How To Grow Good Roses

Fall is the best time for setting out roses, but you can plant in spring. When they arrive from the nursery, plant at once. If they have dried en route, soak the roots and put the tops in a bucket of water before planting. Trim back any roots that are weak, long or broken at this time. Dig a hole that is wide enough to allow the roots to spread without crowding.

The rose is properly placed when the bud (the point where the top joins the roots) is just under the ground surface. Space hybrid teas about 18 inches apart in any direction. Prune the branches 6 to 10 inches from the soil.

To grow good roses it is necessary to cultivate, to prune and to spray. If you have a well-cultivated bed you need not worry about watering. But if you start to water in hot weather, you must keep it up, soaking the roots thoroughly about once a week.
Spraying every 10 days guards against the diseases and insects that attack roses.

Nicotine sulphate wipes out the green lice; arsenate of lead is used against chewing insects; or sulphur and arsenate of lead may be used in a dust, as may DDT dust.
Winterize your roses by mounding sod around them after the first frost, or mulch with straw and evergreens. In cold parts of the country, remove the supports from the climbing roses and place the canes on the ground, peg them, and cover with soil mounds.

In spring, cut back your roses to within 6 inches of the ground. Ruthlessly lop off all but three or four canes on hybrid teas. This pruning will give you strong plants. When your plants grow out from spring pruning, you will have to disbud, cutting off all the buds except the top ones on the cane. This is the way to grow large blossoms.

Romantic Valentine’s Day Roses For You

Roses are undoubtedly the most popular flower when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Roses have always been a symbol of romance, beauty, passion and love.

There are several legends about this well-loved flower. One is that of a beautiful woman called Rodanthe, who was pursued by many impassioned suitors. They broke down her door and angered the goddess Diana, who then turned Rodanthe into a flower and her suitors into thorns.

Gift the secret of producing beautiful, fragrant English roses this Valentine’s Day, no matter where in the world you are, with a MyGardenSchool course on growing roses: David Austin’s Guide to Growing Roses.
The course features step by step video tutorials from a world leading authority on roses, downloadable course notes, and the facility to chat with tutors and fellow classmates online, in a ‘virtual classroom’. The technology is very intuitive and easy to use.

While no woman would turn down a dozen red roses, find out the other messages you can send by giving a different color or blending the colors in your bouquet.

Red: Love and Romance
One of the most universal of all symbols, the red rose represents true love.
It has also appeared throughout history and across cultures as both a political and religious symbol.

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well
Throughout history, yellow has been closely associated with the sun, making these roses excellent for cheering people up. Yellow roses send a message of appreciation and platonic love without the romantic subtext of other colors. The color represents feelings of joy and delight.

Pink: Love, Gratitude, Appreciation
Pink carries with it the connotation of grace and elegance, as well as sweetness and poetic romance.

Dark pink roses are symbolic of gratitude and appreciation, and are a traditional way to say thanks.
Light pink roses are associated with gentleness and admiration, and can also be used as an expression of sympathy.

White: Purity, Innocence, Sympathy, Spirituality
Early tradition used white roses as a symbol for true love, an association which would later become the hallmark of the red rose.

Also known as the bridal rose, the white rose is a traditional wedding flower. In this sense, white represents unity, virtue, and the pureness of a new love. White roses are also associated with honor and reverence, which makes them a fitting memorial for a departed loved one.

Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion
A literal mixture of yellow and red, orange roses were seen as a bridge between friendship symbolized by yellow roses and love represented by red roses. They can be an expression of fascination, or a gift to say 'I'm proud of you.'

Lavender: Enchantment, Majesty, Love at First Sight
The color purple has a traditional association with royalty. In this regard, shades of lavender roses suggest an air of regal majesty and splendor.