Roses and June go together. Some of our lovely roses begin to bloom in late May, and many linger through summer, teasing with a stray flower now and then. September offers a sweet echo when a number of them rouse themselves into a last chorus before frost. A few really hardy roses can be seen blooming into October and November.

 

The "Right" Place for a Rose

Whoever said that life is a bed of roses was loony. They clearly never spent any time working in a rose garden. Roses are a high maintenance plant, period. They require lots of attention, fertilizer, water and weeding (do not get me started about weeding among roses, ouch).

I think roses are ideal in a lovely mixed planting of shrubs, herbaceous perennials and annuals. I like variety and roses become a lot easier to manage when mixed in among other garden plants. If you’re not careful, a bunch of roses in the same place could be a smorgasbord for all kinds of pests. Spread your roses throughout a garden and watch your pest problems diminish (do not read as “gone completely”).  So, there you go. Now it is out. You know the "right" place for roses in the garden.

Posted by Josh Steffen 

Growing roses has been called a labor of love. For centuries, poets have written about suffering the thorns in order to enjoy the beauty and fragrance of the rose. Athletes have a more simple saying: “no pain, no gain.”

Let’s face it, roses are far from low maintenance plants. They are susceptible to a variety of insect and fungal problems. An especially cold winter can cause a lot of die-back, and humid or rainy summers bring on the inevitable black spot fungus. Yet, so many gardeners still find a place for this plant somewhere in their yard. Perhaps it is for sentimental reasons. Or maybe it is because the rose has such a long tradition in literature.   For whatever reason, start your roses off this time of year on the right foot with good structural pruning.

Now is the time to prune shrub roses into a nice v-shape. Follow the rules of pruning and first remove any dead, diseased or crossing canes. Then, select the outwardly branching canes that will form the v-shape and remove the other canes. Limb up the canes that remain so there is not a lot of growth low to the ground where fungal diseases can frequently take hold. Make your pruning cuts just above the buds on the cane in order to direct the new growth outward.  A lot of inward or congested branching leads to poor air circulation and potential fungal problems.

Don’t forget to sterilize those pruners as you move from shrub to shrub to prevent the spread of any diseases. I use rubbing alcohol. It also comes in handy when one of the thorns inevitable finds its way into my hand or arm. But, “no pain, no gain.” The reward will be there sometime around the end of May.

Posted by Bob Rensel