Newsletter Articles
Roses are Blooming and Look Absolutely Beautiful
By David S.
Beautiful roses are in full bloom and offer such a range of beauty from the soft pinks and blended tones to bold and bright colors of vivid reds, yellows, oranges, and purple. Roses offer such an array of options for landscape design, and they impart emotions such as love and friendship.
A FORMAL ROSE GARDEN
Roses have been a favorite flower for millennia, and formal rose gardens are things of great beauty. Some elements help to create the formal rose garden even in small spaces. Consider:
Classic Roses – There is a long list of classic roses and as you design a formal rose garden consider the tried-and-true hybrids. White roses are a staple in a classic garden, and there is a long list of beautiful white roses from climbers to those suited for cut flowers.
Repetition is also a keyword that you need when designing a formal rose garden. A border rose in all one color – mixed yellow roses, or a single hybrid. The goal is to use the color to define the space.
Lawn or gravel walkways are other options that help to direct the visitor. Pea gravel is a traditional path component, but neatly manicured grass pathways are also welcome. Pathways work with your border to lead the movement through the garden and allows the designer to tell a story of sorts.
Consider usage – pair features together that show off each other. A bench surrounded by aromatics or roses that have spectacular blooms. Don’t be shy about adding other types of plants to a formal rose garden. For early blooming flowers, mix in bulbs so that you gain a different kind of color explosion when the roses are not in bloom. Besides bulbs, small plots of California poppies in decorative pots make amazing visual vistas.
Add in a water feature so that you have an auditory element. The sound of water is soothing, and it draws in the senses so that the garden is more than just a visual wonder. Speaking of visuals, consider specialty roses as your centerpiece. Rose trees, climbing roses, unique colors all bring the story to life. The best part of a fireworks display is the finale, and you can create a finale within your rose garden.
Whether you want a formal rose garden or just a rose bush, you have options. Roses can enhance a fence line with the simple use of trellis and climbing roses. A single rose in a drab corner can bring that area to life. Consider a decorative pot and a rose bush with a full canopy of blooms. These work great to hide eyesores, such as meters around your home.
ACCESSORIES FOR ROSES
Arches – add a touch of drama to a walkway by adding a rose covered archway. These are quite beautiful around gates or along paths. They help to direct foot traffic and visitors.
Trellis – Many roses grow tall, and you can control their shape and contain their wildness with a trellis. These help to support rose bushes as they climb and help you to train the rose to go where you want it to.
Decorative pots – You don’t need to plant roses in the ground. You can create a stunning effect by planting roses in beautiful pots. These are perfect around entryways, in quiet corners of your yard, or around outdoor living spaces.
Water features – Water features pair nicely with roses as they add the sound of water which is both a visual and auditory enhancement. Water features also help to create depth and movement in landscapes. One has only to admire a Monet painting to feel the impact of roses and water.
Garden Benches – Enhance the outdoors by creating beautiful sitting areas. A small rose garden and a bench is an open invitation to sit and read, journal, or just relax.
CARING FOR ROSES
Beautiful roses need healthy soil and roses in particular, while hardy, prefer a loose organic soil with a clay bottom. The clay helps to absorb water so that the plant has access to water during the hottest part of the day. There are a few soil builders that help with this.
Pro-Gro 365 is good soil for roses. The soil is packed with time release nutrients that help to feed roses all year long. More importantly, because these are time release, they deploy when the plant needs them the most. Specifically, when buds are forming and when plants put on leaves. Keep in mind that soil with a lot of organic components tend to store water so that the plant has water when it is hot.
EB Stone also offers a soil mix for roses. Specialized soils address the individual needs of roses, and those are great tools for new rose gardens, growing roses in containers, or for existing rose gardens. EB Stone also has fertilizers that are specific for roses.
Green Thumb Nursery offers a vast selection of roses, and we can order roses for you. Roses are an excellent addition to yards either as a formal garden or as a single bush.
Proper rose care includes healthy soil, but also good watering. You can address the differences in rose care between hybrids with tools such as compost teas. We carry easy to use compost teas that allow you to spot-infuse roses from the roots to the crown of their canopy. Talk to our experts about how to effectively use compost teas and which products they recommend for roses.
Remember to include organic pest control for your roses. It is also important to keep in mind that these products are popular, and can be seasonal. As such, our product availability changes daily for each of our five store locations throughout Southern California. If you are interested in a particular rose or product featured in our garden newsletter, it is always best to call ahead and check if it is available.
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