GROWING ROSES ISLAND BED

The appeal of growing roses in an island bed surrounded by well tended lawns is difficult to beat.

The secret to growing roses in this setting is to avoid planting several different island beds.  Grow your roses in a large bed and the effect is far more dramatic.

You can use both the floribundas and Hybrid Tea Rose types, but it is far more appealing to just use one particular type of rose per bed.

If you are looking for an extended period of flowering then the floribundas are best.   This is particularly true, if the bed is a distance from your house and you want to still see a splash of color.

The larger the bed, the larger the rose type to use and vice versa.  If you are growing roses in a very large bed then consider growing standard or tree roses down the middle.  This gives height to the bed and sill leaves the outer roses visible.  Large rose beds can appear flat and this is an effective method or retaining impact.

The ideal characteristics of a particular rose type for growing roses in an island bed are.

1. Heavy flowering, rain damage resistant.
2. Bloom flushes should appear in quick succession.
3. Blooms all over bush not just at the top.
4. Plenty of foliage.
5. Hardy in cold weather.
6. Good disease resistance.

Calculate the approximate final spread of your roses and keep this about 20 inches from the edge of the bed.

Keep your rose bed to about 5 feet wide to give you room for proper care of roses.

Stagger your plants so that a rose is always visible from any angle.  This eliminates bare spots.

Growing roses like this can be very rewarding in every sense.

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