How to Grow Roses in a Cottage Garden

Planning, Selection and Soil Preparation

• 1

  Select the site for your cottage garden and develop a planting plan using graph paper. English cottage garden roses, like most roses, need about 6-8 hours of direct sun each day so make sure you don't plant your roses near walls, overhangs, or any other structure that would block the sun. They also prefer protected areas; avoid windy and drafty planting locations.

  Large bushy English roses often provide much of the bulk greenery in a cottage garden. Give your cottage garden roses sufficient room in your planting plan if you want to use larger varieties for this purpose.

• 2

  The varieties of roses usually featured in cottage gardens are traditional English roses, or new roses developed in the style of older roses, such as the David Austin line of English roses. Most of the older varieties only bloom once in spring. The newer roses have a longer blooming season, or will repeat bloom later in the season.

  Antique roses from your local area are another good choice for your cottage garden. Many antique roses are the same varieties as the English roses so they give your garden the same look. They are a good choice because they generally need less care than newer rose varieties once they are established. Long blooming and repeat blooming antique roses can be purchased from nurseries that specialize in these roses.

• 3

  Roses do best in a slightly acidic soil. Use a soil test kit to judge the suitability of your garden for roses. A pH of 6.5 is ideal. Consider working some sulphur into your soil to increase its acidity if it has a pH over 7.0. If your soil has a pH under 5.5, add lime to decrease its natural acidity.

  If you have a clay soil or a sandy soil, work a generous amount of organic soil amendment into your plot before you plant your cottage garden roses. Use a ratio of about 1/3 organic material to 2/3 existing soil.

Planting and Plant Care

• 4

  Roses are best planted in late winter or early spring when they are beginning to come out of their winter dormancy, although you can plant them through the summer as well. Local nurseries usually have a large inventory of roses during the late winter and early spring.

  Whether you are transplanting a rose that has been in a gallon can, or are working with a bare root rose, make sure its roots have been well watered before setting it out in your cottage garden.
  Dig a hole about 15 inches deep and 18 inches across. If you are planting a bare root rose, form a little mound of dirt at the bottom of the hole and spread the roots out over the mound of dirt. After the hole is filled back up with dirt, the soil level should reach its original height on the trunk of the rose. If your plant has a knob where it has been grafted to rootstock, do not cover the knob with soil.

  Water your newly planted cottage garden rose well and spread a two to three inch layer of mulch around the base. Add more mulch each year as it decomposes.

• 5

  Apply a systemic rose care product as instructed. These products will both feed your cottage garden roses and protect them against diseases and pests. At the beginning of each year's growing season, watch for aphids on the new growth. Spray them with soapy water. The spray will both knock them off and suffocate them.

• 6

  There are a few different styles of pruning roses, from only removing a moderate amount of the older growth to radically cutting back the plant. Gardeners living in warmer climates tend to do less heavy pruning. Check with gardeners in your area to see what works best.