Growing Roses at Bellingrath Gardens and Home

Growing quality roses in the Deep South is a labor of love and requires a commitment to serious gardening.   Linda Guy manager of our rose garden has developed her techniques from growing roses over 25 years.

According to Linda there are some important tips to remember when growing roses.

• Prepare the bed well.
• Prune regularly.  Linda and volunteers from the Mobile Rose Society prine Bellingrath's roses each year in late February.  They cut each rose back 12 to 18 inches, removing dead, diseased and unproductive canes.
• Besure to find quality roses that like your climate.  Bellingrath generally uses roses that have been grafted on fortuniana rootstock which increase the roses' vigor and disease resistance.
• Know what type of soli you have and remember to fertilize.  Typically, Linda applies fertilzer in mid-March, mid-June and late August.
• Roses love water, so remember to water them.  Bellingrath's rose garden irrigation system uses a micro-spray nozzel to deliver water directly to the root system.
• Consult with your local gardening specialists to fine out the best ways to prevent different pests life fungus and bugs in your area.