Savvy Gardening: Garden Ideas, Tips, Pictures, and More » Roses

How to Add Roses to Your Spring Garden

Jennifer — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:05:37 +0000

Plant Knock Out roses against your porch to add eye-popping color to your home.

(ARA) – Stroll your neighborhood and chances are you’ll spot landscape shrub roses decorating someone’s garden or backyard. Take a drive into town, and you’ll see them planted at your favorite shopping center.

If you haven’t noticed, landscape shrub roses have taken the country by storm. In home gardens, in containers and along highways, these low-maintenance roses bloom continuously from spring until frost with little to no effort.

“Anybody can grow these hard-working roses, no matter where they live. If you can grow grass, you can grow landscape shrub roses,” says James A. Baggett, editor of Country Gardens Magazine. He likes Knock Out roses for their drought tolerance and disease resistance, especially against black spot.

When designing with shrub roses, think of them as you would any flowering shrub, only this one will bloom continuously all season and do all the work for you!

Here are some tips on using landscape shrub roses in the garden and throughout the landscape.

1. Problem Solvers in Your Landscape
Whether you live in a city or the ‘burbs, have a small garden plot or large acreage, the gardening and decorating possibilities with shrub roses are endless. Plant them individually among other shrubs, annuals and perennials, in mixed beds and borders.

2. Pot up a Container
Renowned garden designer Jon Carloftis prefers to plant shrub roses in containers. “I like to give them perfect planting conditions such as good drainage, rich soil and the addition of regular fertilizer that won’t be an overdose to neighboring plants,” he says. “The results are outstanding when roses are planted in formal urns or combinations of rustic pots.”

From small apartments to grand homes, containers filled with shrub roses bring an understated sophistication to any sized deck, porch and patio. Pot them up in large and small containers, around a gazebo, poolside, or your entranceway for the perfect plant for all seasons.

3. Close to Home
Nothing says simple elegance like the original Knock Out rose. Try planting them “en masse” against your front porch or home. The large clusters of cherry-red blooms say “welcome” with a generous bloom cycle of every five to six weeks. Against your house, porch or deck, the rich, eye-popping red color is a sure winner.

Group several Knock Out roses together to hide unsightly utility units.

4. Second Look Curbside Appeal
Looking for plants with great curbside appeal that add year-round beauty? Cluster shrub roses around a mailbox or blend with perennials to create visual curb appeal. Plant the award-winning Rainbow Knock Out along with perennials. This lovely coral pink rose complements any color scheme and the blooms almost look hand-painted with rich yellow at the base. The plant adds height and color for maximum curbside appeal.

5. Now You See it – Now You Don’t
Do you have an unsightly utility unit, shed, trash can, or pool pump you want to hide? How about a slope or a hazardous spot to fill? Group hardy and attractive roses for a showy “cover-up.” Try planting Pink Double Knock Out with double flowers in a cheerful bubble gum hue. Unfazed by heat, this hardy shrub rose will cover up those unsightly spots with a pink profusion of color.

6. Borders and More
Want to create a natural privacy fence in your backyard? Shrub roses will keep wandering children, pedestrians or stray dogs out of the landscape with a colorful “living wall” hedge.

7. Create an English Garden
You don’t need to dream anymore about having a showcase formal garden. Stake and trim your favorite shrub roses to grow as small rose trees for the look and feel of an English garden. Mix in old-fashioned favorites such as spiraea and hydrangea to create an enviable cottage garden.

It’s no wonder that these roses are the number one choice for folks looking for a carefree landscape shrub rose that looks great and performs beautifully. For more information visit: TheKnockOutRose.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Winterizing your Roses

Sirena Van Schaik — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:00:35 +0000

It’s not quite time to start winterizing your roses but I figured that now would be the perfect time to discuss the topic since you don’t want to leave your roses until winter is almost upon us. You will find that most roses should be winterized in November. More than likely they will still be blossoming but heave a sigh of resignation and then get to winterizing. You can always bring those wonderful blooms into the house.

There are a number of ways to winterize your roses and it depends on the climate you live in and also the type of rose that you have. Obviously a shrub rose is not going to be cut back but it will still require some maintanance to ensure that it is healthy the following spring. The topic of winterizing your roses is one that is often debated. Some feel that roses don’t need to be winterized, some feel that only a few types need to be and others follow a general rule of thumb, “if it’s a rose, it should be winterized.” I usually follow the latter but don’t feel that you need to.

Now that you have assessed your rose bush and the climate you live in, let’s get to winterizing in general. Since there are a number of different varieties of roses, I will cover them in sections.

Rose Bushes:

Rose bushes, such as hybrid roses, only need minor pruning to prepare for winter. This means that you remove all of the leaves and if you feel it is necessary, cut back the canes of the rose bush until they are about 3 feet long. Once you have cut the canes back, you can use a rose bush cone or chicken wire and stakes to create a circular enclosure aroudn the rose bush and pile some soil around the base of the bush. Generally, you want to use about 12 inches of soil. Once the soil has frozen, pile another 4 inches of mulch on top of the soil and make sure it is spread around the entire bush.

Climbing Roses:

Climbing roses do not need as much work as a rose bush does but it will still take a bit of time to secure your climbing roses for winter, usually because of the fiddly parts the job entails. Before you remove your climbers from the trellis, or fixture that they are attached to, you will need to go under the bush and remove any small canes that seem to be growing uncontrolled. After that, remove the climber from the trellis and lay it flat on the ground. Cover them with soil and leave them for the winter, come spring you can reattach them to the trellis.

Before you winterize your climbing roses, make sure that they need to be. Many varieties of climbing roses are hardy enough so they will not need any winterizing to be done.

Rose Shrubs:

For the shrubs in your yard, all you will need to do is crawl under your shrub and cut away any dead canes so there is ample air circulation through the plant. After that, you’re done, except for the usual care of your rose bush before winter, such as removing dead blooms, ect.

With all rose bushes, it is recommended that you remove all of the leaves that you clipped off from the area. Don’t leave them in yoru garden since they could be covered with insect eggs. Another recommendation is to spray your roses with lime sulfur after you winterize them and throughout the winter if you can. This is not a necessity but it will help alleviate blackspot in the spring.

Sirena Van Schaik

Secrets of Season-long Stunning Color in Your Garden

Jennifer — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:15:14 +0000

In summer, there’s drought; in winter, snow and cold. Does it seem like Mother Nature is determined to leach the color from your garden? It is possible to keep your garden colorful much of the year. All you need is the right combination of plants and a little green thumb savvy.

“One of the top tricks of great gardeners is to plant in the fall,” says Stephanie Cohen, author of many gardening books.

“Establishing most plants in the fall is easy and an excellent way to ensure they’ll be successful in the spring. Adds Cohen, “The weather and soil conditions are better in the fall, as opposed to spring when it tends to be cold, muddy and wet.”

Cohen recommends first, when planning your color-filled garden, to choose easy to grow and drought-resistant plants. Check with your local agricultural extension if you’re unsure what plants will do well in your region and climate. Some particularly hardy flowers – like impatiens, petunias and pansies – can bloom year-round in moderate climates. Be sure to plant a variety that will bloom at different times in the year and within the season.

Next, incorporate some stunners into your garden planning. Roses may well be the essence of floral elegance, but traditional varieties tend to be fragile and labor intensive. Cohen recommends one of the new landscape shrub varieties, like The Knock Out Roses, that require far less care yet bloom spectacularly year round.

These roses grow well anywhere in the country – from the wintry landscape of Minnesota to the sultry shores of Florida – and come in seven colors and bloom styles to suit every garden and landscaping need. From upright shrubs in containers that cover a hard to reach hillside forming a colorful hedge, to adding a focal point in your garden, these beauties will perform every time.

Moving out of the planning phase, be sure to put your plants in the ground at the time of year that’s best for each. For example, some drought-resistant plants can stand up to summer’s heat and go in the ground anytime, even July or August. Flowers, no matter how hardy, generally have an optimum planting time.

“Fall is an excellent time for planting, and roses are no exception,” says Steve Hutton, plantsman and president of The Conard-Pyle Co.

For fall color, Hutton recommends planting Knock Out shrub roses during the closing months of summer. The flowers will bloom well through the end of September in most hardiness zones. Just remember to give them plenty of water and lots of sun.

When planting, always use fertilizer and consider installing drip lines for irrigation with maximum efficiency and minimum waste. Be sure you know a plant’s preferred sun exposure before you slip it into a bed. Many drought-resistant plants can easily handle full sun, but many flowers crave a mix of sun and shade.

“The right plant in the right spot means longer life with less care and use of natural resources,” reminds Hutton.

Once you’ve established your garden, regular maintenance – like removing dead blooms, pruning roses, etc. – and watering should be all you need to ensure your garden is gorgeous and colorful year round.

Enter the “Knock (Us) Out” Photo Contest

If you’d like some recognition for your hard work and brilliant planting strategies Conard-Pyle is sponsoring the “Knock (Us) Out” photo contest. Enter your photographs online now until Oct. 31, 2008. Competitors should take pictures of their creative use of Knock Out roses in one of three categories – home garden, commercial landscape and most creative use. Grand prize is $350 plus five Knock Out roses and 10 companion plants. Runners-up in each category will win $150 and five Knock Out roses.

Visit www.theknockoutrose.com for contest details.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Plant of the Week: The Knock Out Rose

Sirena Van Schaik — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:49:37 +0000

I would like to take some time each week or every other week to look at a plant that may be a great addition to any garden. I have my personal favorites, as do many other gardeners, but I always look for new plants that may find itself worked into a new or old part of my garden. This week, I would like to start off with the Rosa ‘Radrazz’, which is also known as the Knock Out Rose.

I have to admit, like most gardeners, that many of the plants that I find are either found in a nursery, garden center or on the pages of a gardening magazine or book. The Knock Out Rose is one that I saw in a Fine Gardening magazine and after seeing the plant, it has been put on my must have list. This is surprising in itself since I am not a big rose fan. I mean, I love them in a garden but since they are not my favorite flower, I tend to move away from them and move towards flowers and plants that I love.

The reason why I love the Knock Out Rose is simple. It is a “Knock Out” with its dark foliage providing a breathtaking backdrop of deep green, which deepens to a dark purple in fall, for this fast growing shrub rose. The flowers themselves are brilliant colors and you can find this rose in red, pink, blush and rainbow (pink with a yellow center) and sunny (white with a yellow center). The rose comes in single or double blooms.

Although the color and shrubbery is wonderful, the main draw for me over this flower is the fact that it is fairly hardy and requires very little care. Generally, you only need to prune in the spring, provide it with proper care, i.e. water, fertilizer, and that is it. The plant does the rest right down to the deadheads. This rose is also very resistant to black spots. The bush itself is very hardy and can survive in Zones 4 to 10.

I honestly do not believe that you can find a rose that requires such a low amount of fuss and have as much glory with a full shrub filled with brilliant blooms. There is nothing that I find that would deter me from purchasing this rose for my garden, well except space but I can always make more of that.

Sirena Van Schaik

Using Roses in Your Landscape Gardening

Jennifer — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:19:30 +0000

You would like to change the look of your yard, and as such you want to add your favorite flowers, roses, to the overall look. While roses are very beautiful, they can also be very difficult to grow. Thus, you need some advice on how to incorporate roses into your landscape gardening.

Roses: A Classic Look

Roses have been used for hundreds of years in various examples of landscape gardening. Perhaps you have seen examples of lavish rose gardens in movies or in books. Roses come in many different varieties and many different price ranges, so be sure that you choose the kind that will fit best with your yard and with your budget.

Landscape gardening in itself can be quite a task, especially if you have a large yard. Thus, when starting the landscape gardening process, it is important to take your yard one section at a time, and this is certainly not exception when it comes to using roses.

Roses can be used as decoration or as a form of fence. For example, if you want a fence, then you line your yard with rose bushes. However, if you choose to implement rose bushes in your landscape gardening, there are some care instructions you should know.

The first thing that you should know is in reference to the pruning of the rose bushes. Rose bushes tend to grow rather quickly after the first year, and as such it is important for you to prune them when necessary. However, it is important to note that if you prune the rose bushes too much, they could die. Thus, when deciding how much you want to prune the rose bush, you should enlist the help of a professional landscaper.

Another thing that you need to think about when it comes to incorporating roses into your landscape gardening is your climate. For example, if you live in a perpetually cold climate, you will have to choose a kind of rose that is especially adapted to such weather. There are many websites that sell many different kinds of roses, but at the same time pay attention to the directions they should include as far as the proper care instructions.

If you would like more information on landscape gardening in general, all you have to do is visit your local garden center. There should be a variety of examples available to you that should be helpful in thinking up some beautiful landscape gardening ideas.

Five Ways to Take Care of your Roses in Winter Months

Jennifer — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 22:59:18 +0000

If you are a Rosarian, no matter where you live, you will want to winterize your roses. There is a school of thought that says winterizing is not necessary for some roses in some colder climates. But, while some climates permit minimal winter preparation and some rose varieties require little work for the winter, all roses need some type of treatment for any type of winter.

Roses are delicate plants that not only benefit from, but need, special attention. Of course, the return that roses give growers is ample to the efforts put into their care. Worldwide they are one of the most beloved plants and have come to be recognized as a sign of beauty and love. So why risk losing your precious roses because you did not winterize them correctly? A little time and effort can greatly improve the survival rate of your roses. Preserve your roses. Five easy steps can help your roses through the toughest of winters.

Don’t let the winter months sweep in and steal them away from you. Roses are resilient little troopers if you give them a jumpstart. If you set your roses up properly for the long, dark, snowy months ahead, they will be waiting for you in the spring. In climates that produce temperatures that remain below 20-degrees F (7-degrees C) for long stretches without snow cover apply cover to your roses. If winters in your climate bring temperatures below 10 degrees F (12 degrees C) protective covering is necessary. In climates where winter is cool but low temperatures are rare, leave roses out in the open.

Just before September hits stop feeding and pruning your roses. This will stop the growth of delicate new blossoms that can not survive the winter from forming. After the first frost give your roses a good watering session. This will give the roses a good start as they head into a long stretch of independent care. Take the time to give your rose bed a thorough cleaning. Get rid of any diseases and insects. Remove fallen petals and leaves in the rose bed. Don’t attempt to reuse the rose bed debris in compost. Those unwanted pests may be lying in wait. Get rid of any old leaves so no insects hitch a ride on your roses into winter.

The time to begin preparing your roses for winter depends largely on your climate. In some climates you will want to begin protection after the first frost. In others you don’t need to bundle your roses up until after the second frost. Apply protection as late as possible without compromising your roses and remove it as early as you can. Late November is a good time to get the protection on, but if your climate affords it, wait until Christmas.

Hybrid teas are the most popular roses grown in America. They are partially derived from plants that grow in moderate regions where winters are extremely mild. That means they are especially sensitive to the cold weather. Pile a six to eight inch pile of dirt along the base of the bush before the ground completely freezes.

While there are a few Rosarians that support protecting more than the bud union, most believe that covering the buds will suffice, unless you are growing climbing roses. Then you want to cover as much as you can. Wrap a heat conducting material around the bud union of the rose.

If you are dealing with climbing roses, these same basic steps will help you to winterize. Gently remove the canes from the arbors and bind them to one another. Remove the foliage and bend the canes to the ground before placing a wood and wire frame above the plant. Then the bush, without any major pruning, is encased entirely in a thermal blanket.

It is good to get your roses back into the open as soon as possible. Late April is a great time to set your roses free. New growth will have been stifled long enough to prevent damage from late season frosts. What destroys roses in the winter is debatable. Some believe it is the dehydrated soil. Others think it’s the first strong frost, winterizing itself is also up for debate. This is a case of better safe than sorry.

The Best Rose Varieties for those Wild Winter Months

Jennifer — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:54:25 +0000

Winter can be an extremely fun time. Ski trips and blankets of white splendor all around. Holidays swoop in to annihilate our diets. Old friends and family members from all around suddenly appear on our doorsteps. Ah, yes, winter can be a joyous time but not necessarily for your roses.

Hopefully, before you planted your roses you did your research and discovered beautiful roses that would thrive in your climate. But maybe, just maybe, you were so elated to be planting roses that you just went with the prettiest rose you could find. Well, that may work in your favor, if you were drawn to certain types of roses.

It is true that you can winterize most roses and they will be there in the spring. It is also true, however, that there are some roses that are more equipped to get through winter than others. If you have a bad experience with your roses this year, after you wipe away the tears, you can begin again by planting roses that have the greatest survival rate.

If you are stationed in one of the tougher hardiness zones, you may want to go with Albs or Rugosas. These are probably the best roses to grow in harsh climates. They are very popular in Alaska and the Canadian interior. Since these areas witness some of the most severe winters in on the continent, it Rugosas and Albs will most likely work for you.

These roses are viral fighters of the cold that produce wonderful bushes with full blossoms. Some are even totally free of diseases and others can live through a minor infestation or two. They also are not picky about the ground they are planted in. Even if they are not set up in the most rose friendly soil, they tend to grow anyway.

Shrub roses are also hearty characters. They are thick skinned bushes that can withstand little discomfort. They have a good reputation for being disease resistant and reliable. They also have a tendency to make it through the winter with a bit of help. Perfume is a delicate fragrance that emits from these bright yellow blooms.

Specific roses that have impeccable reputations are the Hansa Rugosas, Prairie Dawn Parkland and the Martine Frobisher Canadian Explorer. The Hansa is a crimson Rugosas that bursts with a savory scent that can be smelled before you reach it. It can stand on its own two feet, not needing much attention at all. You need only to admire its beauty and perform minimal maintenance duties.

The Prairie Dawn shrub carries a gentle scent and grows about 4 to 6 feet in width. It too can be a hardy Rose that often steals the show and maybe a little turf, from other roses. You may want to give it a spot light of its own.

The Martin Frobisher is another strong rose plant with a slight fragrance; its hearty limbs are filled with elegant pink blooms. You will be able to admire this one for years to come. This rose will see you in the spring.

There are many more roses that do just fine in less than perfect hardiness zones. You may not be able to grow those desired Tea Roses, but you can still have buckets of roses. Ones that perceiver the winter and will be waiting on the other side for you next year. You just have to scout them out. There are tough roses out there waiting to be planted and loved.

If you still want to grow tender roses in zones that are not so tender, you can try. You can try growing them in pots that can be placed in warm places, like a basement. The pot will keep some of the cold out, but you will have to be very aware of when the plant needs to be rescued from outside.

Don’t leave your roses to fend for them selves. Cover them up for the winter and perform the duties you need to for your hardiness zone. You can not expect the roses to do all of the work. It must be a team effort. If you are good to your roses there is a much better chance that they will be good to you.

What you Need to Know About Rose Gardening

Jennifer — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:50:05 +0000

Rose gardening truly has its own special mystique about it, and it is really unlike any other type of gardening. There are few perennials or flowering shrubs that are able to give you so many wonderful blooms as rose plants are, and gardeners all over the world are truly smitten by the beauty and allure of roses. They have certainly always been a fan favorite, and because rose gardening is not particularly difficult, they are incredibly fun and enjoyable to grow as well.

Rose Gardening

There are a few important basics that are important to know when it comes to rose gardening, one being that they need lots of sun. Rose plants require at least six hours of good strong sunlight daily, and if they do not receive this then you will get fewer flowers and they will not bloom as nicely either.

Rose plants also require good soil, which is well drained but still able to properly hold moisture. Plenty of water and fertilizer as well as proper pruning are all necessary as well for beautiful rose plants, and you need to be sure to stay on the lookout so that you can get rid of any rose problems that occur before they get out of hand.

Getting Started

When it comes to rose gardening, the first thing you are going to want to do, if you are planting bare root roses, is to make sure you keep the roots moist before planting. Then you want to dig a hole that is large enough for the roots to be able to spread, and place so that bud union is at least two inches below soil line in warmer zones.

Then you want to backfill the planting hole with the soil that you have mixed with some peat moss and manure to three quarters full, and firm this soil around the roots, watering well afterwards and draining. Then you want to finish filling the planting hole, adding soil to form a mound over canes and then remove mounds when the roses begin to leaf out.

However if you are painting container grown roses, then the process is going to be a bit different. In this case you are going to need to dig a hole that is large enough to allow for the roots of the plants to spread, and then remove the pot carefully in order to minimize root disturbance. Then you want to place the plant at the correct depth and then backfill part of the way and finish as you would with bare root roses.

The Three Keys To Beautiful Rose Gardens

Jennifer — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 02:30:26 +0000

There is something almost spiritual about rose gardens. From their heady fragrance to their delicate blooms, walking through a rose garden is a tranquil experience. Growing a rose garden isn’t hard, yet many gardeners complain that their roses are never as beautiful as they would like them to be. If you struggle to grow roses, follow these easy steps and your rose gardens will be the envy of your neighborhood.

Roses Are Heavy Feeders

Roses like to be fed. They should be fed consistently. The best way to feed your roses is to sit down in the winter with a calendar and write out a feeding schedule for your rose garden. Once you have established your feeding schedule, stick to it. It doesn’t do your roses much good to feed them sporadically. Some people like to use a slow release fertilizer, but roses truly do best when a strong organic fertilizer is applied routinely.

Some great fertilizers for your rose gardens include composted manure and blood meal. Roses love a high nitrogen feed, so if you make your own compost, make sure you add lots of grass clippings to really add nitrogen to your soil.

Roses Get Thirsty

Roses require about two inches of water a week. If you don’t get that kind of rainfall in your area, it is important to water them every few days. You can cut down on the amount of water you need to give them by hand if you are diligent about mulching your roses. Mulching is a wonderful way to keep the roots of your roses from stressing. It is also great for weed control. Weeds compete with your roses for vital nutrients and water, so when you mulch your rose gardens, you help your roses get the most from the soil that surrounds them.

The best mulch you can use is grass clippings or compost that contains many nitrogen rich grass clippings. When you mulch with grass clippings you are helping feed the soil that will feed your roses.

Roses Need To Be Pruned

It seems a travesty to cut back your roses, but in reality, when you prune your rose garden you are ensuring beautiful blooms for seasons to come. Always deadhead spent roses by cutting them back to their second set of leaves. This will allow for more blooms to come out in the current season.

Make sure that you give your roses a good pruning in the early part of spring. Cut away every piece of dead or diseased wood. Once you have removed the damaged wood, step back and shape your bush. Make sure you thin out the branches so that each one has room for air to circulate, keeping your roses free from mildew and rot.

If you are faithful about feeding, watering, and pruning your roses, your rose gardens will be healthy and give you many seasons of pleasure.

About Wild Roses

Jennifer — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 21:01:15 +0000

Wild roses are considered as being abundant on the western prairies, especially when water is anywhere nearby. As well, they like direct sunlight and strive on it, and so if you are planting wild roses then you are going to want to make sure that you plant them in an area where they are going to receive a lot of sunlight on a daily basis.

These types of roses make a great addition to any garden, particularly if you already have more traditional roses growing, because they are closely enough resembled that they work, and yet at the same time you can tell them apart and so it adds variety to your garden.

Just make sure that you set out a plan in regards to design, and this should especially include factors such as color and size; you want to make sure that you have a good balance amongst your garden, and so this means that you should make a plan beforehand as to where each type of rose and other flower should be planted in the garden.

This way, once the flowers actually start to bloom and show themselves, you will have an equal balance of colors and sizes in your flowers, rather than having it look unbalanced and unequal.

The planning stage is one of the most important parts of all when it comes to gardening, and so you should really make sure that you take the time to think about it and decide properly and intelligently on where each different type and color of flower should go.

If you really are not too sure how to do this, then you will want to go in and speak to a professional, someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to gardening and landscaping, and so going in to your local landscaper or florist is a great idea.

However at the same time, if you know someone personally who is experienced in gardening, then you may not have to go to a professional, as you can just ask them to help you out.