Rose bushes are arguably the king of all landscaping plants. If you can master the art of how to plant rose bushes, you can fill your yard with beauty and fragrance.
If you are a “rose beginner” you might find rose bushes a little intimidating. While these plants do require special attention, there is no reason why you can’t become an expert with a little patience and practice. We’ve put together these simple tips to get you started on the right foot.
1. Choose the Right Roses
You need to begin by choosing roses which are capable of handling our harsh northern climate. You might be surprised to learn that you have a lot of choices.
There are two types which we recommend.
The first would be the Therese Bugnet Rose. In the warmer months this rose will give you lovely purple blossoms.
In the winter, you’ll get a lovely winter feature. The Therese Bugnet rose produces bright red stems and vivid orange hips. If you’ll recall, choosing plants that stay colorful throughout the year is one of the keys to creating a lovely winter landscape.
The “Cloud Ten” climbing rose is another nice choice. You can use climbers to enhance your fence or pergola (or both), creating vertical visuals in your garden that will be the envy of your neighborhood.
The Cloud Ten has huge white blooms and is resistant to rust and mildew, which means they’ll work well with your fence.
If neither of these varieties suit you then don’t despair. There really are a lot of other great choices.
You’ll get the best results by sourcing your roses locally. One way to do that would be by purchasing your roses from the Greater Milwaukee Rose Society.
The Milwaukee Rose Society is holding it’s 2013 rose sale right now. They only sell roses which grow well in Wisconsin, though their catalog does not include every variety that’s appropriate to our zone.
If you miss the sale, the Milwaukee Rose Society also maintains a list of nurseries that they consider reputable. They also recommend other Wisconsin-friendly roses.
2. Plant Wisely
Plan ahead for your new rose bushes. Each bush will need a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight every day.
You’ll also want to give your roses plenty of space. Roses are very susceptible to fungus,so it’s best to help them out by giving them lots of air flow.
You also need plenty of room to dig a big hole. Roses need a hole that’s twice the size of their root ball in both width and depth.
Finally, be sure to test the soil pH before planting any of your roses. Use fertilizers to adjust as necessary. Roses need a pH level of 6.5 to 7.1.
3. Water Well
Roses need a gallon of water every single day. They also prefer to be watered in the early morning hours – which may well be the source of their finnicky reputation!
Make sure you water the roots of the plant, however. Roses do not need or want a lot of water on their stems or leaves.
4. Observe Proper Seasonal Care
Roses need to be pruned in the spring. They also need to be winterized before the ground freezes. In the summer, you’ll need to spray them to guard against bugs and fungus.
These are topics that all deserve their own posts, so we’ll cover them in greater depth later. For now, it’s simply important to be aware of the need for this kind of care.
5. Seek Help from Rose Enthusiasts
The first four tips should be enough to get you started, allowing you to get some pretty roses on your landscape. However, attaining the lush beauty of a truly outstanding rose bush requires some highly specialized knowledge.
Fortunately, you can team up with other rose enthusiasts when learning how to plant rose bushes. Forums will serve someone with a more casual interest. The Greater Milwaukee Rose Society holds meetings and community presentations which will offer additional help and insight.
So give roses a try! You might just start a lifelong love affair with this classic landscaping plant.
We have been a trusted provider of high-quality fences in Whitefish Bay, Shorewood, Wauwatosa, and the rest of the Milwaukee metro area for over 35 years. Call us today for a free estimate on your new fence!
