It’s easy to get swept away by the allure of roses, especially if you’re a new gardener. After all, they’re beautiful and fragrant nothing beats a row of perfectly groomed rose bushes. But if you’re just starting out with roses, there are a few things you need to know to choose the best rose for your needs. Read on to find out more about picking the perfect rose:
Location, Location, Location
The first thing you need to decide is where you’ll be planting your new rose bush. Maybe you just want a rose to fill in the shady area near your front door, or perhaps you’re ready to dedicate a 40″ x 40″ full sun garden plot to your hobby. Different roses need different amounts of sunlight, and you’ll only set yourself up for failure if you plant a rose that needs full sunlight in the shade or vice versa.
The next thing to look at is your climate. The best roses for tropical Florida are different from those that will grow best in chilly Michigan. Depending on where you live, your roses might also be exposed to specific elements like salty winds off the ocean or areas with minimal topsoil. To make identifying the best roses for your location easier, the USDA has set up a plant hardiness map that indicates which plants work best in each region and when they should be planted for best results. When you’re choosing which roses to grow, check this chart to make sure your roses will survive in your climate.
Also, did you know that different types of roses have different growing patterns? If you’re used to seeing cut roses, you might not know that roses also come in climbing, miniature and bush varieties. Just like the sunlight issue, you also need to decide which rose variety suits your specific place. If you plant a climbing rose near any kind of trellis or vertical structure (including your home, a fence and even taller plants), be prepared for it to take over!
How Much Time Can You Commit?
Some roses are like some women and can be high maintenance. Certain varieties will require frequent pruning, specific soil nutrients and frequent fertilizations. If you’re more of a “hands-off” gardener, look for a rose variety that specifically claims to be low maintenance. Be realistic with yourself. Any hobby is fun at first, but roses require ongoing commitment in order to thrive. Make sure the rose you pick matches a realistic level of commitment for you.
Spend Time on Your Soil
Soil contains many of the nutrients your rose needs to survive — so think about it like you would the food you put in your own body. If you eat a diet low in vitamins and minerals, you won’t be very healthy and you’ll probably feel pretty cruddy. Similarly, if you give your rose poor soil to grow in, it may develop diseases or be more prone to insect infestation. Have your soil tested by your local extension agency or at any farm supply or feed store and find out what nutrients — if any — your soil is deficient in. The person who tests your soil should be able to give you a recommendation for additives that will remedy your problems.
It might also be worth it to invest in a rose fertilizer. You can find these at any garden store and they contain specific formulations of the vitamins and minerals your roses need to thrive. Speak with an employee at the store to learn how often the fertilizer should be applied — too much and you could burn the roots of your new plants.
Growing roses can be an extremely rewarding hobby, but don’t rush into it until you’re sure you know what’s involved. Don’t purchase rose plants on a whim — plan thoroughly before you include them as part of your garden, making sure you touch on each of the issues we’ve already discussed. You’ll soon be on your way to planting — and enjoying — the rose garden of your dreams.

The ancient Muslim poet, jurist, and theologian, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, may not have stumbled madly upon the very first rose back in 13th century Persia but he certainly immortalized it poignantly in his writing.

Roses are believed to have originated in ancient Persia but their cultivation quickly spread across the Northern Hemisphere, first from China to Europe and finally to North America. Rose enthusiasts throughout time and geography have helped to spread the cultivation and the adoration of this arrestingly lovely flowers to the point that, today, there are more than 20,000 varieties available.

Roses run the gamut of the color spectrum. They come in every color, including the elusive blue and black ones that have dogged rose breeders for ages. Every shade of every color is represented, too, with many rose blossoms sporting multiple colors or shades.

These enchanting plants have been bred to grow straight and tall or trail over slopes and fences. Some roses grow close to the ground while others become bushy. Many rosebushes bloom once in the spring or summer, others bloom again in the fall, and others still bloom from early spring until winter.

Diversity aside, a few rose gardening tips might improve your rose-growing success.

Planting is the first step to consider when compiling a list of rose gardening tips. Folklore tells us to plant flowering plants when the moon is in a waxing phase. Indeed all plants that produce their most desirable growth above ground are said to be best planted during the time the moon is growing into its biggest, most visible, phase.

(In turn, plant carrots, potatoes, and other plants where underground action is most desirable when the moon is waning, or becoming less visible.)

Trim your hair, visit your barber, or comb your dog the day before planting your roses. This, another of folklore rose gardening tips, ensures you have a bit of hair to mix in with the soil in which you plant your roses. Decomposing hair is said to provide excellent fertilizer for thriving roses.

Sunshine is one of the most important rose gardening tips. Make sure to plant your roses, always during their dormant phase, in a spot where they can get at lease six hours of full sun every day.

Rose gardening tips include trees, too. Keep your roses away from tree roots, especially deciduous trees, or they will divert the nutrients of the soil from your hungry roses

There are many varieties of flowers that can be considered beautiful and romantic of course but roses always had and still have something special in the heart of most people.

Many types of flowers and especially roses have a romantic history, with their sweet odors, silky soft surface and cheerful look.

Roses can represent different emotions, and even generate or renew those that faded from awareness to lift a person outlook; it is in nature’s bounty for all of us to see the inherent beauty in life.

You wouldn’t believe how many times that I’ve sold a dozen roses to a customer with stars in their eyes. It always seems like buying a dozen roses represent only a period when you are the most in love. A dozen roses is a big and bold declaration. It can even be called a proclamation. I remember that the times I was offered a dozen roses in my life were few and dear.

A man came by my shop last month looking for a dozen roses. He looked so happy and anxious to explain to me the reason he was buying a dozen roses.

The man proceeded to explain to me that he was buying his loving wife a dozen roses because they had just found out they were expecting with their second kid. He was so glad that he was almost dancing. We had the dozen roses prepared and sent to her house and I was the lucky person that got to deliver them. They lived in a pretty nice house in an affluent district. They had flowers in the front yard and it looked nice.

The lady looked a little pale when she opened the door to receive the dozen roses. She explained to me that she was experiencing morning sickness. She really looked happier after the dozen roses were delivered.

The busiest time of year around my shop is mother’s day. We sell quite a few vases containing a dozen roses to men that decide to honor the mother of their children.

My dad has always bought a dozen roses for my mom on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, her birthday and their wedding anniversary. He really has kept up the purchasing of many dozen roses each year for as long as I remember. If I find a guy who will buy me a dozen roses many times a year like my dad does for my mother I will know I’ve found the right guy for me. I’m still waiting quietly.