Roses

• Learn to grow roses, as cut flowers, garden plants, landscape features
• Learn to identify different rose species and varieties
• Learn about rose propagation, pruning, pest control, soil management and more
• Discover opportunities to work with roses -as a hobbyist, tradesman, professional horticulturist or small business operator

The  value of their blooms however extends beyond the ornamental garden; roses are grown for many reasons including: the cut flower trade, for perfume extraction, to harvest the hips and for rose oil. This course covers all these aspects and much more. Learn the history of the rose, the confusing rose classification system, how to identify the different species, their general cultural needs (soils, pests and disease management and pruning), how to use roses in garden design and how to produce a commercial rose crop.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • Plant naming
   • Hybrids, varieties, cultivars
   • Genus Rosa
   • Understanding any confusion in naming
   • Rose Classification
   • Modern Garden Roses - climbing, non climbing, old world
   • English roses
   • Choosing roses - bush, standard, miniature,climbers, ramblers, patio roses, shrub
   • Resources, organisations
2. Culture
   • Soils -texture, naming soils, pH, nutrient availability
   • Improving soils
   • Improving fertility
   • Soil mixes - propagating, potting
   • Plant nutrition
   • Nutrient deficiencies and toxicities
   • Preventing rose health problems
   • Rose pests
   • Rose diseases
   • Planting procedures -bare rooted, time of planting, staking
   • Rose Pruning - dead heading, rejuvenating
   • Selecting your secateurs
   • Watering roses
3. Rose Propagation
   • Sexual (seed) propagation
   • Asexual Propagation
   • Hybridising roses
   • Propagating cuttings - softwood, semi hardwood, hardwood
   • Treatment with hormones
   • Rockwool Propagation
   • Hardening off rooted cuttings
   • Budding and grafting roses
   • How a graft forms
   • Factors influencing healing a graft
   • Types of rose rootstock
   • Types of grafts for roses
   • General grafting hints
   • Propagating aids - greenhouses, mist systems, containers
4. Hybrid Teas and Floribundas
   • Introduction
   • Review of cultivars
   • Roses by colour
5. Old world, species and lesser known varieties.
   • Old roses
   • Sempervirens (wild rose)
   • Wichuriana
   • Gallica
   • Damask
   • Moss
   • Alba
   • Centifolia
   • China
6. Climbers, Miniatures, Standards and Weepers
   • Climbers and ramblers
   • Miniatures
   • Standards and weepers
   • Pruning different forms
7. Making the Best Use of these Plants
   • Designing rose gardens
   • Choice of rose - colour, type, garden style, maintenance
   • Roses in a cottage garden
   • Principles and elements of garden design
   • Characteristics of garden styles - formal, informal, natural
   • Using roses
   • Rose crafts and recipes -drying roses, roser perfume, rose recipes, rose water, rose tea tonic, rosehip syrup, rose vinegar
8. Growing a Commercial Rose Crop
   • Greenhouse roses
   • Components of a greenhouse facility
   • Types of greenhouse
   • Control of environment
   • Measuring environmental factors - light, growing media, temperature, air
   • Carbon dioxide enrichment
   • Problems with greenhouses
   • Heating and ventilation
   • Hydroponic rose culture
   • Electrical conductivity
   • Planting roses
   • Container growing
   • Preventing moss and algae
   • Potting up

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Distinguish between characteristic plant features in order to identify different types of roses.
• Determine cultural practices for growing roses in different situations.
• Perform all operations associated with pruning roses.
• Distinguish between the culture of different types of roses, including hybrid teas, floribundas and species rose groups.
• Plan the establishment of a rose garden.
• Plan the production of a commercial rose crop.

What You Will Do

• Distinguish between the morphology of different groups of roses.
• Compile a resource collection of thirty contacts to assist with identification of roses.
• Prepare a collection of 32 photographs or illustrations of rose varieties.
• Determine how to grow roses in your locality, detailing:
  • soil preparation
  • planting
  • fertilising
  • staking
  • watering in
• Describe how to propagate roses, using various techniques including:
  • Grafting
  • Budding
  • Layering
  • Seed
• Identify the pests and diseases afflicting rose plants.
• Differentiate between the culture and use in the garden of different types of roses, including:
  • climbers
  • miniatures
  • standards
  • bush roses
• Differentiate between the culture of roses in a greenhouse, and in the open ground.
• Distinguish between the pruning of climbing, ramblers, bush, miniature and standard roses,
• Compare the culture and application of Hybrid Teas, Floribundas and Polyanthas in a garden or nursery visited by you.
• Determine appropriate rose varieties to be included in a proposed rose garden, in accordance with given specifications.
• Prepare a plan for a rose garden including:
  • Scale drawings
  • Plant lists
  • A materials list
  • Cost estimates.
• Develop criteria for selecting rose varieties to grow as a commercial crop, for a specified purpose.
• Evaluate rose flowers offered for sale.
• Determine factors which are critical to the production of various rose products, such as:
  • Cut flower roses
  • Rose hip syrup
  • Rose oil
  • Dried rose petals
  • Nursery stock roses.

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

Bush Roses
Hybrid Tea roses are the most widely grown group of roses. Flower stems are long and the blooms are usually on single stems or with several side buds. The flowers are very shapely, of medium sized or larger with many petals forming a central cone. They flower from late spring to autumn and make excellent cut flowers.
 
Floribunda roses are said to be more colourful then hybrid teas. Their flowering is more profuse and they tolerate wet weather better, and are unrivalled for providing a colourful bedding  display. The floribunda bears its flowers in clusters or trusses and several blooms open at one time in each cluster. It can be grown as a bush or as a standard rose and flower continuously from late spring to late autumn.

Standard Roses
Standard roses are either hybrid tea or floribunda roses grafted on to a tall root stock to give the appearance of a long stem with an abundance of carefully pruned branches. It is a miniature stylized tree with bright blooms. The standard rose gives the garden a formal appearance so is very useful for formal shaped beds.

 
Miniature Roses
Miniature roses have increased in popularity in recent times, as they can be used as a border plant for such things as a rose garden containing larger roses e.g. bush or standard types, or for a perennial bed. They are great tub plants and can be taken inside while in flower. The miniatures have small leaves and a profusion of small bright flowers. Their full flush of flowers is during summer and autumn but they will flower all through the year in warmer districts. Pruning should be kept to a minimum, only shaping is required.
Miniatures can also be grafted on to a long stem to produce a standard with a rounded top.

Climbers and Ramblers
Climber and ramblers are a group of roses that require support and training.
Ramblers have long pliable stems that bear large clusters of small flowers. Their growth is often very vigorous but they provide a mass of colour in summer. Miniature climbers are also available. These will climb to a height of 1 to 1.5 metres when trained on a trellis or they can be used as ground covers. They are also useful as hanging basket plants.

 
Patio Roses
These are a relatively new group of roses that can be used in cottage gardens as potted plants or as a rose garden edge. They are compact low growing and grow to a height of no more than about 50cm. They differ from miniatures, as the foliage and flowers are larger. Some patio roses that may suit the home gardener are 'Cosette', 'Poker Chip', 'Frilly Dilly', 'Marlene', and 'Pinkie'.

Ground Cover Roses
Ground cover roses are a new group of roses that are becoming very popular.
Many are miniature climbing roses that are vigorous and will trail. They are low growing and will spread to approximately 2 3 metres in width, flowers are small but prolific and produce a very showy display when grown in rockeries, over banks, or at the base of shrub roses. These roses also make very good hanging basket or tub plants.

Shrub Roses
This group of roses that are neither hybrid tea or floribunda but are old fashioned or species roses. They are commonly misunderstood roses and are often accused of only flowering once or of being very large growers. This is not always the case as many have repeated flowering and most grow to the same height as floribundas. Many of these shrub roses will thrive in conditions that are unsuitable to hybrid teas or floribundas.

                             
Roses of old for today
Old time rose greats still readily find a place in today’s garden. One of the most popular is the yellow banksia rose. It is a rose that can ramble over a trellis or an unsightly object, and you can be assured that it will flower profusely. For the white garden enthusiast a white form of this rose is available. Other popular old roses are 'Felicitite et Perpetue', 'Fortunes Yellow', Devoniensis', 'Gloire de Dijon' and the moss, cabbage and China roses.

The Cabbage roses were developed in the 16th century and the beauty of this type of rose was often captured by artists. The cabbage rose has open growth with large and small thorns, the leaves are large and rounded, the flowers are as the name suggests globular or cabbage like in a range of pinks and whites. Examples are Rosa bullata, Rosa centifolia and La Noblesse.

The Moss roses are offspring of Rosa centifolia and have moss like sticky hairs over the buds and stems. Examples of moss roses are 'Henri Martin' and 'Chapeau de Napoleon'.

China roses were the start of the development of modern day roses, as these roses were perpetual flowering and were bright and showy. Through breeding with the old roses the Bourbons rose and hybrid Perpetuals became available which gave gardens brightly coloured roses of yellows, oranges, flame apricot and cream. 'La France' is said to be the first hybrid tea rose.

Restoring old roses

Begin to restore your old roses by removing the old dead wood and the crossing branches. Feed the roses with a complete fertilizer and ensure that each rose has adequate air movement around it. Wait a season to see whether the rose is showing signs of improvement and if the blooms are worthwhile.

Once the initial steps have been taken then a normal maintenance program for your roses can be commenced including: winter pruning, mulching, regular watering, and pest and disease control.

Who is this Course For?

•   Horticulturists, Gardeners, Cut Flower Growers, Landscapers, Nurserymen, Botanists, Plant Enthusiasts
  
•   Interior plantscapers, or anyone working in supply and maintenance of indoor plants
  
•   Keen amateurs with a passion for roses
  
  

Becoming an "expert" with any type of plant will always be a big advantage for anyone who works in horticulture.
Give your career or business a boost and learn more about roses and rose growing.