A Garden Full of Roses

Author: Maryam Khan

Editor: Emily Cheng

Graphic Designer: Emily Sheng

Publisher: Maryam Khan

A Garden Full Of Roses

By: Maryam Khan

(Timms, Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash)

When it comes to roses, many people think they are too hard to care for, but honestly, that is not the case. When given the right amount of sunlight, water, and food, your roses will perform wonderfully for you! Read more to learn how to care for your roses.

Watering

(Street, Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash)

Giving your rose the right amount of water is one of the keys to growing gorgeous roses. Roses adore water, but they dislike it when their leaves are wet or sitting in water. To begin, water your rose with a watering can that has a long spout. Soak the soil thoroughly and be careful to not drown the roots. Roses love to have good draining soil so try to use a soil mixture that contains things like perlite, compost, and sand. If you are planting it in a pot, make sure it has holes at the bottom so the excess water can come out. Frequently wetting the leaves will lead to diseases that can damage your roses, so try not to dampen the leaves. Using mulch around your roses will help conserve water.

Sunlight

(Luo, Photo by Peter Luo on Unsplash)

There are many types of roses, ranging in different colours, sizes and even petal shapes. Correspondingly, every rose likes a specific amount of light to grow at its best. Usually, if you look at the tag attached to your rose, it will tell you whether it likes full sun or part sun. If you can’t find out how much your rose needs from the information listed at purchase, you can always do some research based on the name of the rose. As a guide, full sun is a spot that gets 6-8 hours of direct sunlight while part sun is defined as a spot that gets 4-6 hours of sunlight. It can also be an area that does not get full direct sun, but has bright indirect light.

Food

(Pearce, Photo by Sidney Pearce on Unsplash)

Most people feed their roses with non-organic fertilizers but the problem with this is that it results in softer and tender petals, which can attract aphids and other pests. You must be wondering then, what fertilizer should you use? Well, compost and organic fertilizers are the best way to go. The best time to fertilize your rose is during the growing months of June, July, and less during August.

Pruning

(Journey, Photo by Loverna Journey on Unsplash)

The best time to prune roses is during early spring. When the plant starts to grow fresh buds for the new season, it’s time to get pruning! Start by pruning everything above the leaf buds. Then remove all infected or dead parts of the plant. Big roses can be cut back about two-thirds but smaller ones can be pruned within 6 to 12 inches of the ground. Also, don’t forget to wear elbow-length gloves to protect your skin from the thorns.

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