In creating a rose garden, you'll be following in the footsteps of many people, famous and otherwise, who have worked to make these gardens beautiful and memorable. Working with roses is of course just a subset of gardening with flowers in general, yet these particular flowers evoke something extra in the human psyche. So you'll want to take considerable thought for your design, whether you're hoping to create something casual yet controlled, or a garden that's more formal, with straight lines and strict symmetries.
You need to be aware of a few things before starting your rose garden, however. Since it will be created primarily from only one type of plant, any diseases, insects or other problems that affect only one rose bush will likely affect them all. However, some are more disease-resistant than others, so if you mix a few of those with the more delicate hybrid teas, you might lower the maintenance required. Also keep in mind that roses don't tend to look very attractive wrapped up in the winter, so you'll need to be content with enjoying the beauty of the garden in the warmer months.
You may, though, plant your rose garden with a hedge-like border consisting of miniature evergreens, so you'll still have some green during the winter. This works well with more formal gardens, where flower boxes and beds are arranged in symmetric, carefully defined patterns. A formal garden employs straight lines, frequently with gravel walkways between beds, occasionally with a rose garden pool placed in the center. Conversely, you may prefer a less formal layout with the roses collected together into one section. If so, you would organize them both by color and height, maybe with rose ground cover along the edges of the bed to conceal the bare earth.
In addition to all the types of roses you can choose from, there are many possible accessories for your rose garden as well. People often place a latticed arch along a path, so the roses can weave into and climb over it, and trellises are frequent elements in other places throughout these gardens. You might also set benches along pathways or in front of corner beds, and punctuate the paths with miniature roses in matching pots. With so many rose varieties and design patterns available, you can create a beautiful garden in whatever space you have.
As you create your rose garden, you should know that there are a lot of beautiful examples to follow. You will find websites and books loaded with photographs of beautiful gardens, whether they are the more formal, rigidly laid out gardens of noble families in England, or less formal layouts created in somebody's back yard. Even within a smaller setting, it is possible to go for some degree of formality. As you grow your first rose bushes and decide how to design your space, you'll find all kinds of alternatives open to you.
You need to be aware of a few things before starting your rose garden, however. Since it will be created primarily from only one type of plant, any diseases, insects or other problems that affect only one rose bush will likely affect them all. However, some are more disease-resistant than others, so if you mix a few of those with the more delicate hybrid teas, you might lower the maintenance required. Also keep in mind that roses don't tend to look very attractive wrapped up in the winter, so you'll need to be content with enjoying the beauty of the garden in the warmer months.
You may, though, plant your rose garden with a hedge-like border consisting of miniature evergreens, so you'll still have some green during the winter. This works well with more formal gardens, where flower boxes and beds are arranged in symmetric, carefully defined patterns. A formal garden employs straight lines, frequently with gravel walkways between beds, occasionally with a rose garden pool placed in the center. Conversely, you may prefer a less formal layout with the roses collected together into one section. If so, you would organize them both by color and height, maybe with rose ground cover along the edges of the bed to conceal the bare earth.
In addition to all the types of roses you can choose from, there are many possible accessories for your rose garden as well. People often place a latticed arch along a path, so the roses can weave into and climb over it, and trellises are frequent elements in other places throughout these gardens. You might also set benches along pathways or in front of corner beds, and punctuate the paths with miniature roses in matching pots. With so many rose varieties and design patterns available, you can create a beautiful garden in whatever space you have.
As you create your rose garden, you should know that there are a lot of beautiful examples to follow. You will find websites and books loaded with photographs of beautiful gardens, whether they are the more formal, rigidly laid out gardens of noble families in England, or less formal layouts created in somebody's back yard. Even within a smaller setting, it is possible to go for some degree of formality. As you grow your first rose bushes and decide how to design your space, you'll find all kinds of alternatives open to you.