General Care Guide

Welcome

Welcome to Chateau De La Rose Nursery and Gardens. Thank you for supporting our family owned business and buying our roses. It means a lot to us! This is our planting and care guide for your roses with some general philosophy. We wish you the best with your new rose! – The Château De Le Rose Team.

Things to Consider

With today's busy lifestyles, most of us don't have the time to properly care for our gardens. Gardeners and beginners alike should evaluate how much time they can devote to their hobby. You should choose plants that fit your lifestyle. We all start out with big plans and are disappointed when we don't get those pictures we see on Facebook. 

 We sell roses that will fit the avid gardener or the beginner. Some of our roses require zero care after planting. Some require daily checking, spraying, and watering. We can help you choose the right rose for you. Generally, but not always, the flashier and bigger blooming varieties such as the hybrid teas require more effort. Climbing roses are unmatched in beauty, but require pruning, shaping, and extra watering. Old Garden roses, antiques, and ramblers require little or no effort. Modern roses have improved greatly and we offer those too.

 The pictures we use on our website and Facebook are of our actual garden. The spring and fall blooms are breathtaking. We devote a large majority of our time to taking care of our roses. During the hot summer and winter it doesn't look so nice. We want you to be happy with your purchase and we will be very happy when you post your first picture. Let us help you be successful. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. 

 The below planting and care tips are guidelines. Planting and care is very climate and soil specific. What works in Southern Oklahoma, may not work in New York. Many of us have followed to the letter what works in Oregon and fail miserably in Oklahoma. When reading advice about roses, always consider the region. Happy gardening!

Information on Own-Root Roses

Own-Root roses are grown on their own individual roots (hence the name) and not budded to another root stock. When you first receive your rose it will be smaller than the average grafted rose, but it will grow quickly and catch up in size. Overall the own-root rose will be much stronger and healthier than the grafted rose. Our own-root roses that we currently offer are all one year old and are in one and two gallon trade pots. Most roses will take up to 3 years to mature. Part of gardening is starting with good plants and being patient. 

Straight out of the Box.

Remove shipping material as soon as it arrives. Do not keep indoors. The exception being areas with sustained sub freezing temps. Our roses are kept outside in the harsh Oklahoma environment. Depending on the time of season, your new rose may or may not have leaves. With our wind here in Oklahoma we will sometimes cut back canes to keep them from tipping over or becoming damaged by other roses in the nursery. You may receive a plant that looks like "sticks". This plant is alive and will leaf out quickly after it has acclimated. Our roses may be smaller than the big box stores offering. They will quickly catch up in size to the grafted rose. At three years maturity, you will see no difference. After your rose arrives it will need to be watered. Water thoroughly but do not allow them to stand in water. They are just fine in a partly sunny area in their pot if kept moist until the day of planting.

 In the more extreme northern climates with sub freezing temps, protect your new rose from the wind. A dry pot and a freezing wind that dries out the canes, will kill your new plant. Common sense and picking zone specific plants will help you be successful. A "greenhouse" type of environment may be a better option if you live in an area with sustained sub zero temperatures. After planting and when the rose is established, your new plant will acclimate nicely and then only require general care.

There is no way we can cover all planting and growing environments with a general guide. We ask that you use common sense and when in doubt reach out to us for any questions you might have. 

How to plant your new Rose

To start there is no substitute for good soil. Do it right the first time. Plants that do not thrive either have poor soil or water conditions.

 The first step to planting your new rose is to find a sunny location that has direct sunlight for six hours or more a day. A raised bed or well-draining soil is best. Dig a hole About 18-24” across and 14-18” deep. No loosening of the roots required. Remove your rose from the container, and place in the hole. Amend with peat moss or potting soil if needed, This will depend on your soil type and drainage. If you have a good loamy soil, no amendment is needed. Before planting, fill the hole with water. If it drains out within 30 minutes you are ok. If not, consider digging deeper into the clay and amending with potting soil or peat moss. If you have clay soil do not use it when you are amending. Purchase a quality bagged top soil and mix 50/50 with potting soil. Make sure the top of the container media is level with the soil, but slightly covered. Lightly press down the soil. Do not pack. Use two to three inches of mulch on the surface of the soil. This helps encourage healthy root growth, conserve moisture, and reduce weeds.

How to Water your New Rose

Under and over watering is the biggest mistake most gardeners make. When watering your newly planted rose, take a slower approach and wait for your rose to soak up the water. Roses need a dry/wet cycle. It is much better to slow soak and deep water over an hour a couple times of week as opposed to surface watering with a wand for 2 minutes daily. Deep watering will cause your roots to grow deeper. Shallow watering will cause the roots to grow at the surface. When you plant your new rose water well. Check daily for the first few weeks and do not let the plant dry out. After your rose becomes more established and new growth starts to appear you can start watering less. If unsure, you can always do the finger test for moisture in the soil at the base of the plant. When first planted er' on the side of more water, especially if the surrounding soil is dry. In Southern Oklahoma, it's a must. Drip systems are the best investment you can make for healthy plants. 

 Roses that stay dry for long periods of time are susceptible to diseases and pests. You will also see reduced blooming. We see it alot after a good rain, the plants will immediately perk up and start to bloom. Healthy roses will have few problems with pests or disease. A small bit of care will go a long way

How to Fertilize Your New Rose

You should fertilize with a balanced water soluble fertilizer, such as Miracle Grow or an organic fish emulsion once monthly after planting. Follow the instructions carefully for how much to use. Once the rose becomes established you can then fertilize every two weeks. For established roses, use a balanced granular fertilizer in February and late August in zone 7b. Make sure the soil is moist before applying. Remove the mulch, sprinkle the granular fertilizer around the dripline and scratch in. After application, water in the fertilizer. Do not use granular fertilizer for the first year. Stop using all fertilizers six weeks before a frost to harden off the roses for winter. Check your growing zone for further information. 

A balanced fertilizer is close to equal parts of all three major elements. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. On the label of all fertilizers it will be listed as 14-14-14 or 24-6-6. "Balanced" meaning all three numbers are close to equal. Fish emulsion is typically 4-1-1 and is an excellent choice for your newly planted rose. Most water soluble fertilizer will not burn your plants at the recommended rate.

 Scientifically, fertilizer, water, and soil go hand in hand. High or low PH in the soil or water will cause certain nutrients to become unavailable to the plant. If your plant is not thriving, consider a soil or water test.

What to do in the Winter

When temperature begins to drop in the winter or leaves start to fall, stack mulch 6-12” around the base of the bush to give protection from the harsh, winter climate. The cold is not always what hurts your plants. It's generally the wind that dries out the stems. You still must water plants in the winter when they are dry. A hydrated rose will take the cold much better than a dry rose.

Spraying Roses For Pests

 Targeting the specific pest with the correct chemical is best. Make sure to spray as soon as possible to keep control of the spread of bugs or disease. Beware, spraying anything other than water on the Rugosa roses can cause it’s leaves to yellow and fall. Rugosa leaves are sensitive. 

We choose not to spray our garden roses for pests. Spraying kills all bugs, good and bad. On occasion we will get a bad case of spider mites and we are forced to spray. We will treat the affected plant only, not the entire garden. Beneficial insects, birds, and bees work for you. There is a saying, "if you have aphids, you won't have thrips". This sums up how beneficials work for your garden. You should take the approach that is best for you.

Deadheading for more Blooms

There are several modern roses that will self clear spent blooms or the dormant buds will start growing before the current blooming cycle is finished. Older varieties and some newer varieties will all benefit from deadheading. Deadheading will force the rose to start budding and the bloom cycle will begin again. Most varieties take 6 to 8 weeks between bloom cycles. When your rose blooms and drops it's petals it begins the process of making seeds with "hips" We want to stop the current reproductive cycle and start a new bloom cycle. Deadheading involves removing the spent bloom or hip by cutting back to the next active bud. Where to cut is mostly preference and what shape or height of a plant you desire. In general cut back a quarter inch above a five leaf leaflet. This is where an active bud will be. On hybrid Teas you want this to be an outer facing bud so the new chute grows outward and the center of the plant stays clear. 

 Do not deadhead hip producing roses if you want colorful hips in the autumn and winter. Rugosas are prized for their red hips and the fall display is wonderful.

 Trimming, pruning and deadheading roses scares beginners. When in doubt, shape the plant like you want it. Roses will recover quickly.

How to Prune Your Roses

In the first 2 years after planting your new rose, prune the dead, dying, or diseased wood from the plant. Minor shaping or reducing rogue canes is ok. Three year old and greater roses need pruning which improves air circulation, results in more blooms, stimulates growth, and makes an overall healthier plant. Hard pruning should take place in the early spring. Avoid major pruning in late summer. Old Garden roses and heirloom climbing roses should be pruned after they bloom. For all climbing roses remove rubbing and crossing branches, clean up the long branches, and cut side shoots back two to three inches. For modern roses, cut the branch back to an outward-facing bud. Buds are generally, but not always, under a five leaf leaflet.

 Pruning is an art. If you are happy with the shape and flower size, then light shaping is all that's needed. A light spring prune will produce more flowers, smaller blooms, and a taller plant. Hard pruning results in larger flowers, less blooms, and a shorter overall rose. Most of the pruning advice you see online are for exhibition hybrid teas. We are home gardeners and desire only garden roses. Make the plant like you want it. Don’t forget, “Stop and smell the roses.”