“Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow,” said Francis Hodgson Burnett.  For rosarians, nothing matches the beauty and the history of the rose. There are garden clubs devoted only to roses with lectures on how to choose roses, demonstrations on how to plant roses correctly, which roses will bloom well, and which roses need to be removed from the garden and replaced.

Take a trip to Graham’s Garden center to see what’s new. Are there new colors that would add interest to your rose collection? The most important question to ask at the garden center is which roses will thrive in our Western Pennsylvania climate.

When you get your new rose home, water the plant in the container and place it in a shady spot. Placing the soil on a tarp to save the grass, dig a bowl-shaped hole slightly deeper than the nursery container. Put compost in the bottom of the hole. As you take the rose out of the container try to keep it in the same shape as you gently rough up any roots that are circling the plant. Place the rose in the hole and water as you replace the soil around the plant. In July watering is a prime concern not only for new plants but those that are established. I like to make a little saucer shaped indentation to encourage the rainwater or water from my watering can to get to the roots.  Make the indentation about 2 or 3 inches away from the base of the plant. You want water to get to the root of the rose but not run down the main stem of the rose.

Bare root plants are less expensive than container grown roses but there is an extra step in planting. Dig a bowl-shaped hole, placing compost in the bottom of the hole. Make the soil into a pyramid shape at the bottom of the hole. Gently place the roots of the rose around the pyramid and then add the soil and water.

Newly planted roses as well as established roses need lots of water. A new installation needs water two to three times a week and an established rose 1 to 2 inches of water a week. Water makes the difference for success or failure.

An all purpose 10-10-10 rose fertilizer is generally used. Read and follow the directions carefully. Always make Aug. 1 your last time to fertilize. The roses, like other garden perennials, should be preparing for their long winter rest.

Many gardeners collect heirloom roses, also known as old garden roses. These roses existed before 1867, the year the first hybrid tea rose, La France, was introduced.

These roses have a rich history, lovely fragrance and unique petal formation. Heirloom roses have a nostalgic appeal. They are hardy with a resistance to disease. You might have heard of rose rustlers. These people visit old cemeteries, abandoned houses and any place they might discover an old rose. Their passion is to rescue the rose, plant it properly and save it from extinction.

Roses are a big part of our lives, from the bouquet of roses from our college beau to the roses in our bridal bouquet, to the single rose the day the new baby is baptized at church, roses mark important days of our lives.

(Rebecca Ryan is a lifelong resident of and gardener in the Bradford area. She retired from teaching at Bradford Area School District.)