I have three rose bushes in my garden. The largest bush produces roses which are salmon in color. The two other bushes are equal in size. One produces white roses. The last one produces dark red roses.
The color is not the only feature worth noting about the roses. Two of the bushes produce roses with no scent. The red roses with their abundant velvet petals, however, produce a wonderful fragrance. The scent has a lemony component and a very deep sweet smell. Find out more about rose scents.
As mentioned in an early posting, spring has come and over the weekend it was time to care for my roses. In colder regions, roses naturally shed their leaves when temperatures drop. In Zone 23, the rose never drops all of the leaves. If you prune too early, the newly emerging leaves will be subject to various diseases which occur with wet, cold weather. I like to prune in March because the tender new growth has a better chance of staying free from rust and powdery mildew.
March is also a great time to fertilize the rose bush. This weekend I top dressed the soil with composted steer manure and humus soil from my own composter. I also will provide a granulated organic rose fertilizer. Find out more about fertilizing roses.
