Roses The Flower of Romance

 Every year my roses are the pride and joy of my garden. Where I live in Anaheim, CA, USA, they bloom all the year long. I've shared many a rose photo on the Internet, but unfortunately I can't share the smell or the velvety feel of the petals on my skin. For that, you'll have to grow your own.

I've had a love affair with roses ever since I helped my parents put in a rose garden at our house in New Mexico when I was a child. People so often seem puzzled at how to get good roses. And I've never struggled with it personally so I'm not sure why they are having issues. It helps that living in the southwestern states is a rose growing paradise. Now I live in S. California and have managed to grow great roses in Riverside, Moreno Valley, Carson, Anaheim, and San Luis Obispo, CA.

Roses love sunshine and water. They love to be planted in deep holes with great compost and a little fertilizer.

Bareroot roses are the least expensive option. For the best selection go to a rose dealer like Jackson and Perkins where you can mail order and get the best varieties shipped at the right time for your state. If you have a great nursery in your local area, ask them when they get their bareroot stock in and then mark it on your calendar so you don't forget. Order a few rose catalogs too, as they are full of information.

These roses come with sawdust or mulch packed on their roots. They'll have only a few stems and almost no leaves.

After the bareroot season passes the nursery has to pot all the ones they haven't sold. Then the price goes up to cover their time and cost of repotting everything to be sold later.

You can also get roses at the giant home improvement stores, but the selection isn't usually as good.

Or you can do what I do, and grab them at the local swap meet. This morning I saw more glorious roses that I was sorely tempted to by but I don't have any more space!

There are many types of roses. Knowing what will work best in your situation will lead to success.

Old roses and cabbage roses were grown for their wonderful fragrance. There are some companies that specialize in these and they have that old world appeal.

Hybrid Teas: Most of us today visualize this type of rose when we think of gardening. Many are disease resistant so if that is a problem in your area read the labels and pick one that doesn't have that issue.

Floribundas: When hybridizers began cross pollinating roses they came up with roses with a plethora of blooms on one plant. If you want a big bush with lots of blooms open all at once this is the way to go.

Miniature Roses: Remember it's only the flower that is miniature. Some of these are very agressive growers and some are climbers. Read the labels to make sure the growth habit suits your needs. Some also have very nasty thorns so choose carefully.

Tree Roses: Tree roses are specially grafted to grow like a ball on top of a trunk. They are particularly effective along a walk-way.

Climbers: Great for arbors, fences and arches.