How to Plant and Prune Rose Bushes (With a Photo Gallery of Roses)
95© Stephanie Hicks May 2008
Ask someone to name any type of garden flower, and the first one that will most likely come to mind is a rose. Rose gardens are beautiful and abundant, and have delighted gardeners and visitors for centuries.
Planted and pruned correctly, rose bushes will produce many blooms over the growing season which lasts from early spring until hard frost. Many wonder if there is a special trick to successful gardening of roses. While it is true that you must take specific care of most types of rose bushes to prevent disease and pests and to encourage healthy growth, one does not need to be a master gardener to succeed at caring for roses.
Tips on how to plant and prune rose bushes are included below, along with a photo gallery of roses. Read on and enjoy beautiful photos of roses and rose bushes, learn about the meaning of various rose colors and the difference between various types of roses as you select them for your garden - or a loved one!
Types of Roses
Before considering planting and care, you should decide what type of rose you wish to install in your garden. The most popular variety is a Hybrid Tea, but these are also often the most difficult for which to care.
Hybrids produce a large flower on a stem that is usually long and straight. Other rose bush options include Floribunda and Grandiflora. Floribunda is a cross between a Hybrid Tea and a Polyantha, which is a plant that produces small clusters of flowers. Grandifloras create large clusters of blooms. Among these general types, you can find miniature rose bushes, climbing varieties, and rose tree/topiaries.
According to Wikipedia, there are more than 100 varieties of wild roses that grow primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. These plants prefer a temperate region.
Hybrid Teas are produced by cross-pollinating two different rose plants. Originating in 1867 in France, they are now the best-selling cut flower. Roses are given unique names for celebrities, royalty or popular virtues.
The most popular Hybrid Tea is a white rose named "Peace." For a list of popular Hybrid Teas, listed by color, click here.
Meanings of Rose Colors
You want to present someone special a rose, or perhaps a bouquet.
Do you know what the various colors mean? Perhaps you are conveying a message you do not intend. Here is a guide of rose colors and their meanings:
Red - Romantic Love, "I love you"
White - Innocence and purity
Yellow - Friendship and caring
Orange - Fascination (alternatively, Desire)
Lavender - Enchantment, "I am falling in love with you"
Coral - Desire
Light Pink - Joy (alternatively, Sympathy)
Regular Pink - Happiness
Dark Pink - Thankfulness; good to send to someone in appreciation
Peach - Sympathy or Gratitude
Blue - (rare) Mystery
Mixture of White and Red - Unity
Growing Roses: Before you Plant
Best Places to Plant Roses
Roses need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day, thorough watering, a soil pH of 6.5 to 6.8, fertilizing, and proper pruning and disease/pest prevention.
Experts advise that your rose bushes get morning, as opposed to afternoon, sun. This is important for two reasons. First, early exposure to sunlight will allow morning dew to dry off leaves as soon as possible, to prevent black spot and other types of mildew. Second, it is better for your plants to avoid the hottest part of the day, if possible.
Roses require regular watering to keep them healthy and thriving. A little shade later in the day can cut down on the amount of water required, and also result in less stress.
Pruning Roses for Maximum Display
Bare Root Roses or Shrub Roses?
Whether you are planting already established rose plants, or bare roots, the planting method is generally the same. Be aware, however, that bare root roses will be less expensive than their counterparts. The primary difference in care is the additional pruning you will have to do to get the plants established.
Start with determining the best location for your plants as discussed above. Make sure that they will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. Now, dig a hole at least 1-1/2 feet in depth. Add soil amendment in a cone shape, at least 3 inches thick. Mix in the amendment to the regular soil, digging at least another 1/2 foot in depth. Roses grow well with bone meal, so add an appropriate amount to the hole, or use fertilizer marketed for rose plants. Make sure that everything is combined well. Now, prepare to plant your rose. You will need a square hole sized approximately 2 feet on each side in which to place the plant.
If you are putting in bare root rose plants, be sure to cut down the height of the canes to at least 8 inches, and removed any damaged or diseased roots. The pruning is necessary to promote growth, even if it seems a bit extreme. The mounded soil within the hole in which you will plant your shrub serves to direct root growth in the proper direction, to avoid shallow establishment.
Be sure to allow for plenty of air circulation around your plants. Roses need 3-4 feet of spacing between each one.
Beautiful Roses
Let's Plant Some Roses
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Floribundas
Koricole
Lavaglut
Playboy
Playgirl
Simplicity
Sun Flare
Traumerei
Miniatures
Always A Lady
Anytime
Black Jade
Centerpiece
Cinderella
Cuddles
Ginny
Green Ice
Heartland
Kathy Robinson
Mary Bell
Old Glory
Queen City
Red Flush
Singles Better
Watercolor
Black Spot and Other Rose Bush Issues
Humidity and water are one of the primary causes of blackspot, mildew and rust, fungal diseases that are common to roses.
To prevent or control these issues include, water from below (don't water from top because the leaves get wet), get rid of "infected" leaves from the base of the plants by raking and dispose of them as soon as possible. Also, be sure to cut back infected canes to make sure that disease doesn't spread to the rest of the plant. Treatment is advised as soon as possible.
You may consider fungicides for control (although rust usually only occurs on the West Coast of the U.S.). Applied early in spring, whenever rain is forecasted, you may want to spray it on your rose plants through the growing season until frost. Fungicides registered for black spot control include propiconazole (e.g. Banner), thiophanane methyl (e.g. Cleary 3336), chlorothalonil (e.g. Daconil 2787), mancozeb (e.g. Fore, Dithane, or Maneb), thiophanate methyl + mancozeb (e.g. Zyban), trifloxystrobin (e.g. Compass) and myclobutanil (e.g. Systhane). If you want to go the organic route, you can make your own solution with 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in a quart of water. Add a few drops of liquid soap to help it cling to the foliage, and spray infected plants thoroughly.
There are some roses that are more resistant to fungal diseases, listed below and in the caption to the right:
Hybrid Teas
Canadian White Star
Chablis
Duet
Electron
Elmhurst
Lady
Lady Rose
Lady X
Maid of Honor
Mikado
Miss All American Beauty
Modern Art
Mon Cheri
Nantucket
Olympiad
Otto Miller
Pascale
Polarstern
Red Devil
Voo Doo
Wimi
Grandifloras
Love
Prima Donna
If you have one (or more) rose bushes in your garden, be sure to tend to them on a daily basis to keep the flowers blooming throughout the season and year after year.
Watering, examining the leaves for disease and looking out for aphids, earwigs, or other common bugs that can destroy your roses is necessary for the best results.
Enjoy these beautiful roses!
Have Something You Want to Say?
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A lovely article which brought me back t my childhood (since my dad was a keen rose grower). He would graft his own roses and I was often in charge of feeding.
The significance of the colours was new to me - fascinating, thanks!
it will be winter here in Sydney in a few weeks, seldom you will see roses in the garden, nice to see your roses. Roses are always beautiful...Thanks for sharing them....
This is a beautiful hub, Steph! I love that you included all of the different meanings for the colors. Thank you for sharing this!
Steph, you bring back memories of when I grew roses. Here in the deep south, we have to fight the humidity and the afternoon thundershowers. It is a lot of work. But if you put in the time and effort, you can gain much pleasure from having fresh cut beautiful roses on the dining room table all season.
Solarshingles - thank you! I love roses and so appreciate a beautiful garden. That is a perfect quote. I will use that one again. :-)
pjdscott, so glad to bring back the nice memories. Grafting roses with your dad must have been very educational.
MM, come back and check out these photos throughout winter.
Hi Amy, thank you. We had yellow roses at my grandfather's funeral last fall. He was from Texas, and it signified the "yellow rose of Texas." Pink roses for sympathy just wouldn't have been right somehow. I've got to find out why the yellow rose represents Texas.
John, you are right. Those darned thundershowers! But worth the extra effort for fresh cut flowers (one of my absolute favorite things in life!)
Steph you reminded me of why I love roses! But I've been sooo hesitant about growing them myself-this helps heaps!
When I was young I was on a plane and the pilot asked permission to fly the plane over the Grand Canyon. His reason? His doctor had told him to slow down and smell the roses. This was his way of enjoying life and he shared it with us. On the way off the plane he personally handed each woman a rose and each man a carnation.
Roses reflect so much of what life can be - thorns, wonderful aromas, beautiful colors, and a short but spectacular existance. It was said in the old Anglo-Saxon stories 1,000 years ago that life is like a bird flying from the cold through an open window into the warm hall, and then back out through another window into the cold once more.
Roses, and many other flowers, brighten the moments we have in life, and is it any wonder that flowers play a part throughout our lives? From birth to death, flowers figure into our every occasion.
From my own memories - the dandelion a child brings to his or her mom or favorite teacher, to the rose a man first gives to his true love and the carnation they each wear to prom, to the flowers that adorn a loved one's funeral, flowers say how much we love each other.
Lifebydesign - good luck! You can do it!
Chef Jeff, what a lovely, amazing comment! That story about the pilot brings a big smile to my face. Flowers are a very special part of our lives. We should pause a bit more often to enjoy their beauty.
Wow, there isn't a flower as romantic as the rose. I remember when we first purchased our house out here at Crooked River Ranch, the first thing I did was went out and bought three rose bushes. The next morning I got up and they had been eaten down to nubs in the ground. That's when I became informed about what kind of flowers deer wouldn't eat - there aren't very many. We're putting our house up for sail next month. If it sells (hope), I'll be able to plant roses in our new place.
I really like the roses photos...so beautiful :)
Hi Karen, you definitely get a lot of deer out at Crooked River Ranch (and it is so beautiful there). Yes, they love to eat roses too! Good luck with the sale of your home.
Len, thank you! I really enjoyed putting this together.
stephhicks68, as a rose fancier of 20 years, let me thank you for a lovely Hub with some glorious photos. This was truly a joy to read and I could almost smell the flowers, particularly Grandma's Blessing with the water droplets across the petals. Heavenly!
Did your research take you across the green rose? It's a truly unique old China rose dating from at least 1845. Check it out at the website of the Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham, Texas, antiqueroseemporium.com/rose-201.html
The Peace rose, by the way, is a pale yellow rose with pink edging. It starts out with bright, vivid colors, and fades as the flower opens until it seems nearly white. There's also a variant, called Chicago Peace, which has even deeper colors.
Thanks again--enjoyed this Hub tremendously.
Cheryl, thank you for the wonderful comments! I am going to check out te green rose at that website. Your additional information about the Peace rose is helpful and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. I will see if I can find a photo and add it. Steph
There's a great one under Wikipedia Commons. They also have photos of one of the variants, Flaming Peace.
Great! Thank you! I will check it out. :-)
Cheryl, thanks for your tips. I have added some new photos! Enjoy!
Wonderful!
What a beautiful hub! I am interested in anything that has to with gardening as I new at this after living most of my life in highrise buildings in the East Coast.
And speaking of roses... many years ago when I was waiting for the train in NY to get home after work, during rush hour, a young black gentlman approached me and handed me a rose. He was not trying to pick me up as he was with a female companion and walked away after giving me the rose. That gesture made my evening as I was experiencing challenges at the time.
VioletSun, good luck with your new garden! I hope you enjoy working in it. And what a lovely story. Roses are such a treasure. You will never forget that experience, I am sure!
Wonderful hub. I have to admit that we had a small yard in our former home, so I removed my rose bushes and replanted them at my parents home because they kept sticking me in our small yard. Now I have to laugh because I am back in my parents home (now mine) so the roses I brought there- well I'm now tending to them! So I have a mix of the roses my dad planted, plus the news ones I planted, so I am gradually getting the hang of roses!I have some mildew spots though so I am going to try your organic mixture to treat them.Thanks for a great hub!
Thanks Dorsi! To me, roses are like golf. Frustrating, but you just keep going back again and again because you get rewarded by a great flower or bush, despite a black spot or mildew outbreak here or there. The hard work is definitely worth the payoff. I am glad you are back to tending your roses again! :-)
Wonderful hub! I do love roses and all the beautiful flowers that God has bestowed on us. Red roses has been associated with love and yellow with jealousy. My sister Estella was a keen gardener and we had a row of rose bushes planted around the patio. At night I used to pick ladybugs with a torchlight shining on the bushes and destroy the ladybugs.
Roses are indeed worth the work, great hub.
Coming from a gardening expert as yourself, Bob, I really appreciate the comment! Thanks! Steph
Beautiful pictures. My husband loves roses and is planning on planting a few at our new home. We just live so far north that he has to be really selective.
Thanks for all the info.
RGraf - thanks! I know that it can be difficult to grow roses where the weather is cooler (as here in Central Oregon). It makes the flowers that much more special. Good luck with your gardening! Steph
I absolutely love roses and found this hub so interesting. My favorite roses are pink ones, both the lighter ones and the darker colored ones. You have wonderful pictures of roses and I can't wait till the roses around here start blooming.
Hi Priyanka, I am with you! Roses are just so beautiful and some of the best are fragrant too. Best, Steph
Beautiful roses. I can even smell them from here...
Thanks Susan! I can too! ;-)
i like roses i have tryed to grow a green rose no luck with them could you tell me what i can do to get them to grow and a book on your roses. think you. linda cheek po box 337 austell ga 30168.
Just came across your hub page - I like this article & its photos. Red Roses (and other colors, too) are one of my favorite flowers.
I love roses and your article....very nice.
so beautiful roses and garden, i hope i can be there someday
this is good
i love beautiful roses; i think this is a very original peice on roses; thank you so much for being part of my life xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Steph,
What a great hub. I really enjoy the photos and the links to the videos etc.. As a budding rosarian, I had a question about an article I read. Here it is.... Rose bush care also involves deadheading. How to prune roses or rose pruning is what deadheading is all about. Learning how to prune roses properly encourages the growth of more rose blooms. Deadheading is necessary for this reason. If the bloom is allowed to fade while still on the branch, the plant will stop producing new flowering shoots and it won’t be good for the care of your rose bush. Is there anything unique about the term deadheading or is it just another way to pop off the dead or dying flowers on the stem. By the way, the article came from http://www.secretbookofroses.com/rose-bush-care/
sir:
where is this located for sale.
hansen
This is surely perfect that you spread the idea just about this post, thus, I advice to take the support at the freelance writer .
Hi, Steph,
What a wonderful hub. Just love your photos. To some caring for roses can be daunting. You give some very sound advice. Growing roses can be very satisfying and well worth the effort.
Rose bushes that are not pruned are more than likely to grow into large tangled messes with small and inferior blooms. Attention to the how and when of correct pruning will have you growing attractive well shaped and sized bushes with large lovely blooms.
I am specifically referring here to the pruning of bushes, not climbers, trees, ramblers or pillars.
Pruning at the correct time is just as important as how you prune. It is also important to remember that bushes should not be pruned until they begin coming out of dormancy. This can be as early as January in warm weather areas, to as late as April in very cold areas. If you grow roses in colder areas then you should not prune until all danger of frosts is past. The is an excerpt from an article at http://sherryandmargarita.com/238/how-and-when-to-
Wonderful article! My mother received a rose plant recently as a gift, so I'm going to suggest she read this article too (we know absolutely nothing about flowers). Cross your fingers it doesn't die before she reads it!
Hi Rachel - fingers crossed that your mom's rose bush survives! Thanks for stopping by... Steph :)
great article but really didin't help me to get any information about Belinda's Dream!
it is really wonderful having such a great site keep it up
Thanks for such a post i really appreciate you. Keep up the good work and would like to hear more from you..
They are beautiful! I really love roses. It's an opportunity to view pictures of them from your post since I cannot see them personally. Unfortunately, we don't have rose garden here in the Philippines. Thank you so much for posting the Oregon Rose Garden.
Hi. I like pink roses a lot.I even named my daughter rose. I like the very big pictures of rose.I download them becaue i do cross stitching,and the biger the better.Please write me back.Thank you.My e-mail is mommykisses63@yahoo.com
I'm a faithful gardener but I've never had a real interest for roses, mostly because here in South Florida (Zone 10) they don't do so well. When it rains, it pours; and eggs seem to fry on their own instead of hatching. But your article is truly inspiring. I might have to give roses a chance. I'll have to look for the appropriate type of rose. THANK YOU! :-)
I really liked your article. Keep up the good work.
I love flowers...I am also interested to send flowers all over the world....
Such gorgeous pictures of roses! And great into as well. I have been battling black spot for years now and use a fungicide, even though I hate to use chemicals.
Hi Dolores, thank you! Black spot on roses is really tough. Keeping the leaves as dry as possible helps, but if you live in an area with humidity or rain, fungicide may be necessary to help keep that mold away. Best to you, Steph
You can try sulfur powder for the black spots. It won't kill the fungus that is there, but it will prevent additional infection.
Wonderful Post and look forward to reading more similar articles.
The significance of the colours was new to me - fascinating, thanks!
beautiful and interesting article on roses. roses are indeed the most beautiful flowers. I wrote a small paragraph on roses at:
http://yourspassionately.blogspot.com
If you have time do visit it.
Excellent information concerning the different types of roses. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful pictures and especially love the "Peace" rose, although they're all beautiful. Thanks for an awesome Hub.
Thanks Becky - I love the Peace rose too. Spring is on its way!
This is a great page. I had to bookmark it.
Thanks alot
Julie x
Thanks for sharing this.
Excellent and informative. I'm especially enjoying the photos, as the winter snow is finally disappearing. Maybe this will be the year that I finally tend to the roses in the yard!
Hi Brian - I'm with you! I cannot wait for spring to arrive so we can tend to the flowers in the garden. Best to you, Steph
Thanks for a good read, Steph! Hope you plan to write more about roses.
Hi Dirt Farmer - thank you! I'm looking forward to the arrival of spring, roses and other flowers. Cheers, Steph
they are very very very beautiful
i love to see these
useful informations , the meaning for the flowers and colors is good to know. great hub.
Wow , Looking very beautiful .
I really loved this post. You write about this topic very well.obviously i bookmarked it.this blog is really nice.thanks for sharing
Your roses are beautiful. Roses have been one of the most popular flowers in the world. Weddings, birthdays and any other occasions, roses are the first picks.
Nice Hub! Roses aren't as hard to grow as some people may think. They just need to be informed, as to how to grow them. Knowledge is key! Start with healthy plants,suitable for your planting zone, take care in planting them, and give them plenty of water. My roses are all grown with organic methods. If you'd like, view them here: http://www.allaboutrosegardening.com/Flower-Garden
Beautiful roses and nice hub. Voted up.
Thank you - glad you enjoyed the hub :)
rose is my favorite flower, so i injoy all of part about rose.
Thanks, this was really helpful. I hope to get in the garden more this year.
Actually, this is the kind of writing I am looking for on my newly launched "how to" website that outlines how to do certain tasks in 10-steps. Check it out if you're interested:
I like the roses photos...so beautiful. Nice hub !
solarshingles 4 years ago
Stephanie, I love roses and I adore their smell at every possible opportunity. Roses make spring time to look even more beautiful. Your photos are simply amazing!
One old Spanish saying popped to my mind from my old school memories: Non hay rosas, sin espinas. (There is no roses without thorns - means: Nobody is perfect - without mistakes)