How to grow beautiful roses

Following the basic rose culture, you’ll be on your way to have beautiful roses in your garden:

Buy only strong healthy plants. Buy your roses from reliable sources.
Rose needs a minimum of 4 hours of sunlight, lots of drainage and away from tree roots.
Before you start planting, do a soil test. The ideal pH for roses is 6.0 – 6.5.
Dig a hole at least 18” deep and 18” in diameter. Mix soil 1/3 organic matter (peat moss) with 2/3 soil from the hole. Put a handful of Epsom salt, a banana peel and a handful of superphospate in the hole.
Space rose bushes at least 3 ft apart for good air circulation for hybrid teas and floribundas. English roses and other shrub roses should be spaced at least 4 ft apart.
Roses need about 1” to 1 ½” of water a week so water more often during the hot spell in the summer. If rain is lacking, water twice a week. Reduce watering in the fall but do not let your rose bushes enter winter under stressful condition.
Mulch is important since it keeps out weeds, conserves moisture and protects the roots from fluctuations in temperature.
Rose is a heavy feeder. Use plenty of organic fertilizer. Supplement with chemical fertilizer. Six weeks before the first fall frost, stop the fertilization program.
Deadhead as soon as the bloom is finished.
Pruning controls the size and shape and keeps the roses blooming all season long.
Spray horticultural oil in late winter thru to late spring to keep blackspot in check.
Keep the rose beds clean to discourage diseases and insects.
To get immediate answers to rose questions, join the Facebook group, Rose Gardening World, which I created on Oct. 18, 2011 and has grown to 5,500 members and counting where members share their rose photos and help each other with rose problems.