rose novice - any tips

[rmbreset]

I'm a washup from the disney cruise board and just found this forum. I just planted my first rose bushes (ever) Six Mr. Lincolns , bare root. I prepared the bed w/miracle grow rose soil and toped it off w/bark mulch. needless to say i am a bit nervious , paying money for thorny twigs w/a few roots hanging off them is a first for me. any basic advice or good web sites would be much appreciated.
Thanks,

 

[marydmjj]

Welcome! You will love it here. Sounds like you started off right. Mr. Lincolns are really easy and disease resistant. As they start to sprout watch for signs of aphids (little green bugs). You can either squish 'em between your fingers or spray the roses with soapy water. Either way you need to control them or they suck the life out of the plant. I'm not sure about your area, but here in the Pacific NW I am constantly battling backspot. It is a fungus that spreads when the rose doesn't dry out over night. That is why it is important to water them in the morning so they have all day to dry out. You can treat them with a fungicide (Safer is a good brand). Also, keep all fallen leaves picked up around the base so the fungus doesn't spread. Hope that helps. Good luck and enjoy your roses. My guess is you will end up with more than Mr. Lincolns, they can be addicting!

 

[rmbreset]

Thanks for the welcome !!, I picked Mr. Lincolns because I wanted large and fragrant flowers, the hardiness was an extra bonus, It was a toss up between them or Ingrid Bergmans. Being a newbie, it is very intimidiating to be planting bareroot roses , I have done a lot of lanscaping around my house and am so use to planting potted anything, these looked so fragile and un-alive, don't want to use the D word I think my biggest pest problem will be deer.

 

[Snowwark]

Hi, rmbreset!

I hope you'll keep us posted on how your Mr. Lincolns fare.

Since Mary already gave you lots of good rose advice, I'm just going to add a link to dealing with deer in the garden. It's a problem that comes up often on this board!

In case you're Just Curious

 

[marydmjj]

I didn't even think about deer. That isn't a pest I have to deal with. I've heard they LOVE roses though.

 

[DixieDreamer]

Roses are really not as troublesome as many would have you believe. Especially if you select known "vigorous" varieties.

They do require regular watering (deep root soaking once a week), fertilizer (roses are fairly heavy "feeders"), and some bug and fungus management is needed for some varieties. You did very well to start them off in a quality soil and with some good compost/mulch. Don't panic if they do not spring to life immediately either. I have given up on so many rose plants as DEAD... when they finally came out of dormancy and started growing! If I had gotten too quick to yank them out I would have lost alot of money! Just keep caring for them and you will be rewarded richly.

 

[DebºoºS]

Congratulations, you've been bitten by the rose bug:>
Mr. Lincoln is a beautiful start too. Big and beautiful. I had a Mr. Lincoln a few years back but managed to assinate him. I can't remember how exactly but it was prob leaf spot or a fungus. There's always something to spray for. I maintain quite a few rose bushes and have found the internet to be a wealth of information.
My quick tips would be feed, mulch, sun, water, spray all on a regular schedule. Oh and don't plant them too closely together as they can spread their bug a boos to each other. Little groups is very pretty and functional.
Best of luck to you and don't forget to take plenty of pics of your flowers. We love to see them posted.
"Peace" in my garden

 

[rmbreset]

Thanks for the advice Deb, I will post some pictures when they bloom, I am leaving on a 7 day western on 5/10, i just hope we don't get a dry spell while I'm gone. woodstock , I'm in the hudson valley about 40 minutes from Bethel (but I was JUST a teenager then

 

[DebºoºS]

Have a great trip. You should be alright while you're away. It's still very cool in your area so their true growing season hasn't started yet. Keep in mind as the weather gets warmer they will need plenty of water in the morning. They don't like wet feet at night but then who does?