My Rose Garden Project will probably take about two weeks. The main reason for this is its rather early to be planting in my zone 5 area and its also a new garden plot that will need a lot of work to prepare. But each day I will take another step and before you know it the garden will be completed.
It’s suggested to plant dormant tea roses between April 1 and 15th. My rose bushes do have a small amount of growth so I need to get them in the ground as close to April 1st as possible to prevent plant shock. I will also need to protect the growth for a few weeks from any frost we may have.
But today I decided on the size of the garden, which is 9 foot by 12 foot. In my plan left 2½ foot to 3 foot spacing between the roses. I will be collecting the additives for the soil and ground cover for the garden so that I will be prepared to start the garden bed. I will also start to select the perennials that I will grow in the rose garden.
Growing perennials in a rose garden serve three purposes.
- They add more color and create a richer more full look.
- They make sure there is color in the garden from spring to fall.
- They help to ward off certain insects and keep the roses healthier.
My garden will also have a few decorative rocks, one trellis and at least one mini bench.
Today I noticed my roses need planted now to stay healthy. But my soil is not prepared so today I am making the paper pots for the roses, mixing the right soil for the bushes and soaking the bare roots for 24 hours. The soil mix will be ready tomorrow so it will be a potting shed day.
My paper pots will be 2 foot by 2 foot and I will place them on a board so that when its time to move the plant I can place it on a dolly and roll to the garden bed area. And to help protect the bushes from any cold I may have in the next three weeks I will place tomato cages around the bushes at the time of planting and cover the plants at night with plastic to help any transplanting shock and to help with any cold nights.
Tip: I use clear plastic bags to quickly cover plants. Just slip over the top of the tomato cages and weigh down with bricks to keep them in place. This extra cover will keep the plants warmer and protect them against cold and wind. Its almost like a mini greenhouse.
Additives for the soil.
- Well-rotted sheep manure.
- Homemade compost.
- Aged sawdust.
- Peat.
I will mix these ingredients into the soil to make it richer and help drainage. They are all free items except for the peat.
- Leaf mold. I will be using leaf mold (aged leaves that have turned to a rich crumbly texture) as a ground cover in the rose garden.
And later today I will select the perennials to add to the garden for color and insect and disease control.
The Rose GardenProject is the first of backyard projects that will be covered here at Backyard Oasis Projects. There have been two articles so far on roses, Seven tips for a Beautiful Rose Garden and The Rose Garden Project
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