New to Roses, could use your help...

Hello,
I'm hoping you can help me. For my boyfriend and I's anniversary this year, I would like to plant a rose bush in his honor. He is serving in the Army and is currently deployed in Iraq. He talks about how he would like a rose bush because when he was a child his mom had one. I myself am not that experienced with plants, but I figured this would be the perfect gift. I like the looks of the Graham Thomas roses. I like that they are yellow. To us it would symbolize the support for our troops. So the flower itself would have double meaning. Anyhow, can you offer any growing tips or suggestions for my new project? I read that this is considered to be a Low-Maintenance rose. It will be up against our house in a small flower bed facing North. I live in zone 5, Westland, Michigan to be exact. I'm nervous. I want this to last us forever. It will be a reminder of many things for us. Please let me know if you can offer any suggestions!

Thank You!
Sarah P.

This message was edited Apr 12, 2009 7:16 PM

Sarah, A favorite variety of roses for me are the "knock out " roses. New this year is one in yellow. They bloom continuously and are very low maintenance. I am not familiar with your zone so you might want to check wiht your local extension office for a good variety. The most beautifyl roses that I have are the David Austin. Here is a link that gives you good info. Good luck with your selection. That sound real special for a tribute to our military men.
http://www.davidaustinroses.com/american/Advanced.asp

Hi Sarah,
I don't know anything about Graham Thomas roses but I did add a yellow Knockout rose to my collection this year and I just love it. It has grown quickly and has a really nice shape to it. It wouldn't hurt to look at one of the Knockout's in addition to the GT. Whichever one you choose, I hope and pray it grows into a beautiful bush for you and I pray your boyfriend will return to you safe and sound.

Hi Sarah,
Graham Thomas is a cultivar from David Austin, in other words a David Austin rose.

If you're a first time rose grower and want a rose that is the easiest to care for and safest from dying over the winter I would agree with the suggestion of the Sunny Knockout, which just came out last year. They have yellow flowers that fade to white.

http://www.helpmefind.com/plant/pl.php?n=55411

Or there is another rose from the same hybridizer called Carefree Sunshine which is just as easy to grow:

http://www.helpmefind.com/plant/pl.php?n=38692&tab=1

Given that the rose will be on the north side of the house where it won't get quite as much sun plus the coldest winter weather, those two are probably your best choices.

To give your new rose the best possible start, make sure you dig a really nice hole for it!
Here is a link to basic planting instructions, most people dig a hole at least 18" wide and 18" deep, making a big hole and amending with lots of organic matter are the two best things you can do for your rose!

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1212.html

Please post again if you have any questions.

My best wishes to you and your brave boyfriend.

My experience of roses are that they are easy to look after - we have some in the garden they rarely get watered (they are planted in the ground) and they do fine.

I also have some mini roses - originally bought as houseplants; they grew too big so they are in the garden in pots; they get watered when the rest of the garden gets watered and they had thousands of flowers on them last year.

Hi Sarah

Last year, when I started my first ever gardening experience, I asked my SIL, who worked at the Ag Extention here in my county, about growing roses. His reply to me was, don't bother with roses - anyone can grow roses. To me, those were the sweetest words I've ever heard him say or than 'It's a girl'.

My first attempt at growing roses was a Yellow Rose Bush that I bought at Lowe's. "G. Masterpiece" is the name on the tag. It is a Lowell Thomas Hybrid Tea Rose. The roses, huge in bloom, are a pale yellow, looking almost blonde. I named the rose 'Nattie Paige' after my youngest little blonde headed granddaughter.

I put the rose in a sunny spot. Watered it really well for the first four weeks. After that, I watered it once a week.

This year, I've added four more rose bushes to my garden. Sunshine and Love, IMO, is all they really need to grow.

Happy Gardening

Lisa

Hi Sarah,
Thanks to your boyfriend for serving our country, and to you too, for the sacrifices you make.
I have only monkeyed around with roses for 2 to 4 years, but in my opinion they are not terribly "easy".
Roses need a lot of sun, faithful watering (avoiding wetting the foliage), deadheading, fertilizing, and some need spraying for black spot, thrips, aphids, picking off diseased foliage and burning it so it doesn't lay on the ground, etc. Furthermore, some are vulnerable to Michigan winters, and need winter protection, such as hilling with soil or corralling with burlap. Also I think i may have read that yellow roses are more tender. Some of my roses have died, others have lived. Some get black spot, others don't. After the Japanese Beetles hatch in late June or early July, some of the roses really attract them; it's nasty to look into a flower and see those beetles down in between the petals munching away. My husband and I hand pick the beetles daily and put in a bucket of soapy water to kill them.

Since you want this particular anniversary plant to be successful, you might post your question in the rose forum and also the Michigan forum and see what some of the experienced rose people have to say. Maybe some other Michiganians can tell you how disease resistant the Graham Thomas is, and whether the Japanese Beetles come to it or not. Also, you might want to post a little bit more about the site, so people can comment whether it's sunny enough, e.g. how close to the house will the rose be planted, is there shade from trees or shrubs which will fall on the rose.

The Knock Out rose was a giant leap forward in rose breeding, like a scientific breakthrough, and it is probably the toughest, easiest rose, and I suspect the original Knock Out is the best of the bunch. In my garden, I never found a JB on my three original KO roses. (My double pink Knock Outs got blackspot and don't seem as tough as the originals, but I'm not sure I gave them the same treatment.) The original Knock Out is a cherry red color.

I hope some other people who know lots more than I do about roses will give you their advice.

Good luck!

Roses like full sun.If they can't get it.They need at least morning sun.The reason being when they collect morning dew.They need the sun to dry them off.If the foilage stays wet that leads to fungus(black spot).Knock Out are more disease resistant then other roses.Ideally you would plant them on a southern exposure for maximum sun.Second choice would be an eastern exposure for morning sun.North exposure is probably the worst place for a rose.Its shady and damp and winter winds will beat it up.I know you want to succeed,I want you to succeed.You really need to rethink about where you are going to plant it.Best of luck.Edge

Hi Sarah,

I had hoped you would get tons of knowledgeable advice from rose experts. I was wondering if you figured out what to do?

I discovered a great website with information about caring for roses. It's from a store which was located between Ann Arbor and Detroit. The owners closed the store but left the informational website so people could take advantage. I learned quite a bit by reading some of the articles. The nursery was called Great Lakes Roses, and the website is www.GreatLakesRoses.com

Best wishes,
Ella