Planting a rose garden is not enough; if you want them to do well you have to care for them carefully. While it may seem like day to day care of roses is a bit much, keep in mind that those who enjoy the best flowers are those who spend time caring for them. The first and most important thing when it comes to roses is sunshine – they need a lot of it to grow and that is why you should plant them in spring so that they can grow all the way through to the end of summer. Roses also love water – they should be watered quite well at least twice a week in dry weather, enough to ensure that the soil around the roots is well hydrated. Avoid overwatering as it will kill your plants.
Rose plants also need to be fed. For best results you should stick to organic fertilizers as much as possible. In the spring, you should apply a balanced granular fertilizer – if you are not sure what this is it is best to talk o your local nursery manager. Since they are familiar with the soil around your area and also which fertilizer will help roses thrive they will be able to guide you. You need roughly 1 cup for each bush and it should not be applied around the stem but rather sprinkled around the drip line.
In the summer months along with the monthly organic fertilizer feed you should add a tablespoon of Epsom salts to each cup. Although many people don’t know it Epsom salts are excellent for stimulation new growth of branches from the bottom of the stem. This gives your plants more strength to survive the winter.
All fertilizing stops in the winter but continue watering your rose plants until the first frost of winter. To protect your plants against the icy weather you should mulch around them using oak leaves or pine needles. You can spray one last time before winter sets in against fungus and make sure that the rose garden is clean if you want to avoid diseases.