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Roses are haaaard (can you hear the whine?). Roses are fussy. Roses are...you name it! Are not...are too...are not! Let's settle this.
You've got lots of excuses for not buying that first rose bush. Then when early summer comes around and the June bloomers are putting on their spectacular show, you wished you had taken the plunge. When the garden talk turns to fragrant flowers, roses are at the top of the list. What comes in almost all the colors of the spectrum (no true blue yet)...roses! What can you plant on that trellis with your prize clematis? A rose would be perfect. There are tons of gorgeous climbing roses of all types. Now it's autumn and you're comparing notes on what is still blooming through that first frost. Do you wish you had some roses now?
Top 10 reasons why you can't grow a rose
10. I don't know enough about gardening or roses
That's what Dave's Garden is all about. You can easily learn enough here to get started. Try some of the 'beginner' forums. They are listed right at the top under Forums on the Communities tab of the Home page. It's a place for beginners to ask all the questions they are embarassed to ask. There are volunteers from DG there to help with answers. And you know the old adage, but it's true...the only dumb question is the one that is never asked. No one here at DG will ever turn you away with a question either. There is lots of information in the Rose Resources 'sticky' at the top of the Rose Forum. And a series of articles on 'Growing Roses A-Z' by Paul Rodman (*links are listed at the end of the article) has all the basics laid out for you. I can also recommend 'Roses for Dummies' as a great beginner's reference book. Check the Garden Bookworm here at DG to find other resource books.
9. Roses are too much work
Nobody's lazier than me. If I can grow them you can, too. Period. End of discussion.
8. Roses are too delicate
The fact is, they're really tough. They can be completely defoliated (lose all of their leaves) by an attack of blackspot (a fungal disease) and keep on blooming. They can die back to the ground in a bad winter and come back from their roots. Their buds can freeze and in 2 or 3 days of warmer weather they'll be blooming again. Some are tougher than others...you just have to do your homework.
7. I heard they are disease-prone
Some of them are. But the hybridizers are working hard on eliminating or at least minimizing the disease suseptibilities. Many of the modern varieties are very resistant. The Knock Out™ series is extremely popular right now and supposed to be very resistant to a number of rose diseases, especially blackspot. The hybrid rugosa class as a whole is almost disease-free and is actually harmed by spraying. 'Polareis', pictured at left, is a hybrid rugosa with reblooming properties (i.e. it blooms more than once in a season).
6. They won't grow in my zone
I can't speak to the very coldest zones (1-3), but I know there are gardeners here at DG who grow roses in all of the others. Yes, it is harder to find the cold-hardy roses, but there are sources. Developed by Agriculture Canada in Ontario, the "Explorer Series" and the "Parkland Series" were both bred for hardiness. Also, the roses developed by Dr. Griffith Buck at the University of Iowa were intended for both hardiness and disease resistence. 'Distant Drums' (pictured at left) is a Buck rose in my garden that is hardy to zone 5. The hybrid tea pictured at the right on June 12, 2007, died down to the roots the first winter because I did nothing to protect it (I am in zone 6a, but get some brutally cold winds). It came back from the rootstock that year, and again this past winter died down to the ground and came back from the roots. The blooms are more beautiful than ever. The University of Minnesota Extension Service has a publication that you can order or view online, 'Roses for the North', that looks at cold-hardy roses in depth.
5. They are too expensive
They can be, but there are ways around this for a frugal gardener. End of the season sales at the big box stores have yielded surprisingly good bargains for as little as $2 for a number of folks. You can try trading for plants or cuttings. Go organic for maintenance on your plant and feed it coffee grounds, egg shells and banana peels. Skim milk makes a great spray for black spot. You can buy alfalfa pellets in bulk cheap at a feed store and it's the greatest thing since sliced bread...forget the expensive chemical fertilizers. Check the links I mentioned above for details.
4. I have a brown thumb
That's not even an excuse. I consider myself a fairly accomplished gardener and I have killed so many plants I've lost count. Give yourself a break. There are a lot of elements out of your control. And you will make mistakes. There's an old adage that says you can't count a plant yours until you've killed at least 3 of them.
3. I don't have the time
I'll just give you an example here. It's the rose in the thumbnail...Rosa 'Red Sunblaze', a miniature. It is classified as a mini because of the size of the blooms, but the plant is 3' tall by about 2' wide. It was the first thing I planted right after we moved into our newly built home. All the yard consisted of was the soil the builder filled with; clay, rocks and assorted debris from the build. I planted it right next to the foundation where the worst of the 'junk' is. The soil wasn't amended at all. I just dug a hole and plopped it into the clay. For 5 years I have given it a shot of an all-in-one rose fertilizer/pesticide/fungicide once a year in the spring. I have pruned it haphazardly probably 3 years out of the 5. That's a total of about 30 minutes for planting, 50 minutes for the all-in-one chemical, 45 minutes for pruning; an average of 25 minutes a year. You don't have 25 minutes a year for a plant that covers itself with blooms for 3 seasons, is self-cleaning (meaning you don't have to dead-head/cut off the spent blooms), is an amazing color, makes lovely little arrangements and great boutonierres? Shame on you! Of course, once you get hooked on roses and they begin to take up more of your garden real estate, you may have to spend a little more time on maintenance, but that's up to you
2. I'm too tired after working all day
After reading what I said in #3, you'll know that all you really have to do after work most days is enjoy the flowers. If you have only been a gardener for a short time, I think you will find that growing roses is rejuvenating. Get one with a wonderful fragrance and just sit by it. It's aroma therapy at it's best. Here is 'Sheila's Perfume' and the name says it all! If you have an extremely 'brain-taxing' job, even pulling weeds can be surprisingly satisfying. My rose garden is my sanctuary.
And the #1 reason why you can't grow roses...I don't like roses!!!
You have GOT to be kidding me!!! Have you ever looked at a rose close up...and gotten lost in the intricate swirls of petals?? Ever seen one with the morning dew on it? Ever smelled one in the summer sun? Ever reached out to touch the petals of one that looked just like velvet only to find that it felt like velvet, too? Or brushed one of those petals against your cheek? If you have done these things and you still don't like roses, I will leave you in peace. More for the rest of us.
Author's note: all of the roses pictured here are from my garden and are my own photography.
Last 5 photos (left to right): 'Moondance', 'Hot Cocoa', 'Sunsprite', 'Basye's Purple', 'Pink Peace'
* here are links to Paul's excellent articles on rose-growing basics
I'm a 'dabble' gardener. Been gardening for over 40 years. I will plant anything that will grow for me and some things that won't, indoors or out. Outdoors I have theme gardens: roses, butterfly/hummingbird, heathers/dwarf conifers, a rock garden (in progress) and a new English-style cottage garden with an herb garden at it's 'heart'. Indoors I try to concentrate on orchids, African violets, anything that will flower or has lots of color and unusual houseplants. I try to stay organic and keep chemicals to a bare minimum. My non-gardening interests include quilting, counted cross-stitch and watercolor painting. I am a proud grandma and before my recent retirement, I was a clinical systems analyst (computer geek) for 24 years.
Posted by DaisyRuth (from Waverly Hall, GA) on March 3, 2008 at 11:33 AM:
I have placed a single row of cement blocks to help retain the soil on a slope in my backyard. Could anyone suggest a plant or flower which I could plant in each of the holes in the top of the blocks? Possibly a perennial which would spread slightly over the side and hide the blocks - but not overflow into the lawn area.
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on March 3, 2008 at 12:05 PM:
Here's one you could try - false rock cress (Aubrieta deltoidea). they start very easily from seed if your need a lot of them. I thought I planted about 35 seeds last year and got 50 plants LOL. they should be good in your zone. if they spread a little further than you want them, plant them just behind the blocks. Just one of mine bloomed, but I expect a good show this year.
Posted by frausnow (from Winterville, GA) on March 3, 2008 at 9:16 AM:
Jan,
Thanks for another great article! My biggest dilemma is trying to choose a rose. There are sooo many of them. Then there are floribundas, tea roses, grandifloras, climbers, miniatures...oiy!
Then there's pruning...when to prune, what to prune and how much?
I was fortunate to have a rose bush or two at a few of the homes we've ever owned, but I have never actually purchased one myself, until now, that is. I finally took the plunge and ordered not one, but two .... a Grandiflora "Dream Come True" and a Zephirine Drouhin Climbing Rose for an arbor I want my husband to build. Oh! I just remembered, I purchased a Knock Out Double Rose at the end of the season at Lowes in the fall. It's still in its pot along with several other trees and shrubs waiting to find a permanent location.
Anyway, I'm excited to finally have some roses and look forward to their beauty and fragrance in my gardens this year.
JoAnn
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on March 3, 2008 at 9:26 AM:
Hi, JoAnn. Good for you! I have a 'Double Knock Out' on order for April delivery. I was hesitating because I thought the price was too high until I saw them in bloom at the nursery. Gorgeous!! 'Zephirine Drouhin' is a classic and a beauty. I may get one someday if I can find a place for it. It will even grow with some shade and shade roses are very hard to find. I don't know 'Dream Come True', but now I will have to look it up and it will probably wind up on my 'need to have' list LOL
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Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on March 3, 2008 at 9:30 AM:
I'm back. I went to HelpMeFind and looked at it. Oh yeah, I need it!! and the first pic I looked was an absolute beauty from our own Calif_Sue. I'm sold ;0)
If anybody else happens by, you've got to take a look:
edit to add: we will expect to see pics later on when they bloom
This message was edited Mar 3, 2008 8:32 AM
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Posted by frausnow (from Winterville, GA) on March 3, 2008 at 9:45 AM:
Yes, the Zephrine Drouhin for partly shady areas is the reason I selected it. I have the perfect location for it on one side of our shed.
I certainly will be taking pics this summer.
Take care,
JoAnn
...
Subject: Comment on Reason #7
Posted by Shirley1md (from Ellicott City, MD) on February 26, 2008 at 9:21 PM:
Great article!
If I can grow Roses in the Mid-Atlantic, which is very prone to blackspot & Japanese beetles, the rest of you gardeners can too! Do your homework prior to purchasing Roses and make sure to buy the most disease resistant varieties for your area. It's well worth the effort and your Roses will reward you with their gorgeous fragrant blooms.
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 10:20 PM:
Right on, Shirley!
...
Subject: Reason # 6
Posted by helenwells (from Pinckney, MI) on February 26, 2008 at 4:42 PM:
Parkland series roses were not developed in Ontario, but in Manitoba. At a stretch Mordern MB might be zone 4b, but I think it's zone 3. They are very hardy!
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 5:54 PM:
helen, thanks for the correction. I guess I had a bad source :0) and also thanks for the further info. It encourages those in the colder zones. I know there are ways of growing roses in the very low zones. People give them extra protection or even build portable cold frames over them.
~ jan
...
Posted by fancyvan (from Calgary, AB) on February 26, 2008 at 8:30 PM:
I am in Zone 3 ( Canadian Hardiness Plant zone - might be a bit different than USA) and we grow Morden,(Parkland) and Explorer roses with no problems.
This message was edited Feb 26, 2008 5:32 PM
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Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 9:06 PM:
Thanks for the input, Carol. Very good to know.
~ jan
...
Subject: Comment on Reason #8
Posted by oldkate (from Hillsboro, OH) on February 26, 2008 at 11:45 AM:
Reason #8 states that roses are too delicate in a bad winter - they can die back to the ground and COME BACK FROM THE ROOTS. They sure can! and what comes back might be from the rootstock, if you are growing grafted roses. Try growing a few own-root roses among your hybrid teas - most of the old fashioned types have a wonderful fragrance.
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 1:15 PM:
Very good point, Kate. The picture I show is a grafted hybrid tea that came back from the rootstock. It's a beautiful rose, but not the one I bought. I now buy mostly own-root roses. There are quite a few nurseries online that specialize in growing roses on their own roots, including hybrid teas, so that if you have die back in the winter they will come back true from the roots.
Thanks for the helpful comments!
~ jan
...
Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on February 26, 2008 at 2:31 PM:
Nice article, Jan.
My Peace rose was cut down one too many times by our young yard guy. After two years of not showing it's face, up it popped and back to it's roots it went. It is now an old fashioned red climber and smells heavenly.
I ignore it actually, but as for longetivity......well, it was here when we bought the house in '73, disguised as the Peace.
...
Posted by roseone33 (from Southern Mountains, GA) on February 26, 2008 at 3:38 PM:
Happily for you and your area, you don't have the plague of Japanese Beetles that decimate all my roses, even landscape varieties. These pests would discourage even the most optimistic gardener. I get to enjoy a few heavenly scented rugosa blooms in early June and the beetles get the rest. ;-(
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 5:49 PM:
roseone, we had a terrible time with jb's last year. they are disgusting, evil creatures. I picked off as many as I could and dumped them in soapy water. I've spread milky spore over 90% of my property. This year I will plant many four o'clocks because dave (among others) says they attract the beetles and poison them. I'll do whatever I can except stop growing roses.
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Posted by pirl (from Southold, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 5:54 PM:
When the JB's arrive I remove all the roses and buds. About three weeks later I get a new flush of blooms. I simply refuse to allow my garden to be used for their orgies.
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Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 6:01 PM:
very smart, pirl. very smart.
...
Posted by pirl (from Southold, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 6:03 PM:
Sorry I didn't say it sooner but it was a very nice article, Jan.
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Posted by pamsaplantin (from Morgantown, WV) on February 26, 2008 at 6:19 PM:
My plants were all being destroyed last year by JBs but the bag a bug was great. I have such a large area that I was skeptical. But it worked.
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 9:04 PM:
thanks much, pirl.
pam, the bag really worked? I heard so many bad things...like they just attract more jb's to your garden. my neighbor had one, so I just figured I'd let them go to hers. they were also eating my river birch and I used a once-a-year systemic on that, but I don't want to use any more chemicals than I have to.
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Posted by pamsaplantin (from Morgantown, WV) on February 26, 2008 at 9:14 PM:
The pkg tells where to situate them to avoid drawing more to the plants (down wind / upwind I can't remember). But the surprise was how big an area it cleared out. I definitely plan to use it again!
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 10:19 PM:
Thanks for the tip :0)
...
Subject: Excellent, excellent, excellent!
Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 26, 2008 at 7:17 AM:
Great article and what a wonderful way to explain growing roses ain't nearly as hard as it's made out to be! Thanks.
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 8:07 AM:
Thanks, doccat. I really hope I give a few folks a gentle push to get one rose bush. After that it's up to them whether they fall in love or not :0)
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Posted by pixie62560 (from South China, ME) on February 26, 2008 at 9:04 AM:
Oh Jan, you are tempting more people into growing roses I see.
I'm here to back you!! If it wasn't for you I would of never had the courage to buy the few that I have and so far they are doing great here in Maine. They have been very easy to care for and the aroma is to die for!
Ok folks, Jan is giving you a virtual shove in the right dirction, now take the plunge.....go buy a rose, you won't be sorry!!
...
Posted by sallyg (from Anne Arundel Co., MD) on February 26, 2008 at 11:23 AM:
that was a fun read. And no wonder I brought home those clearance roses last fall. I may be on the Rose Forum looking for help this sumer...
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on February 26, 2008 at 12:21 PM:
Super article - really well done !
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on February 26, 2008 at 12:51 PM:
OK Jan, I've got you "tagged" and will come back and study this, when I have more time to figure out how to resurrect my not-quite-dead roses and find my overgrown ones!
Good reading!
xxx, Carrie
...
Posted by mistygardener (from Saint James, MO) on February 26, 2008 at 1:40 PM:
HA HA HA
Love it!
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 2:09 PM:
Thanks, everyone! A little smile and a (small) rosebush...just for starters. You know you want one ;0) I'll meet you behind the nursery at 3pm. Bring cash LOL
...
Posted by mistygardener (from Saint James, MO) on February 26, 2008 at 2:21 PM:
HE HE HE Be right there! ☻
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Subject: Great article
Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on February 26, 2008 at 7:06 AM:
I'm one of those 'I can't grow roses' people..... and enjoyed the article.
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 26, 2008 at 8:05 AM:
So, are you going to give one a try??? ;0)
...
Posted by JasperDale (from Long Beach, CA) on February 26, 2008 at 11:32 PM:
EXCELLENT article. You pretty much made it impossible for someone to come up with another excuse ! LOL
You listed every single thing I USED to say about roses...then I converted!
This article should be a "sticky" on all forums !
...
Posted by grampapa (from Wheatfield, NY) on February 27, 2008 at 12:14 AM:
Thanks, JD. From you this is high praise indeed :0)
9. Roses are too much work
7. I heard they are disease-prone
I can't speak to the very coldest zones (1-3), but I know there are gardeners here at DG who grow roses in all of the others. Yes, it is harder to find the cold-hardy roses, but there are sources. Developed by Agriculture Canada in Ontario, the "Explorer Series" and the "Parkland Series" were both bred for hardiness. Also, the roses developed by Dr. Griffith Buck at the University of Iowa were intended for both hardiness and disease resistence. 'Distant Drums' (pictured at left) is a Buck rose in my garden that is hardy to zone 5. The hybrid tea pictured at the right on June 12, 2007, died down to the roots the first winter because I did nothing to protect it (I am in zone 6a, but get some brutally cold winds). It came back from the rootstock that year, and again this past winter died down to the ground and came back from the roots. 
The blooms are more beautiful than ever. The University of Minnesota Extension Service has a publication that you can order or view online, 
I'll just give you an example here. It's the rose in the thumbnail...Rosa 'Red Sunblaze', a miniature. It is classified as a mini because of the size of the blooms, but the plant is 3' tall by about 2' wide. It was the first thing I planted right after we moved into our newly built home. All the yard consisted of was the soil the builder filled with; clay, rocks and assorted debris from the build. I planted it right next to the foundation where the worst of the 'junk' is. The soil wasn't amended at all. I just dug a hole and plopped it into the clay. For 5 years I have given it a shot of an all-in-one rose fertilizer/pesticide/fungicide once a year in the spring. I have pruned it haphazardly probably 3 years out of the 5. That's a total of about 30 minutes for planting, 50 minutes for the all-in-one chemical, 45 minutes for pruning; an average of 25 minutes a year. You don't have 25 minutes a year for a plant that covers itself with blooms for 3 seasons, is self-cleaning (meaning you don't have to dead-head/cut off the spent blooms), is an amazing color, makes lovely little arrangements and great boutonierres? Shame on you! Of course, once you get hooked on roses and they begin to take up more of your garden real estate, you may have to spend a little more time on maintenance, but that's up to you 
After reading what I said in #3, you'll know that all you really have to do after work most days is enjoy the flowers. If you have only been a gardener for a short time, I think you will find that growing roses is rejuvenating. Get one with a wonderful fragrance and just sit by it. It's aroma therapy at it's best. Here is 'Sheila's Perfume' and the name says it all! If you have an extremely 'brain-taxing' job, even pulling weeds can be surprisingly satisfying. My rose garden is my sanctuary.
