Today’s Garden Ideas

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The rose name “Love” is a two-toned elegant bloom with red and white petals. You can’t help but to fall in love with this beauty. As the blooms open the reveal their silver-white color. The roses measure about 3 -4 inches across. The Love rose grows in bush form and flowers all summer.

Like other Grandiflora Roses ‘Love’ grows taller than most rose bushes. The roses grow 3 to 6 flowers per stem in a cluster format. Due to its size it is best to use the ‘Love’ Rose as background for a garden.

Planting Locations

Grandiflora Roses are appropriate for many locations in your yard. This ‘Love’ rose does well in a container and adds an elegant touch to your entryway. Placed in a sunny location in your garden, these roses will add a splash of bright color and provide a good source as cutting flowers. Grown up against a white picket fence these red roses will provide great color contrast and a cozy sense of home.

Planting Buddies

There are many plants that will work very well with this rose. Try planting silver plants at its base. For example, Dusty Miller, with its silver gray foliage looks outstanding against the ‘Love’ Rose. Because Dusty Miller is drought tolerant it will not compete with this rose for water. If you wish to block out the lower bushy growth of this rose try placing an evergreen hedge like Boxwood in front of the roses. To accent the ‘Love’ rose’s white color try planting a large amount of white flowers at the base of the rose shrub. Geraniums or Begonias work very well. For a more subtle design you can also try planting white alyssum around the ‘Love’ Rose shrub.

Purchasing & Planting
When purchasing a rose plant buy bareroot rose plants in early spring. Examine these Grandiflora roses carefully and be sure only to purchase healthy looking plants. You can also take a cutting from a disease free plant in the late spring. Be sure not to purchase any roses with brown, brittle, or dry branches. Also be sure the canes do not have and signs of spots or fungus.

Start your cutting plant in a pot. Mix half peat moss and half perlite. Water this soil mixture and fill a 6-inch pot with this peat and perlite. Cut a healthy, firm stem from the rose about 5 inches long. Be sure to cut just above a node. Take the bottom leaves off the cutting but be sure to leave the top 2 sets of leaves on the rose. Dip the base of the rose cutting in hormone rooting powder. Poke a hole in the potting mixture with a pen, pencil or straw and plant the cutting in the hole. Cover the planted cutting with a clear plastic bag and place in a warm shady area. Take off the bag in about 6 weeks and then plant the rose outside in the spring. When you plant the cutting include compost and rose fertilizer.

Plant Care tips

The ‘Love’ rose needs full sun for at least 6 hours a day. To bring out the rose’s full color shade the rose from the midday sun. Be sure to feed the ‘Love’ rose with plenty of nutrients and maintain proper drainage. It is best to plant these roses away from trees so the tree roots will not compete with the roots of this Grandiflora Rose. Once the ‘Love’ Rose has established itself in your garden feed it with a balanced rose food.

Seasonal Care

For year round care begin in fall. Place about 6 inches of compost on the area where you plan to plant your roses in spring or where you roses are already growing. Work the compost into the soil thoroughly. Prune the existing roses by 1/3rd.

In early spring purchase your bareroot ‘Love’ Roses and plant them. Wait until late spring to take cuttings from existing ‘Love’ Rose plants. For ‘Love’ roses that are already established fertilize once the leaves uncurl.

In summer fertilize after the first blooms. To keep these Grandiflora Roses blooming throughout the summer deadhead the faded roses regularly. Keep an eye out for aphids, as they can be a problem for ‘Love’ Roses. Aphids can be washed off with water or try an insecticidal soap.

Quick Facts

This velvety red and silver rose will spread out about 2-3 feet and grow to a height of 4-6 feet. It is a fragrant rose that blooms all summer and does well as a cutting source. Very disease resistant, this rose loves full sun with some midday shade if possible. The ‘Love’ rose does best in zones 3-8 and in fertile, well-drained soil. This beauty has been appropriately named. It is easy to fall in love with the ‘Love’ Rose.