Summary: Climbing roses are effective where many other plants are not. Some are valuable for covering walls; others are ideal subjects for training on posts. Is there a climbing rose in your garden? If the answer is no, look around. Nearly every home property has room for at least one climbing rose bush. And, there … Read more
Spring pruning of established roses is always a gamble. If you prune too early, late spring frosts can kill all the canes. If you prune too late, some of the plants’ strength will be lost in the growth of the top shoots. You and you alone must judge when to prune your roses. All roses … Read more
Believe it or not, caring for garden roses needs “pruning” all summer. You probably have accomplished many of these described tasks but not called them “pruning.” If the essential jobs are done correctly, you’ll enjoy more rose blossoms and have healthier and larger rose bushes. Read over these descriptive summer jobs and follow suggestions where … Read more
I buy budded roses for the same reason you do, it is the only kind offered for sale by the nurseries. That is not to say l do it because I want to. On the contrary, I would prefer to buy a healthy plant grown on its roots. But since they are not available and … Read more
The first step in planting a rose garden in Arizona, Kentucky, or anywhere else is carefully selecting the plants. After deciding on the varieties, you’re going to grow (and how much money you can spend), the next question is, “What kind of rose plants are best to buy?” In checking the prices, you will find … Read more
The disease of roses “crown gall” has often been cited as one of the most insistent rose diseases. It appears as rough, knobby, tuberlike growths either above or below ground parts of the plant. In certain locations, it may develop on canes and roots. Galls may grow 2″ or 3″ inches in diameter, occasionally larger. … Read more
What my busy family likes most about floribundas is that they are practically as easy to grow and to maintain, in our southern Michigan landscape as common hardy shrubs. Actually, floribundas are hardy shrubs in every sense of the word. And who could ask more of a plant that blooms all season, beginning the first … Read more
Summary: Many people follow plant culture instructions without stepping back and asking themselves what is different or the same in their growing environment. Every ever-increasing area has its own “micro-climate” of conditions. In most cases, people tend to follow the ninth-degree culture directions that they read or hear about that others give. This growing method … Read more
Somewhere in a rose-growing country, the season will prove to be one of the worst for blackspot in recent years. This can often be attributed to a very early and warm spring that produces the early growth of roses and blackspots. It greatly emphasizes the importance of spraying early. Gardeners who began their spray programs … Read more
Question: We live in the northeast and could use some tips on caring for our roses in this colder climate. Maria, Worcester Massachusetts Answer: Most home gardeners living in the latitude of northern Vermont do not expect to grow hybrid teas 5′ to 6′ feet tall. In fact, the idea is abroad that in climates … Read more