Many people ask whether roses are hard to grow. The answer is, no.

Roses are really quite easy to grow and require little more care than any other perennial plant. You can learn all you need to know to grow beautiful, healthy roses in the new e-book "Gardening Made Easy," available from our site.

Here's an overview of the planting, care and maintenance of roses from the chapter on rose gardening in "Gardening Made Easy."

Planting Roses

Soil preparation for roses is extremely important because roses use a lot of nutrients. Preparing the soil bed for roses using 100% organic compost is a very good practice, not only for the nutrients that the compost provides, but also because compost will drain well and still retain plenty of moisture. While Roses require a well-drained planting bed, they also require plenty of water.

Maintaining Your Roses

Because roses bloom throughout the growing season, they are heavy nutrient users and will require regular fertilizing. Feed your roses in the spring when the leaves begin to bud out and again in late summer or early fall, depending on the part of the country you live in.

Dealing With Diseases That Effect Roses

Roses are susceptible to fungi and mildew, as well as insect infestation. Many of these diseases can be prevented and all of them can be controlled with regular applications of fungicides and insecticides.

There are also several beneficial insects that can be imported into your garden to help you control insect infestations without the use of chemicals.

Winterizing Your Roses

If you live in a warmer climate you will not need to do much in the way of preparing your roses for winter other than a good layer of mulch. In climates where temperatures regularly go below 25 degrees F, you will need to protect your roses with additional mulch.

Building cages around your roses and filling the cages with mulch after the first freeze will ensure that your roses make it through the winter to bloom again in the spring.

These simple and easy suggestions will help your roses renew their beauty for many seasons yet to come.