My Top 5 Tips for Growing Garden Roses

Who is a fan of roses? I know many of you would raise your hand along with me! It is hard to find a more romantic or well known flower, one that has as many forms and colors and one that has as many different scents.

However, if you buy roses from a local grocery or florist, you are more than likely buying imported blooms from somewhere like Ecuador. Did you know that almost 80% of flowers you buy are imported into the United States? Yowzah! That is why I am on a mission to not only grow my own flowers for sale locally but also to encourage YOU to grow your own in YOUR garden! #grownnotflown

Roses can seem a bit intimidating at first, but I have been growing them for several years now and have learned some lessons that I want to share with you. Here are my top 5 tips to be successful in your growing roses!

1. Set a good foundation for your roses.

One thing that almost all roses need is LOTS of sun. Aim for spot for your rose that has a minimum of 6-8 hours, and if you have to opt for some shade, keep it to later in the day to keep the heat down. Also be sure to plant your rose in very fertile soil, as they are heavy feeders, with lots of room to grow. Lots of roses easily grow to 4-5 feet wide and tall, or more, so make note of what variety you have and how much room it will need. You don’t want to shove them close together as this can increase disease and pest issues.

2. Feed your roses regularly.

Roses are heavy feeders, and to have maximum blooms and health of your plant, you need to feed them a lot. I have found success giving them some extra compost once a month and alternating this with a root application of fish emulsion once a month. So essentially they are getting food every 2 weeks. You will find different reputable resources that say feed weekly to monthly, so you may end up playing around with it a bit, but I have found this to work best in my climate. For fish emulsion, I really like Microlife Ocean Harvest as it is organic and made in my hometown of Houston.

3. Prune your roses well.

The optimum time to prune almost all roses is in the later winter or early spring. Here in north Houston in zone 9a, we prune around Valentine’s Day. It may seem weird to cut back a healthy plant, but your rose plant will rebound with tons of new growth and blooms and be healthier for it. I will put out a YouTube video soon showing how I prune my roses.

4. Keep an eye on your roses every day.

I know this may seem like overkill, but I really encourage you to glance over your rose plants at least briefly every day. You are on the lookout for pests or disease and want to catch these early before they become a problem, especially in the warmer months when they are more active. Remember, it is better to prevent an issue than it is to treat it. You also want to catch any blooms that are fading and deadhead those right away so your rose plant will put out more blooms quicker.

5. Enjoy your blooms!

My last tip is actually a few all in one to better enjoy your roses as cut flowers. Firstly, you want to cut your flowers early – both early in the day when it is cooler, and early in their bloom cycle when the outer petals are juuuuust opening up. Secondly, use a thorn stripper if you like to remove harmful pricks. Thirdly, get them into cool water with a bit of flower food, and be sure to change the water daily to keep them fresh. In doing all this, you should easily get 5-7 days of vase life out of most of your flowers.

I hope this was helpful and will encourage you to try growing roses this year! Be sure to check out my video here giving a tour of the varieties I am growing and which ones have done the best in my hot, humid climate. As well, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and receive notifications so you don’t miss out on my next video all about pruning.

Happy gardening!

Dani

“The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart.”