Tips For Planting Roses Well

Roses are probably the most glamorous garden blooms, revered by one and all for their beauty and benefits. Much coveted and widely appreciated for their delightful fragrance and lovely hues, these thorny blooms are, however, not the easiest to bring up. Most gardeners like to term rose as difficult, frail plants that need to be constantly pampered and fussed over with weekly sprays and frequent fertilizing. Agreed, that this thorny shrub demands extra attention and commitment, but a little ingenuity and careful planting can reward you with a garden full of lovely roses. Appreciated as 'Queen of Flowers', well-bloom roses are indeed any gardener's pride. Growing roses is not as difficult as it is usually seen to be. The real secret to rose gardening is to understand how nature works. Understanding this simple fact before digging mother earth will leave you with a garden full of attractive rose blooms.

  
Tips On Growing:

• When planting a rose bush, begin by digging up a hole almost one and half times as deep and twice as wide as your rose bush. Empty your sachet of rose fertilizer into the hole, followed by a shovel full of manure and soil. Remember to sprinkle a little fertilizer on top of the soil layer.
• Gently transfer the rose plant from the pot and place it in the hole, maintaining the soil line of your rose plant the same as that of your garden. Don't forget to gently scrape the bottom roots and sides of your rose plant before planting it, which is certain to promote root growth, as your rose plants adjust to the new soil.
• Fill the hole, switching between a layer of soil, compost and a dash of fertilizer. Water it thoroughly, before doing it up with another layer of soil, compost and fertilizer. Wait for the water to get completely absorbed, before following it up with another layer of soil and compost. Cover it with a layer of mulch to help the soil retain its moisture.
• It is important to keep your rose plant bug free. As soon as you spot aphids or other bugs, discard them straightaway. You can use a homemade potion of ½ teaspoon dishwashing liquid to one quart of water to get rid of aphids.
• Never wait for withered leaves to chip off of their own. Keep a check on diseased brown leaves and remove them immediately. Yellow-greenish leaves are signs of iron or nitrogen deficiency.
• Never overly water your rose plants. Just water when the top 3 or 4 inches of soil is dry, and then soak the plants. It is not required to water your rose plants every day.

Tips:

• Roses love to sunbath. So ensure that they enjoy their 6 hours of sunlight. However, avoid planting it in very humid areas. It is best to plant your rose in a way so that they receive the required sunlight.
• For maximum appeal, always plant roses of complementary colors close to each other.
• Give your rose plants plenty of air circulation if you wish to keep them in top form. Find out how large your plants will be at maturity and space them accordingly.
• It's always best to check the pH balance of your soil before planting your rose tree. The ideal pH balance for roses is between 5.5 and 6.6.
• During summers, it is advisable to water your roses in the morning so that they dry up before nightfall.

Roses

I'd rather have Roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. - Emma Goldman

Roses for the longest time have enjoyed the honor of being the most popular flowers in the world. The reason for popularity of the rose flower may be its wide variety in terms of color, size, fragrance and other attributes.
Kingdom
     Plantae
Division
     Magnoliophyta
Class
     Magnoliopsida
Order
     Rosales
Family
     Rosaceae
Subfamily
     Rosoideae
Genus
     Rosa
The rose has been a symbol of love, beauty, even war and politics from way back in time. The variety, color and even number of Roses carry symbolic meanings. The Rose is most popularly known as the flower of love, particularly Red Rose.
Roses have been the most popular choice of flowers for the purpose of gifting across the world. They also act as a great addition to home and office decor. A bunch of roses or even a single rose works wonders aesthetically and considerably enlivens a place. Besides fresh cut roses, artificial flowers like silk roses in different colors are also widely used as decoration.
Some Interesting Facts About Roses
The birthplace of the cultivated Rose was probably Northern Persia, on the Caspian, or Faristan on the Gulf of Persia.
Historically, the oldest Rose fossils have been found in Colorado, dating back to more than 35 million years ago.
Roses were considered the most sacred flowers in ancient Egypt and were used as offerings for the Goddess Isis. Roses have also been found in Egyptian tombs, where they were formed into funeral wreaths.
Confucius, 551 BC to 479 BC, reported that the Imperial Chinese library had many books on Roses.
Ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia (in the Tigris-Euphrates River Valley) mentioned Roses in a cuneiform tablet (a system of writing) written in approximately 2860 BC.
The English were already cultivating and hybridizing Roses in the 15th Century when the English War of Roses took place. The winner of the war, Tudor Henry VII, created the Rose of England (Tudor Rose) by crossbreeding other Roses.
While no Black Rose yet exists, there are some of such a deep Red color as to suggest Black.
Roses are universal and grown across the world.
The Netherlands is the world's leading exporter of Roses.

Classification of Roses
Broadly, Roses are divided into three classes-
Species Roses
Species Roses are often called Wild Species Roses. Species Roses often have relatively simple, 5-petaled flowers followed by very colorful hips that last well into the winter, providing food for birds and winter color.
The most popular Rose species for sale today is Rosa rugosa owing to its superior hardiness, disease resistance, and extremely easy maintenance. Species roses are widely hybridized. Wild Species Roses include many different varieties. Wild Species Roses usually bloom once in the summer.
Old Garden Roses
Old Garden Roses have a delicate beauty and wonderful perfume, not often found in modern hybrid tea roses. Old Garden Roses are a diverse group from the those with a wonderful fragrance and great winter hardiness to the tender and lovely tea roses, which are best suited for warm climates.
Old Garden Roses comprise a multifaceted group that in general are easy to grow, disease-resistant and winter-hardy. Old Garden Roses grow in several shrub and vine sizes. Although colors do vary, this class of Roses are usually white or pastel in color. These "antique Roses" are generally preferred for lawns and home gardens. Several groupings of Roses classified as Old Garden Roses are China Roses, Tea Roses, Moss Roses, Damask Roses, Bourbon Roses, etc.
Modern Roses
Any Rose identified after 1867, is considered a Modern Rose.
Old Garden Roses are the predecessors of Modern Roses. This group of Roses are very popular. The Modern Rose is the result of crossbreeding the hybrid tea with the polyanthus (a variety of primrose).
The colors of Modern Roses are varied, rich and vibrant. The most popular roses found in the class of Modern Roses are the Hybrid Tea Roses, Floribunda Roses, and Grandiflora Roses. Although Modern Roses are adored by florists and gardeners, they do require proper care, and do not adapt well to colder environments.