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Care of Pavement Rose Bushes

Flowering Begonia Plant in a backyard garden

For a low, fragrant hedge that blooms all summer long, consider Pavement roses (Rosa rugosa 'Pavement' spp.). These flowers come in hues of red, pink, white and purple. Pavement roses have good disease resistance and need minimal care once established. These shrub roses bear rose hips, which can be harvested for tea and add visual interest to your rose bush. Pavement roses are suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8, per Rose Magazine.

Select a site that offers full sun and room to spread. Over time, a Pavement rose shrub may grow 4 feet tall by 4 feet wide.

  • For a low, fragrant hedge that blooms all summer long, consider Pavement roses (Rosa rugosa 'Pavement' spp.).
  • These shrub roses bear rose hips, which can be harvested for tea and add visual interest to your rose bush.

Dig a hole that's twice as wide as the plant's root ball and just as deep as the root ball. Remove rocks, weeds and roots from the hole.

Pull your Pavement rose from its container. Break apart the root ball and unwind tangled roots, since roses can choke after planting if the roots are tangled. Place the rose bush in the hole so it sits at the same depth in the ground as it did in the container.

Backfill the hole with the soil to plant the Pavement rose.

Water until the ground becomes saturated and the soil compresses around the plant. After this, water the rose bush with 1 inch of water per week unless you receive adequate rainfall that week. Water the base of the shrub directly; avoid wetting the foliage.

  • Dig a hole that's twice as wide as the plant's root ball and just as deep as the root ball.
  • Break apart the root ball and unwind tangled roots, since roses can choke after planting if the roots are tangled.

Mulch the soil with a 2-inch layer of wood chips; this helps keep the soil moist.

Fertilize Pavement roses three times a year with 1/2 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer. Apply fertilizer in early spring, then in May and again in July. Avoid fertilizing after August 1, since this creates new growth that could be damaged by winter frost. Scatter fertilizer on the ground at the base of the shrub, then water the roses to disperse the nutrients through the soil.

Prune Pavement roses each spring. Remove dead or damaged canes and up to a third of the old canes to rejuvenate the plant and train its shape. Use your discretion to maintain the shrub's form.

  • Mulch the soil with a 2-inch layer of wood chips; this helps keep the soil moist.
  • Remove dead or damaged canes and up to a third of the old canes to rejuvenate the plant and train its shape.

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