With so many flowers to choose from, roses remain a timeless choice to decorate any garden. Whether the garden enthusiast wishes to snip lovely long-stemmed blooms to put on display inside the home or appreciate their scent and splendor outdoors, roses easily serve both purposes.

Deciding to plant a rose garden may feel like an overwhelming task, but with the advice of Frank Brines, beginners can breathe a sigh of relief.

Frank Brines is a member of the American Rose Society (ARS), an ARS-certified Consulting Rosarian, rose columnist, a board member of the Temecula Valley Rose Society, and ARS award recipient.

"Roses have come to symbolize love, beauty, and celebration, and they have been used in food, perfume and medicine," Brines said. "Used for landscaping, the rose provides ambiance, fragrance, beauty, and backbone, as well as focal points of yard design."

Brine said when rose-shopping for a garden, the most popular types one will notice are hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas, mini-floras, and mini roses.

"When shopping or ordering from catalogs, you will see roses available as ‘bare root’ and potted. Bare root roses are best planted during cooler months so they have a chance to establish a good root system before the summer heat," said Brines. "Potted roses are more expensive, but, if they’ve had a chance to establish a root system, they are also very easy to plant and perform well even when planted during hotter months."

For the most part, potted roses can be planted any time of year, Brines said, while bare roots should be prepared in January, February, and early March.

Site selection, however, is the most critical. Vital components include:

* Sunlight

* Air circulation

* Soil that drains well

* Organic matter

Most roses, Brines said, require at least six hours of full sun each day. If that’s not possible, morning sun is preferable.

"Good air circulation reduces the prevalence of diseases and pests, particularly molds," Brines said. Roses should be planted at least a couple feet away from walls and fences.

To test the soil, Brines recommends digging an 18-inch hole and filling it with water. If it doesn’t drain within six hours, find another section to test. Roots will suffocate if the soil does not drain.

"Roses tolerate most soil types, but they do better in relatively fertile soil high in organic matter," he said. "[Organic matter] includes composted mulch and other fine-grained natural materials...one good additive for newly-planted roses are superphosphate, which is available Advertisement

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Here are a couple of ways Brine suggests to prepare a rose bed:

*Spread a two- to four-inch layer of composted mulch over the entire surface bed. Sprinkle one pound of superphosphate over each 10 square feet and till it eight inches deep.To prevent newly planted roses from sinking, if possible, give the soil the chance to rest and compact for several weeks.

*For potted roses, dig a hole the same depth of the pot but double the width. Mix the dug up soil with one-third organic composted much and a handful of superphosphate. Remove the roses from the pot, place it in the hole and fill it with the mix. Leave a six-inch, non-mulched area around the trunk.

Space the centers of hybrid teas and grandifloras 36-inches apart. "They can be planted in adjacent rows, but I suggest no more than three rows from front to back," he said. "Plant one behind the other, or stagger them with one row planted between those in the previous row." Floribundas can be spaced 30-inches apart, while mini-floras and miniature roses may be spaced at 24-inches.

"Because different varieties mature during the growing season at different heights, you can mix them, placing the smaller varieties near the front of the bed and the taller varieties behind," he said. "This can create a wonderful swath of color along your planting bed."

The novice, Brine pointed out, will find a single row of roses easier to maintain, navigate, and enjoy.

Once the garden is planted, the next step is to install an irrigation system. Brines said to place two emitters on opposite sides of each rose bush, roughly six to eight inches away from the central trunk.

"Less frequent, but deep watering, is better than frequent shallow watering; water should permeate to a depth of about 12 inches," he said. Roses will need water if after placing a finger two or three inches deep into the soil, is dry.

Two times a month, feeding a rose garden an organic fertilizer will help them thrive. "Use an organic fertilizer applied at a rate slightly less than the manufacturer recommends, and alternate that with a liquid fertilizer, such as fish emulsion diluted at the recommended rate," Brines said.

Once a rose garden is in full bloom, gardeners will be sure to enjoy all the beauty it has to offer.