Hoping That This Year's Roses Will Be Healthy and Beautiful

by Jean
(Richmond, Virginia)

I love roses and have several rose bushes in my garden, but despite my best efforts, I’ve only been moderately successful in cultivating healthy blooms.

I have to admit that whatever I’ve learned about gardening has been from trial and error, and in sharing information through a neighborhood garden club. I also spend a lot of time at one of our local nurseries, picking the brains of their well-informed staff. I take good care of my bushes, feed and fertilize them as recommended, keep them well-watered and do what I can to get rid of bugs, spider mites, thrips and other insects. I also prune them on a regular basis and use fungicide. At the beginning of the season, they look healthy and full of promise. But they just don’t thrive as I know they should.

This spring, I plan to enroll in a class about the care and feeding of roses through our local Cooperative Extension Service. Their class on herbs last year was extremely helpful and their advice gave me the best herb garden in years, so I am looking forward to their help and assistance in perking up the flowers.

Most of my roses are of the hybrid tea variety. I also have some floribunda bushes. I love the fragrance of roses, and want to increase the number of roses in my garden. But before I plant any more, I need to make sure that what I already have is healthy and that I’m taking care of them properly. My goal is to have my bushes look as beautiful as my neighbor’s does! I’m hoping that by the end of the next season, I can claim success.

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