Roses are among the most beloved garden plants in the world. With hundreds of natural species and more than 30,000 cultivated varieties, they offer an incredible range of colors, shapes, and fragrances. A quick look at this diversity makes it easy to understand why roses have captured people’s imaginations for centuries.

While roses require regular care, the effort is well worth it. A consistent maintenance routine encourages vigorous growth, abundant flowering, and greater resistance to common pests and diseases. With proper attention, many roses can remain productive and attractive for decades.

In this article, we’ll cover some of the basics of roses, from choosing a plant to general care guidelines.

Choosing a Rose

With so many roses available, it can be difficult to decide which rose to choose. It is helpful to consider these three factors:

• Bloom color and scent
• The eventual size of the plant
• The growing conditions it prefers: sunlight, temperature, etc. 

It is also worth considering how much care the plant needs. Some roses are less needy, while others require a little more attention to stay healthy. 

It is not an exaggeration to say that there is probably a rose for every scenario. I have found that taking a visit to a local garden center or asking your local university extension is a great way to see what grows best in your area.

Rose choice is a personal taste; however, it is worth seeing the plant in bloom before you purchase it. If there is a rose garden in your area (I love visiting them), take a trip and see what’s around.

When possible, look for varieties bred for disease resistance. Modern rose breeding has produced many cultivars that are naturally more resistant to common problems such as black spot and powdery mildew, reducing the amount of maintenance required.

Types of Roses

While there are thousands, most fall into a handful of broad categories:

• Shrub Roses – Bushy, versatile roses grown for landscape use. Often, among the easiest roses to maintain.
• Hybrid Tea Roses – Known for producing large, classic blooms on long stems, making them popular as cut flowers.
• Floribunda Roses – Produce clusters of flowers rather than single blooms, often flowering heavily throughout the season.
• Grandiflora Roses – Combine the large flowers of hybrid teas with the clustered flowering habit of floribundas.
• Climbing Roses – Long canes can be trained over fences, trellises, walls, and arches.
• Rambling Roses – Vigorous growers that produce masses of smaller flowers and are often used to cover large structures.
• Miniature Roses – Compact roses suitable for containers, small gardens, and borders.

We’ll cover these in depth later on in this series.

Buying a Rose

Roses typically come in three planting options: bare-root, containerized, and container-grown.

• Bare-root: These plants are sold with no soil, and the roots are typically wrapped to prevent them from drying out. You can often buy these plants through mail order.
• Containerized Plants: These are bare-root roses that have been recently potted. They are still dormant, so check for rot before you purchase.
• Container Grown: These are roses that have spent at least one season growing in a pot. These plants will have developed root systems and are actively growing.

Bare-root roses are most often sold from Fall until early spring, and container-grown roses are usually available all year round. 

Roses are remarkably adaptable and can be grown in a wide range of climates. Most varieties perform best in full sun, fertile soil, and locations with good air circulation. However, different rose types have different tolerances for heat, humidity, cold, and shade, making it important to select varieties suited to your local conditions.

When to plant roses

This depends on the type of rose you have bought:

• Bare-root roses: Plant out as soon as you receive them, usually in late autumn or from late winter to early spring, while the plant is not actively growing.
• Containerised roses: Plant all year round, but as soon as possible after buying
• Container-grown roses: Plant all year round, as soon as possible after buying

Basic Rose Care

A healthy rose needs four things: sunlight, water, nutrients, and airflow.

Sunlight

Most roses perform best with at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, and this is as much for temperature as it is for photosynthesis. Many varieties will do fine with 4 hours, and there are some cultivars bred specifically for shady and cool conditions, such as north-facing walls. 

Water

Water deeply rather than frequently, allowing moisture to reach the root zone. Apply mulch around the base of the plant to help conserve moisture and moderate soil temperatures, making sure that the mulch doesn’t touch the rose stem itself. 

If you live in a more temperate climate, most roses will not need much watering during the spring or fall. During the hottest weeks of summer, a weekly deep watering will keep your plants looking fresh and healthy. In more arid climates, such as the Desert Southwest, roses will need more frequent deep watering and may prefer a little more shade. 

Nutrients

Many modern roses are ‘heavy feeders’ and need fertilizing regularly. Most plants will come with fertilizing instructions to guide you as you start. However, it is worth noting that the nutrient needs will vary based on your soil. A soil pH test will be very helpful to you, as most roses grow best in slightly acidic to neutral soils with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.

Airflow

Good airflow is also important. Avoid overcrowding plants, as poor air circulation can encourage fungal diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew. Additionally, you should take care to remove crossing stems and deep, bushy growth near the base of the plant, though this can vary by cultivar.

Pruning, feeding, and disease management are all important aspects of long-term rose care, and we’ll explore these topics in more detail in future articles.

Wrapping Up

Roses are exciting. They’re beautiful flowering shrubs that are rewarding to grow, look wonderful in any garden, and have uses beyond looking pretty. Now that you have an introductory understanding of roses, we hope you’ll enjoy the rest of this series, where we’ll cover in-depth planting, pruning, pest and disease management, and a host of other rose-related topics.