Q. I have never had roses and I am a novice gardener. What roses would you suggest for my area that would be easy to care for? When would you plant them and what would you plant with them, if anything? We have a wire fence in semi-shade that I would like to have roses next to if possible. We also have areas with full sun.
--Sagle, ID
A. Roses love sunshine, and they also prefer to be the star attraction, growing without competition away from other plants. Choose the sunniest site you can find, spread a four-inch layer of aged compost or other organic matter over the soil, and dig in to a depth of 12 inches. For bare-root roses, dig each hole 15 to 18 inches deep, form a soil cone in the bottom of the hole and drape the roots over the mound of soil. Add soil around the roots, tamping down gently to eliminate any air pockets. When the hole is almost full, fill with water and allow it to soak in. Then fill the rest of the hole with soil.
Place roses three to four feet apart if you're planting several. When choosing roses, try to find those that are disease-resistant, and you'll have fewer problems with them. Hybrid tea roses are probably the most popular, and there are a rainbow of colors to choose from. Topping the list of really hardy hybrid teas are 'Applejack', 'Champlain', 'Morden Amorette', 'Chicago Peace', 'Fragrant Cloud', 'Olympiad', 'Mr. Lincoln', 'Summer Dream' and 'Tropicana'.
