Caring for rosebushes

Girly_girl · 06-30-2012, 02:43 PM

I love roses but never had much success with rosebushes. Do they need lots of water and sun. Can they survive in the shade? I need to plant them now what kind of soil do i use.. top soil? Do they like mulch?
Kordana rose I think they're called.
Thanks for your time

creeper · 06-30-2012, 02:49 PM

Girly:
Roses can be a bit tricky. They are very thirsty, yet cannot tolerate evening watering. They also need full sun. They also easily fall victim to diseases and bugs.
They require a lot of tending. I believe the climbing rose is a little more hardy, but I think they will give a flurry of blossoms mid june as opposed to a continuous show of flowers throughout the season.

GardenConcepts · 06-30-2012, 03:29 PM

They need well-drained soil and full sun. Shrub Roses, such as Knockout Roses, tend to have fewer problems than traditional Tea Roses. Check your hardiness zone as well.

Thunder Chicken · 06-30-2012, 04:05 PM

Try a knockout rose variety for starters. They grow in a bush form and can get quite big (4' by 4' or larger) so give them some room. They do require a little care for them to grow optimally, but you probably could neglect them for the whole summer as well without too much problem, too.

They need lots of sun, but not necessarily all day. Mine get good sun until about 3PM which gives them a break from the heat of the day. I would probably shoot for about a minimum of 8 hrs of sun.

Prepare the soil by working in lots of compost and organics. Roses like to eat. Make sure the soil drains well (no standing puddles). Plant it and keep the soil moist. You should mulch around the rose to keep the soil moist. Water only if the soil starts to dry out. Water early in the day (watering in the evening under high humidity can cause fungus problems).

I put a cup of Rose-Tone on each of my bushes about once a month or thereabouts. Get it in under the plant and get it to the soil (not just on top of the mulch). Water it in after you have spread it. When I feed, I also hose off the whole plant (not just the base), which cleans off most of the spent flowers and knocks mites and other critters off the plant. If you have some clean scissors you can cut off the old flowers but it isn't completely necessary with knockouts. Just do it when you think of it.

These things will take off when put in the right conditions, so stand back. Mine are just in their first summer and are 3+ feet tall and loaded with flowers. They are a bit stalky, but I'll prune for shape in late winter before buds form next year.

sippinjoes · 06-30-2012, 09:46 PM

I transplanted a knockout rose, absolutely butchering the root system, and it is doing better than ever. I moved it 10 feet giving it more sun. I wasn't intending to keep it, but thought I would see if it lived. Buy a knockout if you want pretty roses, small but pretty, and don't have a green thumb.

sdsester · 07-01-2012, 10:57 AM

As suggested, do not underestimate the care needed to grow nice roses. I found grafted tree roses worked out will in Northern California.

Roses are really prone to bugs and diseases so if you are totally anti-chemical they may not be the plant for your garden. You can help by never watering late in the day and making sure you to not atomize soil born disease spores with spray irrigation. Roses loves simple, slow drip irrigation. It is also import to have sharp pruners in dealing with them and you should dip them in bleach or other disinfectant between each cut. Ladybugs or praying mantis can help with aphids or you need to spray diligently.