Regional Growing Guide: Coastal and Tropical South
Hot, hazy and humid describes much of the year in this region, where roses commence their first peak of bloom by Mother's Day, then continue budding out and blooming through December. While most of the rain comes during winter and early spring, fierce afternoon thunderstorms, nor-easters and even hurricanes may blow through during summer months. The soil may be acidic or sandy: amending with lime helps balance the pH, while compost provides nutrients and improves drainage. The best roses are heat tolerant and resist black spot: new roses often offer improved repeat blooming as well.
Select a season: Spring Early Summer Late Summer Fall
Rose Essentials
Give your roses at least a half a day of sun, excellent drainage, and about ten minutes of attention a week per bush, and you'll be rewarded with healthy plants and beautiful flowers. Here are some suggestions for keeping roses at their best in your garden.
Building the Best Bed
Root rot affects many roses in our region, and it's avoidable since a slightly elevated bed solves this big problem. Start by digging or tilling 3 to 4 inches of whatever soil is on the site. Top that with 4 to 5 inches of organic matter (compost, manure, leaf mold, even a little peat moss), then add 1 inch of sharp sand and a sprinkling each of garden lime and cottonseed meal. Mix all those materials into the soil, then shape the bed into a loaf with sloped sides. The whole bed should be about 4 inches above ground at this point. It will settle over a few weeks and be ready to plant.
Planting Tips
Roses usually get to our gardens in one of three ways: bare root, rooted cutting, or full-grown plant in a 2-gallon pot. Soak a bare-root rose overnight in warm water after you remove all the wrappings. When planting, dig a hole, then use the soil removed to make a cone of soil in the hole, and spread the bare roots over the cone so the base of the rose rests at ground level. Rooted cuttings need only a hole as large as their soil mass; if you dig too deep, they'll end up sinking. Container rose plants need a hole slightly wider than their container. Be sure to loosen the roots, or score the rootball with a knife if roots are tightly wrapped, and prune a few inches off the top to reduce transplant shock.
Routine Care
The year for roses starts in fall, when bed-making and planting get started. In February, it's time to prune all the roses except climbers. Reduce bybrid teas to 18 to 24 inches tall; prune shrub roses as low as necessary to rejuvenate and shape them. After pruning, use an ultrafine oil spray, then start fertilizing two weeks later. In your five minutes of maintenance per week, replace mulch, look out for aphids, pluck off any damaged leaves, or just cut flowers for the table.
A Twilight Rose Garden
Imagine coming home in the early evening twilight to a doorway flanked by luminous white rose blossoms. If work keeps you away from home during the day, evening might be the best time to enjoy your garden. If so, plan a garden area specifically for savoring flowers at twilight. White-flowered roses are a perfect choice to flank a deck, sunroom, or to plant near the window where you spend your evening hours.
Plants that bloom in colors of white, butter yellow, and the palest of pinks and lavenders stay bright after dusk and are the best choices for your twilight garden. Choose fragrant rose varieties, or be sure to include other fragrant flowers, such as Oriental lilies, alyssum, and nicotiana. Some flowers are especially fragrant at night.
Elegant Companions
Adding roses to your beds will bring light and fragrance up closer to eye level. Surrounding roses with a textured carpet of silver-leaved plants, such as mounding artemisia, heightens the effect. Intersperse these with dark-leaved plants to make the white and silver jump out. You'll be rewarded with a simple, elegant, and charming garden.
Hardscapes
A comfortable garden bench or swing completes the scene. Or, if you prefer to walk rather than sit, create a winding pathway among your evening plants. Use silver-leafed thyme between the stepping stones, and its woodsy fragrance will be released as you brush by the plants. Edge the path with silvery gray lamb's ears to help guide your ngihttime strolls, adding an occasional white impatiens or two in shady spots to create beautiful snowy mounds of brightness. Subtle, well-placed landscape lighting can enhance the effect.
In our workaday world, we may have limited time on weekdays to enjoy our gardens. A twilight garden allows us to enjoy our flowerbeds all week long.