Essential Rose Gardening Tips

Learn from others:

Apart from reading valuable articles like this on the internet, a great way to learn more about rose gardening is to join a rose society. If you do this youll have access to heaps of knowledge and youll also be able to learn from others experience.
If you are uncertain of which rose variety to grow in your particular area speak to your local garden center as they should have great insight into the types best suited for your climate.

Preventing Disease:

To reduce the chance of fungal diseases, prune away the foliage in the middle of your rose bush to open it up and enable air circulation. Funguss thrive in poorly ventilated, dense areas. Likewise, ensure that the plants around your rose bushes are also pruned to allow airflow.
Mix cinnamon into your soil when you are replanting roses, cinnamon is a natural fungicide and will help keep disease away.
Water your roses in the early morning and try not to water the foliage and flowers but water the base of the plant. This will limit the amount of moisture on the actual plant that can encourage fungal disease.
The best prevention of rose diseases is to ensure you plant rose varieties that are adapted to your regional climate.
Plant garlic in your rose garden to help deter pesky insect plagues.
Plant your roses in spots that receive morning sun to help rapidly evaporate dew and inhibit fungal growth.

Planting Roses:

Roses make great container plants, so if you dont have space for them in your garden, you can also plant them in pots and keep them on your patio.
If you do plant your roses in the garden, make sure you can easily access them. Youll need to give them lots of attention and care, so you need to be able to get to them easily.
Remember when you choose which variety to plant that not all roses have a beautiful scent. If fragrance is important to you then look for varieties that do have their own scent.

Pruning Roses:

Prune your roses to train the branches to grow outwards from the center of the plant. You can do this by leaving buds that face away from the middle of the plant and pruning the rest.
Use sharp, well maintained tools so that you can cut quickly and cleanly.
Make sure that you seal all the cuts you make when pruning, this will help to prevent any disease and also deter cane borers.
Take rose cuttings early in the summer when your plant is growing at its most vigorous.

General Rose Care:
Dont over fertilize your roses. Its best to give them some fertilizer after each flowering. Stop fertilizing about 2 months before the dormant period.
Use organic fertilizer rather than synthetic fertilizers as the latter will contribute to salt build up in the soil. This is particularly true for container roses.
Mulch is a secret ingredient to successful gardening. If you put a good mulch on your rose garden, you save moisture, prevent weeds and keep your roses happy.