There are so many things that can be stated about setting up a rose garden that it must be challenging to know where to begin. The best place to start is to think about the end result. What do you need to see when you are finished creating your rose garden?

One of many common mistakes made is to design out the rose garden plan on paper and not even think towards the actual spot of the rose garden. Therefore, I like to recommend that

Step 1 is to sit in your favorite spot on your deck and look around. Where do your eyes need to see your rose garden?

Step 2 is to determine if that area will get enough sun. Roses require full sunshine (or near 100 % sunshine). A balance in between spot and full sunshine will need to be arranged.

Step 3 is to prepare the potting soil. Humus and fertilizer will greatly boost the quality of your soil. Add a bushel of humus per 12 sq ft and a half-bushel of fertilizer per 12 sq . ft .. If you make a 16 sq . ft . rose bed (as in the above example of a 4×4 or 2×8 foot bed) you’ll be able to increase the humus by a third and the fertilizer by a third.

Once, you’ve found the perfect spot. So now you must decide how big the rose garden shall be. A typical mistake to avoid is building the bed too long or too wide. The right measure to use is whether you are able to reach the roses to care for them or pick them without walking in the bed.

It isn’t that simple. You also need to take into consideration the length of the rose bush. E . g ., hybrid teas and floribundas need around 4 sq . ft . per bush. Which means each bush requires a space that is about 2 feet wide on both sides. If you make your rose bed 4 feet wide and 4 feet long, you might have 4 rose bushes on it and also tend to each one without any stepping into the bed. Otherwise you could have it 2 feet wide by 8 feet long.

Verify the measurement that your selected roses are expected to grow and prepare your rose bed the appropriate size to accommodate the size of the bushes you are planting.

That’s all you’ve got to do to have a beautiful rose bed: select a location, make sure it is sunny, don’t crowd the roses, and feed the soil before planting.

Want to find out more about roses, then visit Bill Jameson’s site on how to choose the best Rose Garden for your needs.. Free reprint available from: How to Build Rose Garden.