of roses need to have at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight a day. Even roses that are tolerant of the shade need between four to six hours of direct sunlight to do well.

Soil

It’s no good planting your roses in soil that has too much clay or too much sand. If you clump some soil in your hand and it holds the mold and doesn’t crumble then it has too much clay. If the soil crumbles easily and doesn’t hold the mold then it has too much sand. The soil you are looking for should hold the mold and crumble easily. Roses hate soil which has too much limestone and chalk or is too acidic.

Location

You need to make sure your rose flower isn’t too close to trees or other plants. The roots of larger trees and plants extend far beyond their drip line and as a result will steal all the nutrients and water in the soil your rose will need to survive. If you see roots in the soil when digging the hole for your rose, it will cause significant problems. However, there are some climbing roses and some shrubs that are an exception, but most rose plants only like to be mixed with other roses or non-invasive plants.

Once you have the perfect location for your rose, you can start thinking about the basics, such as how deep the hole should be. The hole should be slightly larger than the size of the pot the rose plant is in, or root system of the rose. The depth of the hole depends on the climate you live in. If you live in a colder area, the roses need to be planted deeper in the soil, like a coat protecting from the cold. Getting the advice of other rose growers in your area is a good way to establish the right depth you need. Depths will vary for everyone in different parts of the world. However everyone can benefit from loosening the soil at the bottom of the hole which will make it easier for the flower’s roots to stretch out.

Roots

To encourage the root growth of your rose, you can place compost in the bottom of the hole plus a sprinkle of bone meal, a source of phosphorus, which is slow acting and encourages healthy root growth.

Once you have placed the rose into the hole, spread out the roots slightly, refill the hole and make sure the soil settles around the roots. Before you cover them with the last couple of inches of soil, water them and finally place the last of the soil back into the hole and firm the soil slightly. The rose you have cared so much for will be the pride of your flower filled garden.