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Plant Floribunda Roses For All-Season Blooms
by: Ron King
This Latin name translates as “many flowered” or “abundance of flowers” and the Floribunda rose surely lives up to its name. These roses are among the most colorful of the modern roses. Their blooms are arranged in low-growing large clusters.
Many consider the Floribunda a better variety than the Hybrid Tea, their ancestor, largely because of its capacity to continue producing blooms over an extended period of time. Furthermore, they are much more hearty and resilient than Hybrid Tea roses.
Floribundas are available in a vast array of colors and styles and can grow as high as 4 feet. They are often grown for display rather than as a cut flower. Planted as an elegant landscape bush, they can produce abundant color for many seasons.
The Rob Roy has become very popular in recent years. It blooms in a deep red color and proffers a sweet soft scent. As long as there aren’t any severe frosts, they will bloom continually from spring until late fall. They produce an extremely bold showing when planted in large clusters.
Planting New Roses
Select an ideal sunny garden location and get your soil ready. Active blooming roses flourish best in a few inches of organic mulch. For best results, enhance it with a rich compost of manure or other organic matter.
You should provide generous spacing in which they can grow. Arrange your bushes from 18 to 24 inches apart from one another.
Dig a hole that will be deep enough for roots to spread without any restriction, about 8 to 10 inches deep. Adding bone meal to the soil is another good idea, as it is high in phosphates.
Now you’re ready to plant. Remove each rose bush from its container and place gently into the ground. Backfill the hole with loose soil. Then, using your palm, pack any loose soil firmly. Repeat this process for every plant.
When you’re done, water every new plant thoroughly. Continue watering your new roses on a daily basis for the first 2 weeks. After that, a weekly irrigation is usually enough.
Maintaining Healthy Roses
Late winter is the best time to prune. Most gardeners prune in January or February, depending on their local climate. Remove all debris first, and dead foliage from the plants and around their bedding. Clip off all dead bark-like canes. In order to promote new growth for the next season, remember to remove all the old flowers.
If it’s warm enough, it’s a good idea to fertilize the ground with organic matter at this time.
Although you should try to maintain some shape to your rose bushes, be gentle with the cuts. Many horticulturists say that Floribundas, in their first year, flourish with a cane 6 inches long.
Now, just sit back, relax and watch your flowers bloom beautifully for many months, and years, to come.
About The Author
Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.grow-roses-now.com to learn more about this fascinating hobby.
Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.
The 3 Types Of Roses
by: Ron King
There are several rose classification schemes used throughout the world. But the most popular system is that proposed by The American Rose Society (in cooperation with the World Federation of Roses). While the other systems are still in use, the majority of internationally established societies have adopted this one.
According to the American Rose Society, there are 3 main groupings of roses: the Species, Old Garden Roses, and Modern Roses.
Species Roses
This is the ancestor of every rose and are commonly referred to as “wild roses.” They are easy to identify. Usually they have 5 petals, bloom once a season, and are often thorny shrubs or climbers.
Several popular Species Roses are: Cherokee Roses, Dog Roses, Gallic Roses, French Roses, and Redleaf Roses.
Species Roses flourish in temperate climates, and can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Old Garden Roses
Unlike Species Roses, which existed millions of years before humans walked the earth, Old Garden Roses are a class identified as of 1867.
Most Old Garden Roses bloom once a season, usually at the start of summer. They grow in several shrub and vine sizes. Although colors can vary, this class are usually white or pastel in color. These “antique roses” are generally preferred for lawns and home gardening because they are easy to grow.
Some Old Garden Roses are: China, Tea, Moss, Damask, Bourbon, Hybrid Perpetual and Noisette roses. Many antique roses have a strong, sweet scent, which makes them very popular.
Modern Roses
Old Garden Roses are the predecessors of Modern Roses. Any rose identified after 1867, is considered a Modern Rose. Very popular, This group is the result of crossbreeding the hybrid tea with the polyanthus (a variety of primrose).
The colors of Modern Roses are varied, rich and vibrant. Most roses in this class will flower repeatedly with the proper care. Perhaps that is why horticulturists find this class so attractive.
The most popular roses found in the class of Modern Roses are: the hybrid tea, floribunda, and grandiflora. Although Modern Roses are adored by florists and gardeners, they do require a little extra care, and do not adapt well to colder environments.
Further Classification
After a rose has been classified into 1 of the 3 main groupings, it can be further classified by color, scent, ancestry, date of introduction, growth habit, blooming characteristics and size. It is not always possible for horticulturists to classify every rose, especially the hybrid roses which can seem to be a grouping all their own.
But after a point, it is time to quit classifying and start growing. I think we have reached that point.
About The Author
Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.grow-roses-now.com to learn more about this fascinating hobby.
Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.
Don’t Let These Common Diseases Eat Your Roses
by: Ron King
After working hard to grow a beautiful rose, you job is half done. Now you must protect it to maintain that beauty.
Roses can be weakened during the winter dormancy and become susceptible to disease when the growing season begins. Even among roses that survived winter unscathed, spring rains, and summer heat and humidity can open the door to a variety of infections.
Here is a summary of the most common diseases which pose a threat to your roses.
Rust
Rust is an orange powder, which appears on the undersides of leaves and will spread to other parts of the plant.
Powdery Mildew
This is a fungus disease that produces a white powder along the tops and bottoms of the leaves and along the stems. If untreated, the plant’s growth will be stunted, and the leaves will die and drop off.
Blackspot
The disease appears as circular black spots on the plant’s leaves ranging in diameter from 1/16 to 1/2 inch. Left untreated, blackspot will destroy your plant’s foliage. Hybrid tea roses are resistant to blackspot.
Rose Mosaic
Unlike most rose diseases, which are fungal in nature, Rose Mosaic is caused by a virus. Symptoms generally resemble discolored mosaic patterns in yellow and green. There is no cure for this disease. The treatment is to remove the infected plant from the garden. And remove all leaves and clippings that fell from the affected plant.
Rose Care Tips
If you are unable to stop the spread of fungus-based diseases by cutting back affected areas, see a garden supply professional for commercial fungus treatment products.
You can reduce the chances of your roses being affected by fungus if you follow these tips:
Always water the soil around the rose plant and never water the plant itself.
Clean your rose beds regularly and remove all clippings and fallen leaves.
Cut any diseased canes or blooms and dispose of them in your trash can.
Practice regular pruning, with special attention to pruning the center of the bushes to allow air circulation.
Seal all cuts. Elmer’s Glue works fine. It’s safe, effective and cheap.
Feed your roses regularly. Well-fed roses are better able to resist infection.
Choose disease-resistant roses whenever possible, especially if you live in a hot, humid climate. Remember that disease-resistant does not mean disease-free, just that there is less chance of it becoming infected.
About The Author
Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.grow-roses-now.com to learn more about this fascinating hobby.
Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.
How to Kickstart a Good Bedroom Design Project?
by: Shrinivas Vaidya
Dear friends,
Any room in your home is primarily a space within walls, floor and a ceiling. When the structure or the apartment gets constructed, the architect and the structural contractor has taken all the care that it is stable and can withstand outside natural forces like, earthquakes, heavy winds, rainfalls, etc..
Amongst all other rooms the bedroom is a space where comfort levels have to be kept maximum. But the word comfort is a relative term. The meaning of comfort is not just a sleep of 8 hours. A good sleep inside a bedroom is a bare minimum expectation which can not be ignored.
But comfort varies from person to person. For someone it feels good by just sitting in a rocking chair, sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying good view around the house or for someone it could be listening to good music or watching night sky full of stars.
So when it comes to design any space many aspects come into consideration. Design is not just arrangement of furniture, choosing color schemes, deciding textures/finishes etc..It has to deal with “feeling good” about the space.
Of course all these factors when used in a unique way, can turn out to be a great design. The above mentioned “feel good” factor comes about by selecting a “theme” based design.
When we try to look towards the empty space through a theme, everything gets a definition and can be dealt upon easily.
Let’s see an example.
If I decide to decorate a bedroom which is empty, first I will have to decide on a particular style to execute. If it’s my own bedroom then I must know what kind of style best suits my personality. This choice of style will greatly influence, the kind of furniture, color scheme, finishes I use.
Here I can go for contemporary style/oriental style/country style. All these have a unique set of parameters right from the layout of furniture to what diameter should I use for the curtain rods.
A design deals with a big view starting from furniture layout and goes in-depth, deciding with each and every minute details of linen. All these affect the final expression, which is required for “feeling good”. All these detailing will change the moment to shift from your theme/style.
That’s why by fragmenting the entire design process into theme options can make the process easier and gives a direction to start the execution of any project.
If you are designing for someone else, it’s a good idea to first know your client’s likes and dislikes. I mean his personality, his hobbies, his job profile, etc… Remember that HE is going to use this room, it’s his baby.
Of course once you start with a theme, it normally happens that you will get more richer and creative ideas during primary sketching process.
I hope this article was helpful.
Copyright 2005 Shrinivas Vaidya
About The Author
Shrinivas Vaidya
For more powerful and in-depth concept level knowledge of
bedroom design visit Bedroom-Design-And-decorating-Ideas.com.
You will find some good tips on designing various kinds of bedrooms.
Stained Glass Can Add Elegance To Your Home
by: Sarah Peters
If there is one way to throw a new light on your home, it’s through the stained glass you put in your windows. Whether you want to enhance old windows by replacing some of the panes, or are complementing the new Pella windows you’ve installed, stained glass can lend an air of grace and quiet elegance to a room.
Where and how you incorporate stained glass into a window treatment depends a great deal on the style of windows you have, and what you want to spend to achieve that multi- colored glow.
In an older home that has wood framed windows with six or nine panes, it’s possible to take out the upper row of glass, and replace those panes with new ones cut from older stained glass that can be salvaged from yard sales, flea markets and auctions.
New stained glass that is handmade, can be quite costly due to the craftsmanship that goes into it. That’s why cutting old panels of stained glass is a cost-effective alternative, that can give you several panes from one sheet. Even if the glass has small cracks or separations in the colored sections, they are easily repaired.
If you have installed a Pella casement window in your kitchen, a semi-circle of stained glass framed and set into the wall over top, will add jewel tones to the warmth of morning sunlight. Or you might choose to replace the entire bathroom window with stained glass, making it a decorative way to preserve your privacy.
The old and the new can come together in harmony. Take a look at your home and consider whether you’d like to warm up the house with stained glass, or combine it with the sophistication of new Pella windows. It’s a pairing guaranteed to create a unique new look.
sarah_article@yahoo.com
Do You Know How To Use Window Coverings ?
by: Sarah Peters
Window coverings serve an important role in your home, giving you privacy and also protecting your furniture and décor from the harshness of prolonged, direct sunlight. But the range of choices is so wide, including blinds, shades, shutters and curtains, that some homeowners have a hard time deciding which they prefer, or whether they can mix their window coverings according to the room where they are installed.
There are no hard and fast rules about what you should use, versus what you could use. The decision is up to your tastes, preferences, and what works with your decorating scheme. What you decide is great for one room, may not fit in another, so you switch from blinds in the bathroom to window shades in the bedroom, and that is just fine, as long as you are happy with the way the décor looks when you’re done.
For example, the living room is where most people entertain visitors and family, and because it is often a “public” room, people tend to go for more distinguished or striking window coverings, that may include shutters or curtains, and occasionally a combination of both.
A beautiful set of lined drapes, with sheers underneath, and topped by a decorative swag, are not only functional, but very decorative and can be coordinated with the furniture, or serve as an accent to the overall scheme of a room. Sometimes simplicity creates an equal impact, with a set of antique slatted shutters that fold out from underneath a pair of brocaded lined drapes.
sarah_article@yahoo.com
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