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Roses are the most beautiful flower in any garden. Unfortunately, people believe they are difficult to grow, are susceptible to lots of diseases and require a degree in horticulture when it is time to prune.
Truthfully, the maligned rose is no more difficult to grow than any other plant in your garden. As long as you choose the right site, full sun preferred and prepare the soil as you would for any other shrub, your rose should be off to a good start.
If you are new to roses, the floribunda rose is perfect. This rose was developed by cross breeding hybrid tea roses with polyantha roses. Tea roses are the roses usually given to loved ones on Valentine’s Day. They have a long stem with a single large rose on the end of each. The flowers come in a wide variety of colors.
A polyantha rose is a tough, disease-resistant and sturdy rose that is also a repeat bloomer. The result is a rose with the toughness and ease of care of a polyanthus combined with the beauty and color range of the tea roses.
In addition, this rose is almost continually in bloom from late spring until late fall. The floribunda rose has clusters of roses that look like the classic tea rose, just slightly smaller. Floribundas range in size from small shrubs perfect for the front of a border to large shrubs that can be five to six feet tall and wide.
You will want to make sure you choose a floribunda rose appropriate to the location in your garden that you want to place your rose. Floribunda roses are beautiful in a rose garden, a mixed border or in a container on your deck or patio.
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To plant your floribunda rose, choose a site that has full sun. Make sure to dig the soil well to eliminate any compaction. The planting hole should be large enough to spread the roots out and for the graft site to be at soil level. The graft is the bulge just at the base of the plant below the branches.
Mix the soil from the hole with well-rotted organic material or compost. You could also add a bit of rose fertilizer at this time. Firm the soil around the roots and water in. Adding mulch at this time will help to conserve water and prevent weeds as the plant grows.
Pick the Perfect Floribunda Rose TodayThere are two main types of pruning — the pruning required to deadhead and spring pruning. Floribunda roses grow in clusters like a mini bouquet. As the flowers die off, you can remove single flowers just for appearance’s sake without harming the rest of the cluster. Once all the flowers are finished blooming, it is time to prune the branch.
Look for the growth nodes on the stem. Their location on the stem indicates the direction the new stem will grow. You want to allow light and air to reach your plant so choose a node that is facing outward. The stem will then grow in that direction, giving the plant a fuller look.
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Using a good sharp pruner, make an angled cut about ¼ inch above the node. That’s it. It is not difficult and plants are very forgiving when it comes to pruning. If the branch is not growing the way you thought, you can always repeat the pruning process at the next node.
Spring pruning starts by removing any branches that didn’t survive the winter and any damaged branches. You can also remove any weak stems at this time.
The goal is to have a goblet-shaped shrub. Then, prune the branches to about 10 inches from ground level. This will give a nice strong base to support your new growth and the clusters of roses.
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Your floribunda rose is disease-resistant, thanks to its polyantha heritage, but that doesn’t mean it will never have insect pests or disease. Always clean the area of debris from pruning when you finish. When you water your roses, avoid getting water on the foliage when possible. These simple steps can help avoid some of the common problems.
Rose gardens or gardens that have roses in them are always that much more breathtaking. Consider adding a floribunda rose to your garden landscape this year.
