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Flower Gardening - Roses

A yellow rose.The rose is probably the most popular of all garden flowers. They grow in every part of the United States and are dominant in many landscape designs.

When using roses in the home landscape, some people envision them in a place of prominence, serving as a colorful, focal point or accent. Others visualize roses as only being suitable for a formal garden.

Roses are the Queens of the Garden! However, they have many functions in the landscape other than being the Queen of the Garden Party.

Roses can be some of the most versatile plants in your home landscape. These plants, because of the wide variety of growth habits, sizes, colors, and textures, can fill any niche in the home landscape. As long as the planting bed is prepared correctly, there is no reason you can’t have roses in all parts of your garden.

The popularity of roses is not new. The most important reasons for their continuing popularity are their fragrance and their wide range of striking colors, visible in gardens from early spring until late fall.

Rose fossil evidence dates back 35 million years. Six centuries before Christ, a poetess, Sappho, glorified the rose as "Queen of Flowers," a title that remains undisputed. The luxury-loving Nero was said to be fond of staging rose feasts. It is reported that at times he spent the equivalent of $150,000 to provide roses for a single banquet!

In other historical periods, the rose was so rare and scarce that even royalty considered a small bottle of rose water a precious gift.

Roses were in such demand in the 17th century that they were used to settle debts. In the early part of the 19th century, Empress Josephine, being fond of roses, requested that a plant of every specimen in Europe be represented in her garden. As a result, French rose growers were greatly inspired and soon began introducing new varieties.

Today there are more than 6,500 varieties of roses. New varieties developed by plant breeders are introduced each year. With proper variety selection and subsequent care, it is easy to grow beautiful roses in Mississippi.

Types, Classes, Growth Habits*
Get to know the best rose types, classes and growth habits for your garden style. This section was written by Marilyn Wellan, past president of the American Rose Society and a Master Rosarian. So Many Roses ….So Little Time

Site Selection, Bed Preparation, and Planting
There is more to planting roses than digging a hole, spreading out the roots and replacing the soil. Several things should be considered before you start. Site Selection, Bed Preparation, and Planting

Techniques and Tips
All roses respond postively to good care. This section will provide information on fertilization, mulching and watering. Techniques and tips

Roses in the Landscape*
Roses have many uses in the landscape, including foundation plant, hedge, ground cover, accent and many more. This section provides creative tips and numerous illustrations of roses in the landscape.

Propagation*
Roses are commonly propagated by cuttings or by budding. Roses generally root easily and this is an easy method for homeowners to propagate roses. This section highlights the propagation methods of seed, cuttings, layering and grafting for roses.

Pruning and Deadheading*
Gardeners often ask, “Why, when or how should I prune my roses?” “What is deadheading?” This section was authored by Dr. Werner Essig, a Professor Emeritus of Animal and Dairy Science and a Consulting Rosarian of the American Rose Society. Pruning methods with diagrams for hybrid tea, old garden, climber, shrub and English roses is included. Deadheading is defined and explained.

Recommended Roses for Mississippi Gardens*
Mississippi can be a challenging environment for growing spectacular roses. But, some roses do grow well in our hot, steamy, humid climate. This section includes pictures of recommended roses and tips to guide you in your selections.

Crafting with Roses*
Roses are not only great additions to our home landscapes, but add beauty to the inside of our homes as well. Different techniques can be used to craft roses into attractive wreaths, nosegays, potpourri and other home décor items.

Roses in the Kitchen*
The adventuresome person that first tasted a rose is lost in the mists of time. Since then we have learned that rose hip tea is a good source of vitamin C and we have also learned to use rose petals in many types of foods. Other than an occasional cup of Vitamin C packed rose hip tea have you thought about using roses to liven up your food preparation? This section will share with you some easy ways to impress your friends with your culinary flair and tantalize the taste buds of your family with fun, fast, simple recipes using roses.

Insect Pests of Roses
There are tens of thousands of different species of insects and mites in Mississippi. Only a tiny percentage of these are pests of ornamental plants, and even fewer attack roses. Still, there are some insect and mites that cause real problems for rose growers. Being able to identify these pests and distinguish them from non-pest species is the f irst step in control.

Rose Diseases
Many roses require not only timely cultivation, but good health care as well. You are the doctor for your rose garden, for no one else spends time in your garden like you do.

Growing Roses on Fortuniana Rootstock
was written by Mr. James Mills, owner of K and M Nursery, in Buckatunna, MS. Mr. Mills is a well respected rose grower. This section represents his opinion on the Fortuniana rootstock for roses growing in the South.

Other Information

*Where noted, some content linked from this page was taken from a rose short course, “Growing and Enjoying Roses in Mississippi,” presented in the spring of 2007 by the MSU Extension Service.


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