Plant Gardens 101

The history of roses is very long and colorful. Over the years they have been symbols of love, beauty, war and politics. Fossils have been found, which indicate the rose has been around for approximately 35 million years. There are about 150 species of roses spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska to South Africa. 5,000 years ago garden cultivation of the rose began, which probably was in China. Roses were widely grown in the Middle East during the Roman period. Roses had several uses over the years. Many times it was used in celebrations as confetti. During that time roses were used for medicinal purposes. Roses were also used as a source of perfume. Large public roses gardens were established in the south of Rome by the Roman nobility. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the roses popularity depended on the gardening trends and fashion of the time.

During the fifteenth century two different groups were fighting for the control of England. The rose was used as a symbol of one side or another. The white rose was the symbol for York and the red rose was the symbol Lancaster. The conflict came to known as the “War of the Roses” because roses were used as symbols at the time.

In the seventeenth century, roses were in extremely high demand. Royalty considered using roses or rose water as a form of currency. They were however used as bartered for payment. (more…)

When you have roses, you have to water them about one inch of water per soil. It can depend on the soil how often you need to water. Sandy soil need frequent watering, but as a rule of thumb once a week is good for most soils.

Using mulch on the soil around the plants to retain the moisture in the soil is a good practice. Mulch will also keep down the growth of weeds and keep the soil cool. Use mulches of dry grass clipping, wood chips or straw. Mulch needs to be applied about 2-3 inches deep. Remember to replace it when it needs to be replaced. Even though using mulch is good. Organic mulch can bind up the nitrogen as they decompose, so you will need to fertilizer to prevent deficiencies in the soil.

For roses to stay healthy and strong you will need to make yourself a fertilizer schedule. This will need to be performed yearly and the schedule will vary depending on the type of roses you are growing. Check with a plant expert in your town to find out, what type of fertilizer schedule you will need for your roses. As a rule of thumb general-purpose fertilizers like the 10-10-10 or the 12-12-12 are usually adequate. The ration is ½ to 1 full cup per plant. You will spread the fertilizer in a band starting 6” from the base of the plant and spread the band until it is 18” from the base of the plant. Your fertilizer will be a band around the plant will be 12” wide. Work it lightly into the soil and then water. Some roses will benefit from a second application after the spring bloom period ends. Then you can fertilize one more time in mid July for nonstop blooms or repeat-blooming roses. Never apply fertilizer after August; you do not want to encourage growth, which could be easily damaged during winter. Roses can be fertilized in the fall after the plant lay dormant. This fertilizer will not encourage growth, but will be there when they do start growing again in the spring. To increase hardiness during the winter fertilize with fertilizers high in potassium. (more…)