proper care and pruning

To provide care for your roses and ensure you get the most out of your roses, there are a few simple steps you can take to have a beautiful and easy-to-enjoy garden

To assist in rose care, only a select few parts of the country can rely on rainfall to be an adequate source of water for roses. The actual frequency of watering will depend on your soil and climate as well as the age of the plant. Try watering the soil around your rose a few mornings a week - water slowly, until the soil is thoroughly soaked 12 to 18 inches deep.

.  The easiest way to remember when to feed your roses, is to think of fertilizer like a reward for the plant: the first feeding should be done when the bush first leafs out. For the remainder of the growing season, fertilize after each flush of blooms ("Good job rose, here's a treat!")

Mulch, as an element to rose care, helps minimize weeds, keeps the soil moist and loose, and adds essential nutrients. Organic mulch is best - try wood chips and shavings, shredded bark, pine needles, cottonseed or cocoa-bean hulls, chipped oak leaves or peat nuggets.

If you want to maximize rose care, don't be nervous about pruning - there is no evidence that anyone ever killed a plant with pruning shears!   To prune roses you'll need the following supplies: sharp curved-edge pruning shears; long-handled lopping shears, and gardening gloves can help protect you from thorns.

Pruning roses controls the size and shape of rose plants.  Generous pruning creates bigger plants and eventually more flowers per plant. Selective pruning of top growth can produce more flowers.