Garden Roses

Garden roses have alway been a favorite, and I’ve fallen even more in love with these beauties after growing them in my own garden. With their old-fashioned cup shape and ruffled layers of delicate petals, garden roses standout in bouquets as well as backyard gardens.

Sometimes garden roses are grown by amateurs like me, but often they are grown by specially trained rose farmers on well curated farms. For me, it has been a whole new discovery, proving to be a truly worthwhile endeavor.

Roses climbing up an old wall in Provence

photo credit: grace rose farm

I was introduced to garden roses early on in the floral industry. When I noticed a few of my flower friends using them for their wedding work, I was captivated. I immediately wanted to try them myself but was nervous, in fear they would fall apart while designing a bridal bouquet. But low and behold, I made the jump and incorporated them into a few of my designs and have never looked back.

Garden roses add something special to a bouquet that you cannot achieve with a cultivated rose. Of course, I love any rose species which I can get my hands on, but garden roses add a touch of romance that can’t be compared. They are what flower dreams are made of.

photo credit: Abby Matses

photo credit: Michelle Henrick

Grace Rose Farm

One of the websites I admire and learn so much from is Grace Rose Farm. You’ll find a lovely story on their site about how this rose farm began as Gracie, an avid gardener, had an idea to plant rose bushes in honor of her grandma Grace. She planted over 500 roses and started sharing her blooms on Instagram and her blog. Floral designers like me found her roses and asked if she would ship her beautiful roses to use in our designs. She now ships hundreds of roses from her farm in California, all across the country. Her blog is amazing as well, with lots of helpful hints about growing different types of roses.
www.gracerosefarm.com

Rose Story Farm

Rose Story Farm started in 1998 by rose lover Danielle Hahn. Today they grow up to 30,000 bushes of more than 120 varieties of organically grown roses on their Montecito farm on the California coast. This sustainable farm operates the “old-fashioned way,” using organic materials, where they cut, clean, bunch and ship their roses by hand.

www.rosestoryfarm.com

photo credit: grace rose farm

photo credit: grace rose farm

David Austin roses

If you’re looking to buy roses to grow, look no further than David Austin roses. Based and originated in England where one only thinks of garden roses with the mention of their name, they are renowned across the world for their collection of hard to find garden roses. Visit their website and you will get lost in the pages of varieties. Once you narrow your choices, they will ship the bare root roses to you in the early spring with excellent tutorials on how to plant. Every year I add to my growing collection of roses from their extensive and helpful site.
www.davidaustinroses.com

Nantucket roses over a picket fence

Le Parc de Bagatelle Rose Garden in Paris

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”

— William Shakespeare

Did you know that the more fragrant the rose, the less time we have with them in a vase? If you are lucky enough to have a bouquet of cut garden roses, take care to enjoy them while they last. Garden roses will typically last 3 to 5 days if you recut and change the water.

Tips and tricks

Since growing them in my own garden, it has been a joy to learn from other seasoned rose growers and study the techniques of how to grow the perfect rose. A few of my garden friends have spoken about adding alfalfa pellets and epsom salt.

One tip I received which I have fully adopted is spraying the leaves (early morning) with our Neptune’s Harvest Organic Seaweed Fertilizer. I make a simple solution of fertilizer and water, and spray the leaves of each rose bush. I have noticed that the pesky beetles who usually like to munch on my roses stay at bay.

photo credit: Abby Matses

For those that wish to add these beauties to their own garden, stay tuned for more tips on garden roses coming soon…

I know that some of you would like to try growing roses in your garden, or maybe already do. Either way, I’d love to know what you have planned for your garden as well as any tips you’d like to share. If you would like to share your thoughts, please do so in the comments below.

Happy gardening!

XOXO,
Sandra