Basic Rose Primer for the Desert and Some Recommended Varieties

Q. Please advise me on how to trim roses properly. Also if you have any other suggestions regarding growing roses.

Yes, these roses are growing in southern Nevada

A. That's a whole treatise in itself. The basics of rose growing are the following. Fertilize in January with a good rose fertilizer or flower fertilizer plus iron.

 

Follow it up with fertilizer applications about every 8 weeks, avoiding the hot summer months. Use compost applied to the soil around roses and make sure it is watered in well. Use wood mulch around roses to a depth of three to four inches.

Water as you would any other nondesert shrub. Enough water should be applied each time to wet the soil to a depth of 18 inches. Use at least two emitters if using drip irrigation.

Remove old roses from the bushes as the flowers are spent. Prune roses in late January after the worst of the winter is over.

Here are some great roses to plant in our hot desert climate from Weeks Roses.

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