Growing Roses in the Mid-South

Growing roses in the Chattanooga Tennessee area may be challenging, but it shouldn’t be a constant battle.  Select and plant the varieties of roses that are known to flourish in our high heat and humidity, and you are well on your way to a healthy, perfume-scented garden. 

     Roses come in all colors, sizes, and shapes, so there should be no problem in finding one that will match your specific needs and preferences. Below are tips to help you:

• Select a planting site that receives at least 6 hours of sun. Plenty of space creates good air circulation.

• Roses like slightly acid soil with a 6 to 6.8 PH.

• Dig a hole twice the diameter of the root ball.  Water immediately after planting.

• Plant roses in a well-tilled area that is mixed with added organic matter (composted cow or horse manure), peat moss, decayed leaves, and Milorganite fertilizer.

• Water your roses with at least 1 inch of water each week.  Additionally, newly planted roses will require extra watering during the first year until established.  Early morning drip irrigation watering is preferred.

• When watering water at the soil, and make certain to avoid wetting the foliage and blooms.

• Inspect your roses regularly for disease, damage, and insects.  Pest control and disease control is a requirement for all roses.

• Roses like lots of food.  When blooming, fertilize weekly.  Ooltewah Nursery recommends: BioAdvanced All-in-One, Espoma Rose Tone, or Fish Emulsion with Kelp.

KAT TIPS FOR SUCCESS WITH ROSES

1.     Plant lavender at the base of your rose bushes.  The lavender scent helps repel deer and chipmunks.

2.     Save your coffee grounds and used tea leaves to spread around your rose bushes.  Both acidify the soil slightly, which roses love.

3.     Chop up your leftover banana peels which provide potassium and calcium.  Spread around roses working into the top layer of soil.

4.     Add 2 Tablespoons of Epsom Salt (Magnesium) to 1 gallon warm water monthly or scratch in 2 Tablespoons of Epsom Salt into the soil around your rose bush.  This helps make stems stronger and flower colors more vibrant.

Some rose varieties that grow well in our area:  Cinco de Mayo, Souvenir de la Malmaison’, Queen Elizabeth, Belinda’s Dream, Yellow Lady Banks, Iceberg, Ebb Tide, and Sunbelt South Africa.

INSIDER TIP:

Each year Ooltewah Nursery grows hundreds of roses! These include a wide variety of roses that have become quite hard to find locally, such as climbing roses, fragrant roses, Floribundas, Grandifloras, and Hybrid Tea roses. As you can imagine, the annual release of these roses for sale to the public is an eagerly awaited event! This only happens one time each year, and when they are gone...they are gone. The new roses for the year will be leased sometime in March, but the actual date varies from year to year. This "Day of the Roses" has become a special event! People arrive at the nursery property before we open and begin waiting in line for the doors to open with their wishlist in hand and their buggies ready to go! The list of our roses for the year is released in advance to our email list so that you can have time to research and plan your wishlist! Our email list is the best way to stay informed...