The rose is one of the best known and most loved flowers in the world. Its many colors, shapes and sizes add variety to any landscape. No other flower produces the quantity and quqlity of blooms year in and year out. The rose recently became the national flower. Worldwide, there are more than 200 species and thousands of cultivated varieties of roses.
Roses are among the hardiest of all plants.
Roses need morning sun, afternoon shade and at least six hours of full sunlight each day to produce abundantly and reach their peak quality. This publication discusses rose selection, soil preparation and planting, and the monthly care for growing in the desert. In the desert Southwest, gardeners can plant container roses anytime except during the heat of summer. Bare root roses are planted from December to mid-February. Planting bare root roses after mid-February has proved unsuccesful.