Rose Bush Care And Maintenance During The Winter In A Mediterranean Climate Garden
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By Jonathan Yaakobi
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The rose bush, once termed the “queen of the garden,” can be unmatched in its flower performance. It can also be maddeningly frustrating as it fails to deliver on its promise. While many a home gardener’s disappointment can be traced to choosing the wrong type of rose for a particular location, poor performance and appearance can be avoided if the correct maintenance procedures are carried out. There are in fact important differences between care and maintenance in cold winter climates and mild winter ones, but before going into that, let’s first see which tasks are common to growing roses, irrespective of the climate.
Planting roses
Wherever the location, roses must be grown in full sun, in well-drained soil, and at a proper distance from trees and other bushes.(Between 5-10 meters) It is also important to plant the bushes at the recommended distances from each other, without being tempted to squeeze in more roses for “better effect”. The effect usually achieved from over-crowding is weak growth and greater susceptibility to fungal disease like mildew.
Planting bare root is preferable to planting from containers because you have the opportunity to examine the roots. These should look whole and healthy, with at least three main roots spaced reasonably evenly from each other. Planting bare root should only be done while the plant is dormant, so the winter is the best time to do so. However, at the end of winter in Mediterranean climates, it’s common to jump from 2c to a heat wave within a couple of days. For this reason, do not plant bare root at the end of winter, or if the plant is showing signs of coming into leaf, as the new plants by not having time to establish an adequate root system, are liable to dry out when the temperatures suddenly rise. In such cases, it’s better to plant roses that have been grown in containers. Similarly, roses should only be transplanted in the middle of winter. If it’s a bit late in the season, wait till next winter. As warm spells are common in Mediterranean winters, the bushes must be watered in after planting, and the soil remain fairly moist, but not saturated. A mulch of wood chippings will help to preserve moisture and keep down weeds as well.
Pruning roses
The pruning of established roses needs to be carried out quite differently in mild winter climates as compared to cold winter ones. Southern California is not the Mid West, and Southern Italy is not Germany or Eastern Europe. Here then are some basic ground rules:
*There is no need to cut down the plants to the ground. Remove between a third and a half of the bush’s height. In the meantime, old, dry and damaged wood can be cut away.
*While pruning should be performed while the rose bushes are dormant, it should nonetheless be delayed to about 6 weeks before the possible occurrence of late frosts. So if for instance, frosts are not likely to occur after March 15, then the roses can be pruned around the beginning of February. This is necessary, because pruning cuts combined with warm spells, encourage premature growth which is highly vulnerable to damage from late frosts. This damage to young tissue causes fungal and bacterial infection which is of course detrimental to the health of the plant as a whole.
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Author Bio Box: Jonathan Yaakobi
 My name is Jonathan Ya'akobi.
I've been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984.
I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners.
I also teach horticulture to students on training courses.
I'd love to help you get the very best from your garden,
so you're welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com
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