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Selecting Roses For Beginners
Roses are the world's favorite flower and this is demonstrated by the size of the global market for rose bushes and cut flowers. They were first cultivated in China some 5,000 years ago and then during the Middle Ages in Europe, they were cultivated in monasteries for their medicinal properties. Roses are often attributed with a reputation for being difficult to grow; this is only true when gardeners don't understand the roses' preferences. Once we appreciate and then supply their needs, they can be very accommodating. Before shopping for your roses, take the time to look at the plot that you've allocated to them, and ask yourself these questions: • Is this area getting at the very least, 6 hours of sunlight a day? • Is the soil suitable for roses? • What type and size of roses do I want to grow? Once you've answered these basic questions, then you'll have the information you need to make your purchases. The area where you intend planting your roses should receive a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight but 10 is better. When we talk about sunlight we mean direct sunlight, it doesn’t have to be bright sunlight although roses do appreciate full sun. The soil should ideally be clay or a heavy loam, but if it isn't it can be improved with the addition of well rotted cow manure and garden compost; the poorer the soil to start, the more improving it will need. An inexpensive testing kit can be bought at your local garden center to establish the acidity of your soil. Roses are sensitive to the pH balance of the soil, and you need a reading of between 6.0 and 6.9. Should your soil fall outside this range, you can use hydrated lime to increase the alkalinity or rock sulphur to reduce the alkalinity /increase the acidity. Once you’ve established the site gets enough sunlight and you have your soil right, the next step is to decide on what effect you want to achieve with your roses. This is where you get to decide on the type, the color and the variety. Many people don't realize that a climbing rose isn't a different variety of rose to, say, a floribunda rose, it's different type of rose. In normal speech, words such as type or variety can be freely interchanged, but when it comes to plant taxonomy though, (how plants are named) these terms have specific meanings. When you've decided what sort of effect you want to achieve, you’ll be looking at the different types of roses which can fulfil your requirements. If you have an old structure you want to cover, maybe you could use a rambling rose with a lot of vigor or maybe a climbing rose if you need a little more restraint. A pillar rose is often a variety of climber that isn't as vigorous as some others. If you want to have rose bushes, do you want masses of flowers where the individual flower shape isn't your prime concern but you want a solid splash of color. Maybe the floribunda is what you’re looking for. Do you want to grow a rose that resembles the ones that often make up a bouquet, then you are possibly looking for a Hybrid tea type of rose. The possibilities are endless. You also have the miniature roses, perfect in every detail but smaller, or an old fashioned species rose that can grow into a large bush with a short flowering season but a sensational perfume. You decide on the effect and then you get to choose your colors. It's pointless to fall in love with a particular variety of rose for its color only to find that it's totally inappropriate for the location. There aren't many hard and fast rules, so have a word with your local rose grower, because it's in his best interest to help you out with advice. Of course, you may only have a balcony, or perhaps you need a rose that will thrive in a container somewhere that lacks access to the soil. The choice isn't as restricted as you may think, although not all roses are suitable for container growing. Once you've made your choice of roses, next will be site preparation and planting. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Keith Berwick is a rose growing enthusiast who has been growing roses both professionally and for pleasure for over 40 years and enjoys helping others to get started in this rewarding hobby. For more great information on rose growing for beginners, visit www.rosecaretoptips.com |
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