A Dozen Christmas Roses

A bouquet of virtual Christmas roses to send to your friends and family during the holiday season.

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How and when do you prune roses?

I live in California and moved into a house with beautiful roses- the rose bush is about 5-6 feet high. How the heck do I care for them? I tried looking in the internet, too complicated, can anyone explain it to me plain and simple? Thanks in advance

I love roses too. If you want to prune them significantly, you really should only do it at the end of February or the beginning of March, because most roses grow on old wood and will begin setting their buds in March and April … however, you can always prune off the old, spent roses, or let them turn into hips and have rose hip tea. Pruning is easy … I was always told to prune just above where you have a set of at least three leaves … pruning much farther down would be significant pruning. Try to wash your pruners in between rose bushes with rubbing alcohol to prevent cross contamination if your roses have any diseases. Don't water too much — the leaves may turn yellow or get spotty if you water too much. As for fertilization and pest care, I recommend a product you can get at WalMart made by Bayer. It is rose food/pesticide that comes in liquid form that you dilute or pellets that you sprinkle around then water to activate, and it not only feeds the roses, but also helps with all kinds of rose infestations, including aphids, for up to six weeks.

Enjoy those roses.

Care of fresh cut roses?

My fresh cut roses never seem to bloom, but they look really healthy when I get them. I cut the stems and change the water in the vase every couple of days. Does anyone know why they just wilt and die instead of blooming?

You might need some cut flower food…see website below. Also, try MiracleGro in the vase – I've seen roses last for a long time in bloom when placed into a MiracleGro solution.

How To Grow And Care For Roses Successfully

http://offto.net/rtroses/

How To Grow And Care For Roses Successfully

his newly released work called How to Grow Roses successfully is the quickest and easiest way to learn about roses. Inside this magnificent work you’ll get over 150 pages of information. Most everything any rose grower would need. How to prune roses (Tips to Learn the proper way to prune roses) Learn which varieties have the best fragrance The best miniature roses for containers Learn how to propagate new roses from cuttings Learn when and how to fertilize for best results Find out the best place to plant your roses in order for them to grow properly. Learn simple techniques for protecting your roses during the winter months. …and much more

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They say border roses are practically maintenance free, does that mean you don't have to cut of the dead buts

I live in the palm springs area, which roses would be the best for this area, and how do I care for border roses?? Any rosarians out there that can help me??

Some of the newer hybrid roses are termed "self-cleaning." This means that the old roses will fall off the plant when the blooming cycle is done. They are generally called low maintenance roses. Traditionally, roses get their heavy pruning in our California climate in late winter and then periodic pruning during the growing season. But roses don't need pruning, but it's always better to do so if it is required of the particular variety.

Most of the self-cleaning roses are low growing, ground covering types (but not all). It gets confusing because each breeder has their own line…for example: Carpet roses,
Drift roses and on and on.

So if you are after a ground covering type of rose, you can select a self cleaning variety and let the plant grow. The ground covering types do not require very much pruning, just tidying up a bit. If you are after a larger roses, look for a self-cleaner (Knock Out roses are good ones to begin with) and just let it go and see what it does for you.

For optimum results, contact a good nursery in your area and ask them for recommendations. You can also contact local garden clubs and they will have good ideas and suggestions for you as well. You can also search the internet for self-cleaning varieties and start compiling a list for yourself.

Here are a few self cleaning roses that I know of to help get you on your way: The "Knock Out" series (many colors), Ralph's Creeper, Sun Runner, White Simplicity, Feisty, Silver Wishes, My Hero, Tahitian Moon, Baby Love, Magic Blanket and Light of Day.

When you have a plant name, here is a good site to help search for mail order sources for them: http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/index.php

I hope I helped some. Best of luck and happy gardening.

P.S. Here's a description I found: "We also read of self-cleaning roses. This refers to varieties that require no deadheading or summer pruning before blooming again. Because they do not develop hips, these roses begin work on a second cycle of bloom as soon as the first begins to fade. To catalog writers, self-cleaning must sound more appealing than sterile."

I love buying roses for myself. What's the best way to care for them at home, once they're placed in a vase?

Tammy, someone should be buying the roses for you. Drop hints to someone special and you should have some soon. A hint could be: "Hey, why don't you buy me some roses?" or something subtle like that. Anyway, when you get them home, have your intended vase with the water already in it, allowing space for the water to rise once the roses go in. They usually give you a packet of the flower-food powder, so have this pre-stirred in as well. Throw that spoon into the dishwasher right away so it doesn't get mixed up with the clean ones; it's happened. Anyway, take each individual stem and remove the bottom leaves so they won't sit under water, thus causing the water to foul. Careful of the thorns; you can actually get a little pair of de-thorning scissors at some nurseries, that are just meant for that purpose. Now re-cut the stems, at a 45-degree angle, and do it UNDER the tap with cool water running over the cut stems, then plunge the stem into the water right away. Cool water is preferable, as cold acts as a plant preservative; that's why roses are kept in the fridge at the florist's. Not too cold for your hands, though. Arrange as you go. You might want to add some fern later, sold by the florist as "leather fern"; plumosa fern is that really delicate one that sheds and makes a mess, so you might not want that one. The reason for the angle-cut and doing it under water is as follows: the 45-degree angle increases surface area so the stem absorbs more water than if cut on a straight angle; the under-water method of cutting prevents the stem from sending out a sealing chemical–the plant "thinks" it is injured and sends out a chemical to seal the injured part like a scab on a person. The water exposure prevents this, and with no sealing by the plant, it can take up more water and last longer. Also, there is osmosis going on when the plant takes up water; when you cut it, it stops the flow of water, creating a sort of reverse osmosis that blocks the flow of water to the plant. If you cut under running water, the unwanted reverse osmosis is blocked, so the regular taking up of water is not blocked, and the plant (stem) resumes taking up water uninterrupted, so it takes up water still, and lasts longer as a result. Your flowers will now last longer than if you just stuck them in water. As the cut ends of the stems foul in the water, repeat the cutting process just slightly up the stem so as not to alter the height. Phew!! Anyway, if you want something, go after it: Get that special person who is unaware of your needs to buy you those flowers by dropping a subtle hint by telling them to do so in no uncertain terms, and that person, if clued in, will respect your boldness and clarity, and you will be pleasantly surprised! They probably just needed that extra little push. And it wouldn't hurt to hand that person the business card of your favourite florist. If you don't get flowers as a result, then that person is really dumb, secretly married, or a cheapskate, and you wouldn't want them anyways, so then move on to the next one. The squeaky hinge usually gets the grease, if anything, to make it stop squeaking. Good luck!

how do I care for store-bought roses?

I always add an asperine to the water in the vase. They last much longer.

I have just started a rose garden, and I would like secrets or tips to "old timer" care and love for my roses

any suggestions such as, my grannie used to use cornmeal, sugar and can't remember what else, and her mind is getting kind of forgetful.

Thank you

Spreading coffee ground under your roses is very good, too. It seems to literally "boost" the roses.
As you just started your rose garden and are looking for "old timer" tips, this may be a good website for you:

How do I turn unruly roses into nice plants?

I recently bought a home thats garden had obviously been a sight to see, in its day. Now its more than a little run-down and abused. Bit by bit we are taking care of it all. My next process is the roses. There are 6 or so bushes along the back fence. They are HUGE and overgrown and completely taking over the yard. Its looking a bit like a horror movie.
From what I can tell, they look fairly healthy, and they are blooming right now. I want to keep them, but I want to cut them back A LOT. I have read up on pruning rose bushes (i've never had roses before) but all of the advice i've found applies to bushes that have been taken care of routinely. What is the best method to downsize these things without hurting them terribly?

I think it's teriffic that you're wanting to learn about roses! You can make those older unloved roses look like the ones on the garden sites, I promise!

You want to go to the hardware store and get a rose clipper (they look like a blunt side on one and a sharp one on the other). Don't use scissors, or you're going to crush the stems, and you want the stems to go because you want to have the beautiful flowers. You are going to also want to get a pair of thorn-resistant gloves. Spend a little more and get the good ones, your fingers will thank you.

First cut off all of the "dead" wood, the brown, icky pieces. Then dead head the flowers. Cut all growth that doesn't have buds down to the first 5-leaf that's available from the top. That's going to ensure that you get new buds. Then it's all asthetic. Adjust it the way you want.

Don't be afraid to cut too much–roses are very resilient. They're going to grow back. They look so tender and fragile, but really they're very resilient.

Just don't cut it all the way back to the bulb. (that's the part at the bottom that the branches come from).

Rake around the bottom, throw that stuff in your garden bin, sprinkle some rose food on top, and put a layer of mulch down. Water twice a week or as often as needed.

Good Luck!

Trilli

I got this pot of little roses for valentines day, how do I take care of them properly?

They are blooming and everything, but someone mentioned clipping the buds so they grow more or something?

They need lots of sunshine and will do best if planted outdoors.

Look here for ideas: http://www.backyardgarden.info/tinyroses.php

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