Rose Bush Care Tips

While many novice gardeners shy away from growing roses, rose bush care can actually be fairly easy when you know the proper steps to take.

Preparing Your Garden for a Rose Bush

The first step is to properly prepare your garden for your rose plants. Roses need lots of sun, so choose a spot in your garden that gets 5 to 6 hours of sun a day at a minimum. If your roses don't get the amount of sunlight they need to thrive, they will be weakened and constantly battling against insects and disease.

The second consideration before actually planting your rose bush is the soil itself. You may want to get your soil tested to see if it has the proper PH balance for rose plants. If not, you may need to amend the soil to bring it into balance.

Choosing a Rose Bush

Making the right choice in the type of rose bush can have long term consequences on the amount of effort it will take for you to maintain the rose. Grafted roses are often more fragile than rose seedlings grown on their own roots. Old garden, or heirlooom, roses can often take more neglect than hybrid teas.

If you are looking for an almost idiot proof rose bush, the Knockout Roses may be a good choice. Knockout roses are self cleaning,meaning you don't have to deadhead the spent bloom. They bloom continuously throughout the growing season. They are a favorite among commercial landscapers in that they don't require constant maintenance

Planting Rose Bushes

Once you have chosen your rose bush, now come the time to plant. Dig a big hole, at least two to three times the size of the rose root ball. Next place a mix of mulch and enriched soil in the bottom of the hole. Place the rose bush in the hole and make sure the top of the root ball is just below the soil level. Fill in the remainder of the soil around the bush and then water the rose thoroughly.

Rose Bush Maintenance

Proper rose bush care requires some maintenance periodically through out the year. The spring is the time to do the main time for pruning roses. Some clean up pruning in the fall may also be needed.

Fertilize your roses in the spring and once a month through out the summer, or apply a timed release fertilizer in the spring.

Most types of roses also need to be "deadheaded," which is clipping off the rose blooms after they fade.