Roses Make A Big Splash In Outdoor Living Spaces
Gardens and patios are now among
the most popular areas in the home. According to the National Gardening Association, Americans spend about
$37 billion a year on lawn and garden products.
Roses are a great choice for almost every outdoor space and can be
planted in the ground or in containers.
With advances in hybridizing techniques, roses are easier to grow, more fragrant and more disease resistant than ever.
If you have sunlight, water and a few minutes every other week, you have what it takes.
One way to ensure that you choose the best plants is to look for the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) red rose seal of approval, which denotes an "AARS Winning Rose." Only AARS winners have excelled in the most difficult plant trial in the world: two years of testing in gardens in all climate zones. They must also perform well in criteria including fragrance, vigor and foliage.
Everything is coming up roses for your garden
…and your patio…and your terrace…
 Dr. Keith Zary, vice president of research at Jackson & Perkins and hybridizer of 10 winners, offers these tips for growing roses:
- Contrast is key: Juxtapose any garden or patio setting with plant life to soften the hardscape of wood, rock or brick. Roses are a compelling option because they come in a wide selection of plant sizes, colors and fragrances.
- The odds have it: Consider framing your outdoor space with plants in groups of odd numbers. Clusters of rose shrubs in containers or a backdrop of five to seven rosebushes can bring both color.
- Select the right spot: Roses like full sun and good air circulation. A benefit of potted roses is mobility: You can move the pots around to maximize their impact and your enjoyment.
- Go vertical: Place a rosebush in the center of a container or your garden plot and surround with "filler" plants at the base. The rose plant draws the eye upwards and adds height to the space, while the fillers add dimension at ground level. In pots, spillers accentuate the container for added pizzazz.
Roses to consider may include 2007 Winners Rainbow Knock Out™, Moondance™ and Strike It Rich™, all suitable for the garden or for containers.
These and past years' winners are sold in select mail-order nursery catalogs and at nurseries and garden centers. For more tips and information, visit www.rose.org.
Did You Know?
 When planting roses, gardeners can look for the All-America Rose Selections™ (AARS™) red rose seal of approval, which denotes an "AARS Winning Rose." They are sold in select mail-order nursery catalogs and at nurseries and garden centers. For more tips and information, visit www.rose.org.
For more on roses...
Get your hands on the documentary film "Love at First Sight: America's Affair with the Rose" released by All-America Rose Selections:
The worldwide movie premier of Love at First Sight: America's Affair with the Rose captivated more than 400 garden writers and horticulture industry leaders at the 2006 Garden Writers Symposium in Valley Forge, Penn. Now, the striking 26-minute documentary film - which will appeal to people of all ages and levels of gardening experience - is available in DVD format for purchase at www.rose.org for $7.00
Love at First Sight looks at our national flower through the eyes of the world's top breeders and reveals the secrets behind the blooms, and the painstaking work that goes into creating a plant that will flourish in today's low maintenance gardens. Audiences will meet the hybridizers behind the next generation of roses, learn what it takes to win the toughest plant trial on earth, and marvel at the escape of a rose named 'Peace' from war torn France.
Visit www.rose.org to purchase the documentary via PayPal, or send a check or money order for $7.00 made payable to AARS - 388 Market Street, Suite 1400 - San Francisco, CA 94111. This fee covers the cost of shipping and handling. AARS will discount bulk orders of 10 or more, charging only $5.00 per DVD.
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