Add Cottage Charm with Rose Arches
One of the most popular features of our gardens are the rose arches. And who am I to disagree? However, growing roses can be quite intimidating which I completely understand. That’s how I felt, too. But what if I told you it’s much easier than you think. Then will you give it a try?
Growing roses does not have to be complicated!
Here are five simple steps to creating rose magic in your garden.
Find the Perfect Location
Most roses prefer a sunny location, so make sure you choose a spot that receives 6+ hours of full sun. In our garden we lined our center pathway with climbing rose arches, three on each side. Although it is magical to walk through a tunnel of roses, this may not be possible for you. But can you imagine welcoming family and friends into your garden by entering through a rose arch? How about sitting on a bench under the shade of roses just taking in the peace and quiet or sharing a chat with a friend? There are so many possibilities for adding a rose arch to your garden.
Arch Installation
Garden arches come in many shapes and sizes. I use a simple arch design. Since they will be covered by roses, I have found they don’t need to be too decorative or elaborate. No matter what arch you choose, there is one thing you have to do. You need to strengthen your arch! This can easily be achieved by zip tying each leg to a four foot t-post pounded in at each corner. Our garden experiences very strong wind gusts at times (over 60 miles per hour) and this stabilization has kept the arches standing tall and strong.
Choosing Roses
Now that you have the structure in place it’s time to choose your roses. I have tested out several David Austin climbing rose varieties and here are the ones I would recommend for our central Ohio climate (zone 6a):
James Galway
The Pilgrim
Lady of Shalott
Bathsheba
Unfortunately, two pink climbing rose varieties did not make the cut in my garden due to disease susceptibility (The Albrighten Rambler and Gertrude Jekyll.) But because I love pink so much, I will start testing two new pink varieties this year. If they perform well over the next couple of years, I will add them to the list.
Rose Planting and Care
If you are planting a bareroot rose, make sure to soak it in a bucket of water for about two hours before planting. Dig a hole big enough for the roots, keeping in mind that two inches of the stems should be below ground. Then backfill the hole with the soil you dug out, firm the soil, and water well.
The best time to feed your roses is at the beginning of the growing season (as leaves begin to open) and after the first flush of blooms. Just use a granular fertilizer specific to roses and follow the application instructions.
Pruning
I learned how to prune my climbing roses from the experts at David Austin Roses. The best time to prune here in central Ohio is late winter/early spring. The main goal of pruning climbers is to get rid of weak, spindly, diseased growth, cut back side stems, and tie in the long strong stems to the arch. One thing I have learned about pruning is that roses are very forgiving. Don’t be afraid to cut back!
Adding rose arches to your garden will bring you joy for many years to come and I hope I’ve convinced you to give it a try!
Still not convinced?
Now if all of this still seems overwhelming to you, did you know that Monica will come install a rose arch in your garden for you?
And even come out after the first growing season to demonstrate the first pruning?