Quote:
Originally Posted by Ilikemyscarf
tlc?
I was thinking of taking up some gardening projects.
I wanna plant some flowers (roses), where do I start?
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short answer: follow the instructions on the tag, plant it, water as directed, remove any leaves that have black spots on them.
long answer: If you buy potted container roses that are already growing (as opposed to bareroot which have no leaves yet), it has a tag that gives you exact directions how to plant. You need to dig a hole slightly deeper than the size of the container (around a foot deep), and wider than the container (I never bothered with making it that wide).
Roses need to be planted at least 2-3 feet apart so the roots and branches can space out. You don't have to remove all the grass thats around, but it would be better, so you dont get weeds there, and so the water can get directly to the rose roots. Remove the grass and put lots of mulch around there after you plant the rose. The area where you plant should have good soil drainage (water doesn't get clogged there), if you're unsure about the drainage (you can test it by filling the empty hole with water, and see how long it takes for all the water to drain, I think if it drains in 30 minutes that means its ok), or just add some pebbles to the bottom of hole before putting the plant in. (about an 1-2 inches of pebbles should be good). Either way, before you plant the rose, add water to the hole and let it drain so there's plenty of moisture in there for the roots to absorb.
The tag on the rosebush will tell you how deep you need to plant the bud union- which is where it branches out from the base of the plant (the tag will have a pic) This is important b/c in cold areas, the bud union needs to be buried 2 inches below the soil to protect it from winter damage.
So just dig the hole in a location that gets lots of sun, place the rosebush in properly, fill soil around the edges, tamp down the soil well so there are no air pockets, at the surface add mulch, and some Rose Food fertilizer, water it well, and it should be good. The tag on the plant will basically tell you the rest. btw, what kind of rose is it? scented? climbing rose? b/c they get really tall.