Rose garden design ideas, beginner rose gardening tips, favorite rose varieties, cottage garden inspiration, expert advice for growing healthy roses in Zone 6a gardens
Jardin du Luxembourg
Beginners Guide to Planting a Rose Garden
The Paris House, Sunday Guides, January 2024
Country Mile Gardens
Our Favorite Roses
Garden Cocktails
Gardens to Travel to
A Fashionable Garden
The Rose
Winter is a wonderful time to begin dreaming up and planning a new garden. It is also a wonderful time to plan any updates to an existing garden. We recommend keeping a garden journal to document all of your ideas, dreams, plans and sketches. In this article we will share our decades long experience creating beautiful rose gardens. We would also like to thank our sponsors for being a part of this Sunday Guides issue!
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
The Rose Garden
We are often asked for tips on caring for, planting, and designing a rose garden. We have been growing roses for 30 years at our historic home in zone 6a Northeast New Jersey
There truly isn’t anything like a beautiful rose. Their sharp thorns are perhaps indicative of what’s to come. Like their thorns, they can torture you a bit with how much care goes into them. Don’t let that discourage you! Gardeners are all too aware these beauties are high maintenance. Yet with all things we love & find fulfilling it is enjoyable & worth the effort.
Once you successfully grow roses in your home garden you will be rewarded with their beauty & scent. Some roses have the most enchanting scent, perfumed fragrance floating through the garden. Others bloom repeatedly if pruned regularly. Then there are the ones that show up for a short time leaving us speechless with their beauty and then, just like that they are gone until next year. Gardeners can feel “both mortal and immortal in their garden.” I can understand that sentiment, as the garden needs us as much as we need the garden.
The Paris House Garden
Some favorites Rose are:
Constance Spry by David Austin Roses
Eden
New Dawn
Gertrude Jekyll
Zephrine Drouhin
I could live a million Springs & that would still not be enough time in my Beloved Garden. We grow hundreds of roses in our New Jersey Garden. Follow our tips and you too can successfully have a rose garden.
I don’t take this responsibility lightly, I have a team helping me & we work hard keeping them healthy. We use our gardens for our companies photoshoots etc, so it needs to be “picture perfect” year round!
Beginners Guide To Planting A Rose Garden
In this article we will focus on the “Beginners Guide To Planting A Rose Garden.”
Our garden is situated on 5 acres and requires several people to maintain. So let’s start small here as to not overwhelm.
Before you get started chose a sunny spot and prepare your soil. Clear out grass, debris and weeds.
-Planting - dig hole twice as big as pot, plant at same level - usually those instructions are on every label.
-Dirt - 3 parts good garden soil, 1 part peat, maybe some rose tone, fill hole to top of plant, water in and add more soil after first water cause original soil will settle. *** before planting gently loosen up the root ball so roots can thrive and add a layer of mulch to keep moisture in and weeds away.
-Some plants will be shipped bare root. Typically these are soaked in water before planting. Follow the directions in the box carefully or on the label very carefully
-Make sure to water.
Ten Tips
Choose a sunny location & read the care instructions on your roses
Amend your soil with a rich compost - your garden center can help you with this.
Plant according to the instructions. Give your roses plenty of space.
Feed and water regularly
Spray to prevent black spots, do this in early spring before spots appear!!!
Remove Japanese beetles
Prune all dead canes each spring to prevent disease
Deadhead regularly to encourage healthy roses and encourage more flowers
Visit gardens for inspiration
Educate yourself on the different varieties of roses and their care
Rose Sources We Love
The Paris House Garden, Constance Spry
David Austin Roses
Antique Rose Emporium
Heirloom Roses
Jackson & Perkins
Home Depot
Lowe’s
Local specialty gardens in our area
Supplies
Country Mile Gardens, Morristown, NJ, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart for pruners, shovels, organic sprays, Miracle Grow, garden gloves (get gloves that come up to your elbows to prevent thorns from cutting you)
Additional Reading
The Paris House Travel Planning Services