Buying and handling roses.

Please Note:

We do not have a perennial or rose print catalog or list for mailing, all items are available ONLINE or IN PERSON only.

Growing Roses (p.4)

ANR-157, Reprinted October 1996. Recommended for Extension use by Dave Williams, Extension Horticulturist, Associate Professor, Horticulture, Auburn University. Former authors and revisers include Bridget Behe, former Extension Horticulturist; Patricia Cobb, Extension Entomologist; Austin Hagan, Extension Plant Pathologist; Kim Sheffer, former Horticulturist; Ron Shumack, Extension Horticulturist; George Stritikus, Extension Agent, and Dave Williams, Extension Horticulturist; all at Auburn University.

Buying and Handling Plants

Rose plants should be purchased from reputable sources. Local nurseries and garden centers are usually good sources of plant material. Reputable mail-order nurseries will send you colorful catalogs, listing the plants they sell. Generally, the varieties listed in these catalogs are favorites with rose growers. You should look for ideas for varieties in the catalog, but make your purchases from reputable, local nurseries or garden centers. Get the best quality plants you can find--cheap, inferior rose plants will not be worth the trouble and expense of planting and caring for them. Roses are graded by the number of canes the plant begins with; the more canes, the higher the grade and the bigger the bush. Be careful not to purchase roses that have wax on the canes. In the high heat of the South, this wax will melt and scorch the canes.

Every rose grower has her or his own ideas for bringing a rose into the peak of flowering perfection. However, the basic techniques for rose growing are rather simple, and if you apply them correctly you will be rewarded with lovely blooms year after year.

The care of roses really begins at the time of planting. It is best to plant roses when they are dormant. In Alabama, this would be from December to early spring. It is important to plant the bushes as soon as they arrive.

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