Regional Growing Guide: Western Mountains & High Plains
From the eastern slopes of the Cascade and Sierra ranges through the High Plains, this generally arid region battles bitterly cold winters, blustery spring winds, little rain and sometimes brutal summer heat. The soil presents challenges, too, be it alkaline, sandy, clay or infused with salt and boron. Fortunately, the severe climate poses few insect or disease problems. But the roses that thrive here must be cold hardy and survive wild swings in temperature. They often bear strong, leathery leaves to resist desiccation. They also appreciate regular irrigation, heavily amended soil, a thick layer of mulch and protection from the wind.
Select a season: Spring Early Summer Late Summer Fall
Is Soil Ready for Planting?
In spring, as soon as the soil is workable, it's time to plant bare-root roses. First, though, we must figure out what that phrase, "workable soil" means.
All winter long Mother Nature has worked hard fluffing up the soil. Freeze/thaw cycles push it up and down. Rain and snow wet it, helping nutrients trickle through. With all this hubbub, your soil is left full of microscopic air pockets. If you work the soil too soon, you'll squish them all out.
How Do I know When the Soil is Ready?
Pick up a handful of soil from your new rose bed. Squeeze it in your palm, then open your hand. If some of your hand's imprint remains but the soil crumbles away, falling through your fingers, it's perfect. If, when you open your hand, the soil the soil remains in a ball, maybe even with a gooey imprint, it's too wet -- and if you step on it or shovel it, you'll compress it into a concrete-like mass. If, when you open your hand, the soil simply falls through your finders, it's already too dry and you'll need to moisten it before planting.
How Do I Preserve That Nicely Aerated Soil?
The best way to make sure soil stays fluffy is to keep your feet out of the rose garden. That's done by laying walkways among plants. These should divide the garden into workable areas, no larger than roughly 4 x 4 feet square -- about as much as you can reach from one side or the other without stepping off the walkways. Mulch your walkways with several inches of bark mulch. Or for a more formal look, try concrete pavers or bricks.
Check soil moisture frequently in the spring. You'll want to plant your roses as soon as possible for the best results. When planting, position the graft so it sits 2 to 3 inches below the soil line to protect it from cold winter temperatures.
Rose Pruning How-To
Start by sharpening your pruning tools. You should have a pair of hand pruners, loppers for thick canes, and a small hand saw for older, thick, woody growth. You may want to cover pruning cuts with a dab of carpenter's glue on the top of pruning wounds. This reduces cane desiccation and discourages cane borers from attacking the cut ends.
When to Prune
The best time to do the majority of rose pruning is when the buds begin to swell in early spring. Dead, damaged, or rubbing canes can be removed throughout the growing season, but plan on giving all your roses a once-over pruning in early spring.
How To Prune
Different kinds of roses benefit from different kinds of pruning treatment. In all cases, your first step is to prune damaged canes back to healthy, solid ones. It may be necessary to cut canes back to within a few inches of the graft union. Dead canes should be removed to ground level. In cutting living canes, make the cut just above a bud. Don't leave long stubs that can invite decay or diseases.
Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras
Remove crowded canes and old wood near the base of the plant. Keep three to five well-spaced canes trimmed free of small twigs. To guide new growth, make cuts above buds facing in the direction where you want a new branch to grow.
Floribundas
Thin out some of the older and tall stems to make the bush more symmetrical. Since floribundas are generally hardier than tea roses and grow bushier, you will have less dieback. Don't be afraid to shape and thin the plant for more blooms.
Climbers That Bloom in Spring
Cut out the oldest and woodiest canes that seem to lack vigor. You can shorten the secondary growth or lateral canes to accommodate trellises, fences, or other supports. When possible, leave three to five buds on each lateral stem for the most prolific bloom.
Ramblers
Shrub roses benefit from pruning after they finish blooming. They flower on growth produced last growing season. Remove growth that has bloomed or has become old. Neglected, tangled or overgrown bushes can be rejuvenated by cutting back severely. New canes will develop throughout the summer.
With judicious pruning, your rose bushes will reward you with their most abundant flower display.