| So you want to start rose gardening? |
| It's all the rage and everyone is into it. There's no doubt that gardening has taken the world by storm and Roses have never been so popular. Tons of information is coming at you in all directions promoting this and that. Here's a few things to think about before you leap on the band wagon. |
Gardening, especially with roses, can be a hobby that can be both frustrating when
faced with the unknown and what to do about it and at the same time be the most
rewarding and soothing experience a person can get from ones efforts. Ask most
gardeners why they battle the black flies, mosquitoes and in climate weather to "garden"
and they will probably say "I do it because I love it, it gives me pleasure" or "It's relieves
all my stresses of the day and soothes me".
Now to most of our non gardening friends this must seem quite paradoxes. How can
being eaten by black flies give one pleasure?? The answer may well be just as
paradoxes and complex and different to every initial as it may be very simple: for the
challenge, to make a statement or expression of ones self or simply to accomplish
something that is beautiful in a increasingly not so beautiful world.
being eaten by black flies give one pleasure?? The answer may well be just as
paradoxes and complex and different to every initial as it may be very simple: for the
challenge, to make a statement or expression of ones self or simply to accomplish
something that is beautiful in a increasingly not so beautiful world.
The point I'm trying to make is that if set your goals or expectations to large, to fast,
without some knowledge to back you up then you're only setting yourself up for
disaster and more of the stress your trying to relieve. Gardening should not be a
burden, so don't go and make it one by overdoing it then having to try and keep up
with it. The best advise any gardener can give you is to start small and work your way
up as your knowledge grows - so will your garden and your love of it.
without some knowledge to back you up then you're only setting yourself up for
disaster and more of the stress your trying to relieve. Gardening should not be a
burden, so don't go and make it one by overdoing it then having to try and keep up
with it. The best advise any gardener can give you is to start small and work your way
up as your knowledge grows - so will your garden and your love of it.
| So, here are some simple things to think about before you plan your outings to the garden center. |
Take some time and find out how a plant functions. I know, that sounds boring but In many ways plants are so
very similar to us in the fact they need, sun, water and healthy food to eat. It's s incredible how easy gardening
can be once you know the basics of what all plants need and when you give it to them how rewarding they can
be. Don't give them what they need and they can be a pain in the butt loaded with problems. Roses are no
exception.
Start small, with easy to grow, less demanding plants. Master them then move on to bigger things. Try a small,
four by eight rose bed in the sunniest, well drained spot in your yard. Work the soil well with lots of composted
stuff like old leaves, compost, manures and peat. If you don't have this then go out and buy some bagged
manures and Alfalfa pellets (this is commonly called rabbit & Hamster food and is very inexpensive for a large
bag) working it in and build up the bed and your ready to plant.
For some fertilizers we use and sell click here
- Know your site: its hardiness zone, soil type, drainage, situation i.e.. exposure to sun, wind and frost
pockets to name a few. - A garden is only as good as the soil it's planted in. Most roses are heavy feeders so make sure you have
good rich soil right from the beginning. then top dress annually in spring and fall. - A plant is only as hardy as it is healthy and to accomplish this you need good soil and knowledge of what
that particular plant needs: sun, shade, moist or dry soil etc.) - Most roses need sun and the more the better. A few rose varieties require less to do well but certainly do
better with more. - Don't believe articles that say you can grow roses successfully in shade because you can't. They might
exist but they certainly won't flourish and give you the blooms and health required for good blooming and
your sanity. You need a minimum of four hours strong sun to keep any rose healthy. Notice I said
MINIMUM. Plant two of the same rose cultivars, one in full sun and one in four to six hours sun and
you'll see what I'm talking about. - Roses are in general, can be plagued with a fungal disease called "black spot" that spreads on damp, wet
leaves. Some roses are less prone than others. There are many new roses out now that are bred to resist
this so know your cultivar and if your new to rose gardening or do not want to have to spray fungicides
then plant only the ones that are disease resistant. Most of the Explorer Series , Griffith Buck and Rugosa
roses were bred for this. - The fact remains that even these can get black spot if the conditions are right for it. Acknowledge this do
whatever you can to avoid it. Keep your plant healthy with good nutrition and sun and it will withstand
disease and pests that attack it. The less sun to dry the leaves quickly, the more prone the plants are
prone to get it. Another good reason not to try and grow roses in shade! - Bugs and caterpillars can be a real nuisance. Again, do some homework. Identify and learn the life cycle
of the insect in question. This will help you understand what you need to do to break it's life cycle. This is
an essential step if your going to try and grow organically without using insecticides. In our superior
knowledge we humans tend to forget that plants were on this earth way before us. Plants have survived
through adaptation and mutation without the use of chemicals. These controls are just infants on the scene
- Insecticidal soaps and BT are your safest way to combat these critters. See our organic gardening pages
for more in depth details on using these effectively.
Keep in mind that healthy plants, like us humans, can weather most storms and come out smiling where
sick plants cannot. A rose, well tended, can certainly withstand an insect attach as long as you act within a
reasonable amount of time. If you see a leaf chewed or yellow it does not mean you have to act that
SECOND. It simply means you have to give it your attention, find out why it is happening and fix it.
Don't panic and run for the insecticide when you see a bug chewing a leaf. Squish it if you know what it is or
bottle it for identity purposes. Your local garden center should be able to tell you what it is if you have no
other means of identifying it. It's a sign of our modern times that most of us do not want to see a leaf with a
hole chewed in it or any damaged part for that matter.
Above all try and never loose sight of why you started gardening in the first place. This is something I think both old hats and novices can tend to forget sometimes It's so easy to get carried away with all the pictures, magazine articles and gardening shows. As my mom always said," don't bite off more than you can chew" and you know moms are usually right! Your garden should be an extension of you, what ever gives you pleasure. It's when things stop being a pleasure and become a burden that can bring disillusion to gardeners. If one type of rose or plant is a pain then dissuade it and go for another based on maybe a bit more knowledge this time. Again gardening shouldn't be a burden but at the same time it should be a challenge to remain interesting and rewarding and thus worthwhile. |
Calling All Gardeners |
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