Step 4: Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Links to Questions

About planting roses:

About this site:

What is the best food to use for feeding my roses?

Many people use Miracle Gro for their roses. I believe they have a specific rose formula. As for how often the roses should be fed, as a rule of thumb, feed your roses about 3 times during the growing season with a well-balanced rose food. Most people tend to feed too much too often.

What are other things I can add to the soil to improve the conditions of my roses?

When planting, it is a good idea to add a half-handfull of bonemeal along with the compost-rich soil. Ash from a bonfire is recommended every few weeks as it has potash which is very good for the health of the roses. Also you should add lime if your soil is naturally too acidic.

What is the best way to control pests and diseases?

Most pests and diseases can now be controlled by using a spray that combines many different chemicals for fighting many different types of pests and diseases. These are commonly known as "cocktail" sprays. One example of this is called "Multirose", which is both contact (meaning it helps prevent on the surfaces of the plant) and systematic (meaning it goes into the roots to help from within the plant). It is a combined insecitice and fungicide and includes a foliar feed.

It is recommended that you spray at the first signs of disease or pest infestation. Do not wait until it is too late!

My roses are so pretty! What's the best way to photograph them?

When you shoot roses in your garden, it's recommended that you use a tripod so that you are able to take advantage of using slower shutter speeds. Recommended shutter speeds are normally 1/15 sec or 1/30 sec if there is a strong wind. Today many digital cameras offer the convinence of deleting photographs that don't work. I recommend that you use a digital camera with adjustable shutter speeds and have a suitable memory card so that if your batteries die, you would not lose your pictures.

It is recommended also to take the pictures in full sun for the best light. Noon is a good time because that is when the sun is highest in the sky and therefore is unlikely to cause a glare from in front or shadows from behind.

Are you paid by Edmund's Roses to advertise their site?

No, I just found their website and thought they looked like a good place to order from. I hope to order from them later this winter so I can have some roses of my own. All the other information from this website is researched from gardening books for the best accuracy possible.

What books did you get your information from?

Well first, there's the book "Roses" by Roger Pillips and Martyn Rix and then there was "Gardening with Roses " by Patrick Taylor.

Why did you build this site?

Mainly this site was a project for my CIS 152 Web Design class at Parkland College. Why I chose this particular topic, was because designing and having a rose garden of my very own is something I've always wanted to do. I hope to actually do all of this myself when I have the space to do so. Roses are a passion of mine.

How did you make this site?

The images for the background were created by me. The code for the layout was put togeather with Dreamweaver 8 using techniques that I learned in my class. All the color-schemes and layouts were created using Cascading Style Sheets (.css files). The color-scheme selector is a javascript tool created by Jason Elliot Benda and was modified and used with permission.

How can I contact you so I can leave a comment on this site?

You can contact me via email at jsage@stu.parkland.edu