Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County

Roses

Working with Roses: There’s a Rhythm to It!

Early Spring in TLG-Rose Garden 2021

When most gardeners are impatiently waiting for the average last frost date, rose gardeners at the Learning Garden (TLG) are starting their annual chores. Roses require the most attention from mid- to late February through April, making the ‘rhythm’ of working with them different from gardening with other plants.

Early season rose garden activities:

  1. We prune our roses when they begin to show signs of new growth—typically when the forsythia blooms. Remove any dead, damaged, or crossing canes; clear out the centers for good air circulation; and cut most roses back by about one third. Check out the short video on Early Spring Pruning of Roses at the end of this post.
  2. Next, we clear debris from beneath the plants and weed the beds.
  3. We transplant any roses that need moving so that they will “wake up” in their new homes.
  4. We also plant new roses from late March to mid- April.
  5. In mid-April we fertilize our roses. In the Learning Rose Garden, we use a slow-acting, organic fertilizer that can take weeks to become available to the roses. We sometimes supplement this first feeding with a liquid or faster-acting fertilizer to give the roses a quick boost.
  6. If you choose to use fungicides to prevent black spot from establishing in your garden, it is important to start early! We start spraying fungicides in April.

Watering is important!
During these spring months, we make sure our roses get enough water.  Adequate water is necessary for new and transplanted roses, as well as for soaking in fertilizer.  April showers are a definite plus in a rose garden! For maximum sustained growth, roses require at least one inch of water per week.

TLG-Rose Garden in bloom, 2020

The payoff?
By May, when other gardeners are busy, we are keeping our eyes on the rain gauge and watching the roses beginning to bloom!

 

 

Article by Judy Deutsch, Buncombe County Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer and Certified Consulting Rosarian

For more information:
Check out this video on this site: Great Roses for Western North Carolina
Here is a short video on Early Spring Pruning of Roses by the University of Maryland.

Gardening Video: Great Roses for Western North Carolina

Gardening in the Mountain presents:
Great Roses for WNC—Roses from The Learning Garden

Presenter: Judy Deutsch, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer

In 2018, the first roses were planted in the Learning Rose Garden.  This garden is part of a group of gardens on the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension campus known collectively as The Learning Garden.  Today, the Learning Rose Garden has 51 different roses, representing over 20 varieties.

One objective of this garden was to determine which roses, particularly new roses, grow well in Western North Carolina.  In this program, Judy covers some basics of rose care and selection but focuses on 14 roses that have performed particularly well in the garden.   Color, size, fragrance, disease resistance, and vase-life are factors considered in selection.  This talk has something for everyone, no matter if your garden is large or small, if you want one rose or a bed of roses.  You will also learn where you can obtain these and other roses not available at your local nurseries.

To access this video on the Buncombe County Master Gardener website, click on the link below:

Great Roses for Western North Carolina

Or go to www.buncombemastergardener.org, click on the ‘Gardening Videos’ tab at the top of the page and select the video from the list provided.

How to Choose Roses

Choosing roses can be easier than you think. You need to decide three things: Which types of roses you like, where they will grow, and how much time you want to devote to them. Then the fun begins!

Roses_CarefreeBeauty_Fragrant
‘Carefree Beauty’ Fragrant Rose

Select roses for their color, fragrance, and use
Questions to ask yourself include: What colors do you like, do your roses have to have a fragrance, and what you will use the roses for? Rose colors include white, pink, purple, red, orange, and yellow. Many start out dark and fade to lighter shades, some have colored stripes, and others are a mixture of colors. There are roses that have strong scents and others with no scent at all. Do you want roses for color in the garden, to grow on a structure, to cut for indoor arrangements, or for fragrance?

Roses_Pinkie_ClimbingPolyantha
‘Pinkie’ Climbing Polyantha Rose

Know the growing and care requirements
Start by knowing your frost hardiness zone and sun requirements. Much of Buncombe County is classified USDA Zone 7 for frost hardiness. Most roses require 6 to 8 hours of sun, although some are more shade tolerant. How much space do you have? Some roses require large areas to grow, while others take up only a little space. Some roses will grow in containers.

Roses_Belinda_HybridMusk
‘Belinda’ Hybrid Musk Rose

Decide how much time you have to care for your roses. Roses need an inch of water a week and as much as twice that in hotter months. They are heavy feeders, so perform best when fertilized during the growing season. Many suffer from pests and funguses, although some roses were developed to be disease resistant and need little spraying.

 Information sources
Places to learn about roses include books, websites, rose societies, and the Cooperative Extension service, along with many reputable growers who offer information about the roses they sell. The American Rose Society has an easy-to-navigate website that offers answers to your rose queries at www.rose.org. The Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society website is www.ashevillerosesociety.org. The Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers can also answer questions about types of roses, suggest good varieties for our area, and offer planting and care instructions.

Article written by Donna Sapp, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

Contact Us

Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

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