Almost everyone I know is intimidated by rose bushes. Someone started spreading the message that roses were hard to grow, and now nearly everyone is afraid to even try planting rose bushes because they’re just sure they’re going to kill the darlings before they ever have a chance to bloom.

The main keys to thriving rose bushes are choosing varieties that do well in your area, planting them where they get a lot of sun and not planting them too deeply. Doing all those things will go a long way to helping your rose bushes thrive, but there are always certain things that are beyond your control that can happen to even the best of gardeners.

Diseases and pests attack all plants, and there are a couple of nasties that are particularly hard on rose bushes. My boss has annual problems with Japanese beetles, which seem to be particularly attracted to his white and yellow roses.

Japanese beetles, also known as June bugs (though they appear throughout the summer in different parts of the country) are nasty pests that make one wonder about the benevolence of a creative force that would come up with such creatures, who seem to be solely bent on the destruction of beautiful things. You’ll know you’ve got these critters by the holes that appear in the leaves of your roses and other plants. You’ll also see the adult bugs running around.

Organic or Chemical Pest Control

If you want to use organic methods to keep the beetles away from your rose bushes, consider buying some beneficial nematodes. These tiny, worm-like creatures can be watered into the soil around your rose bushes, and they’ll eat up all the larvae and eggs in the soil. This will prevent the pests in coming years, but won’t help you if you’re already in the clutches of an attack. Garlic and citronella sprays may be effective at repelling the adult beetles.

If you want to go the poison route, both diazinon and sevin are good at killing adult Japanese beetles. Pyrethrum, which is plant-derived, can also be useful. These poisons must actually come in contact with the pest to be effective. Some people use traps, which are basically bags with poison in them, but these seem to just attract more beetles to your yard (and even if they are effective, then you’re left with a big sack of beetles, and who wants that?).

Other problems you may encounter with your rose bushes include black spot and powdery mildew. Black spot is a very common rose disease, especially in the hybrid tea rose bushes. Black spot is a fungus that shows up as black spots on the edges of the leaves, which often also turn yellow. Eventually the leaves fall off and the rose won’t produce as many blooms.

Keeping Foliage Dry

Keeping the foliage dry can help prevent black spot, and removing spotted leaves can keep the fungus from spreading. Fungicides can be used on plants that have black spot; a treatment of neem oil may be helpful for those going the organic route.

Powdery mildew starts as fuzzy white patches on the leaves that can cover whole leaves, eventually turning them yellow and ultimately causing the plant to bloom less. This, too, is a fungus and can be treated in much the same way. To prevent powdery mildew, mix a tablespoon of baking soda and two and a half teaspoons of vegetable oil and spray this on the rose bushes’ leaves, front and back, every couple of weeks.

Getting to know your rose bushes is the key to keeping them healthy. Look at your plants regularly as you are watering them. If you notice something that doesn’t look right, remove the offending leaves and investigate the possible causes. It’s easiest and best to nip problems in the bud (pun intended) before they take over the whole plant and keep you from getting to enjoy all the beautiful flowers your rose bushes could be making.

Tags: Roses

While roses can be somewhat particular, they aren't beyond the gardener who does a little research and preparation before planting. And the reward of having beautiful roses in your own yard is well worth whatever work they require.

Rose bushes come in several varieties: shrub roses are very popular used in flower beds; climbers are used on arbors and fences; landscape roses can be used as ground cover; miniature roses are perfect for containers.

Beyond these distinctions in size, roses are available in just about any color you could imagine. Red and yellow roses are the most common, but you can also find lovely peach, white, lavender and orange blooms, in addition to variegated petals. There are many sub-categories of roses including hybrid teas, floribundas, David Austin roses, Old Garden roses and many more. These distinctions matter to the hard-core rose enthusiast, but if you're only planting a couple of shrubs or a climber in your yard, you probably only care that the flowers are pretty, smell nice (or don't smell at all) and are relatively easy to care for.

The first step for making your roses happy is to plant them somewhere where they will get a lot of sun. Six hours is really the minimum for most rose varieties, and they won't complain if they get full sun. An east-facing plot is perfect for roses because the morning sun is a little less harsh than that in the afternoon.

Well drained, slightly acidic soil full of organic matter is the best place to plant your roses. The roots need lots of room to spread out to establish the plant, and they don't like growing through hard, clayey soil. Planting your rose in the right place will set it up for success.

Those roses referred to generally as shrub roses are usually the easiest to care for, so unless you have a special situation that requires a climber or a landscape rose, stick with the old reliables. which still give you tons of options in terms of color, fragrance and size.

The best way to find the best rose bush for you is to go shopping, or, more accurately, browsing. You'll want to look at a lot of roses before you settle on the one (or ones) for your yard. Searching online and looking through rose catalogs is fun and can be helpful, but the best way to find roses that grow well where you live is visiting a local nursery that stocks a lot of roses.

The best time to buy and plant roses is in early spring, so it's not like you're going to see a lot of blooms when you go to the store. But many rose plants have little plant tags with pictures on them that will show you what the color will look like. Alternatively you could carry a catalog or rose reference book along with you and look up each variety as you see them in the shop.

Choose a rose that you will bring enjoyment to you and your family. Look for a rose in your favorite color or one with a huge floral fragrance that will make you smile whenever you pass it. There's no reason to grow roses if you aren't going to feel joy at having the roses around, so take your time and buy your favorite rose bush.

You will find roses sold in bare root and potted varieties. Bare root just means there is no soil around the roots, while plants in pots have soil. Bare root plants tend to be less expensive, but potted plants seem to survive a little better, probably because there's less of a chance the roots will be damaged when they are surrounded by soil.

When planting your rose, dig a hole about 15 inches deep and 18 inches wide. If you're using a bare root plant, mound a little dirt in the bottom of the hole for the roots to spread out on. The plant should be positioned so that the ball or joint where the canes are grafted together is just at the soil level.

If planting a potted rose, make sure that the rose is only as deep as it was in the pot. Planting roses too deeply is a big cause of failure. You should water your plants well and deeply, at ground level rather than with a sprinkler, to help the roots grow strong. The main nutrient roses need is phosphorus, which you can apply to the soil chemically before planting, or supplement regularly simply by planting your empty banana peels around the plants. Works like a charm!

Tags: Roses

It is simple and easy to add fabulous colors and spectacular highlights when you accent your garden with hanging flower baskets. In fact, hanging baskets of flowering plants as garden accents can be traced back to the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

There are plenty of flowers which bloom well in hanging baskets for every location, no matter whether the location offers deep shade or full sun exposure. You'll have no problem locating plants appropriate for accent baskets for your garden. It is simply a matter of choosing flowering baskets to hang which love the environment which is available in the area of you garden where you wish to hang them.

To select the best plants for the area in which you wish them to flourish, carefully read the tags in potted plants or the information on seed packets to determine the amount of sunlight, moisture, and care required as well as the expected height of the mature flowering plant.

Do It Yourself Hanging Flower Baskets

You can choose to purchase hanging flower baskets from your lawn and garden center which you simply bring home and hang. However, if you want to save money, have more fun, and like to do things in the garden yourself, you can purchase planters of the appropriate size, purchase flower plants ready to transplant and create your own hanging flower basket garden accents. If you really like to do it yourself, you can even grow some flowering plants from seeds which you can harvest from the flowers and use to grow next year's hanging flower baskets.

Accent flowering baskets can be really gorgeous if you use a pot with side holes in it. This allows you to insert plants around the sides of the planter as well as into the pot so the resulting hanging basket will be as lush as possible. Small strawberry pots in terra cotta are also great choices for hanging flower accent  since these pots provide areas in the sides in which plants can be inserted.

You may wish to accent your garden with hanging flower baskets by choosing one of the easy-to-grow, yet beautiful, popular selections below:

Geraniums: These flowering plants require very little care in order to thrive. Some of the newest varieties grow in vine-like or weeping configurations, called ivy-geraniums, so that the flowers appear on draping stalks. Geraniums forgive most common gardening mistakes unless severely abused, making them perfect for low-maintenance and novice gardeners. In fact, the most common ways to fail with geraniums is to give them too much attention or too much water. These hardy plants tolerate full sun and extremely hot weather and require little fertilization. You'll find a wide range of colors from pure white to shades of pink, red, and lavender with flowers which look much like small roses. Removing the dead flowers, called dead-heading, will increase the number of flowers. To accent your garden with hanging flower baskets of geraniums, simply plant three to five pots into a single large basket. You can hold these accent hanging baskets over the winter by moving them indoors.

Nasturtiums: Cheerful, colorful flowers cascade from these easy-to-grow plants. The blossoms can be harvested for use in salads or garnish for deserts since they are edible and taste great. Nasturtiums are perfect for gardeners who love to save seeds for next year. They like lots of sunlight but in extremely hot weather need shade for coolness in order to continue flowering. Since these flowering plants don't transplant well, they make the best hanging baskets when grown from seeds.

Trailing Begonia: Shade-loving trailing begonias, such as the "Brazilian Heart" or "Fragrant Beauty", produce fragrant blossoms which are shaped much like a heart. When not in bloom, the foliage is quite attractive as well. You can propagate new plants from cuttings and over-winter the plants indoors.

Sweet Alyssum: If you love butterflies and humming birds, accent your garden with this hanging flower basket. The fragrant, trailing plant will produce flowers from spring through fall and is an annual which is easily started from seeds. Choose areas with good sun exposure, although the plants will do fine in partial shade. Often seen with white flowers, some of the newer varieties offer fabulous purple flowers which are especially beautiful cascading over the sides of hanging baskets.

Wave Petunia: This group of petunias is fairly new and offers cascading stalks about three inches long, making them perfect for hanging flower baskets using planters with side-insertion holes to maximize the trailing effect. The huge flowers are about three inches in diameter and can be found in white as well as all shades of pink, red, and purple. They love sun and can be started indoors from seed.

Tags: Hanging Flower Baskets