Photo: John Kennedy Rose

Janice, growing roses is not really difficult.

-- Prune properly in the early spring.
-- A handful of epson salt early spring.
-- Fertilize every two weeks.
-- Spray for insects and disease every two weeks (I'm about a week behind on each of these last two items)
-- Dead head appropriately.

During aphid season, it's a good idea to hose off the plants regularly.

During japanese beetle season, it's a good idea to spray insecticide on each bud every night.

Now, all of these items do add up to a little more expense and time than growing many other flowers, but the effort is worth it.

The only other thing that makes a difference is knowing something about the variety of roses.

Going onto the American Rose Society site and looking at past ARS winners will give you some ideas of varieties worth trying.

My favorites are Mr. Lincoln, Opening Night, Betty Boop, Queen Elizabeth, Honey Dijon, Hot Coco and Barbara Streisand.

The John Kennedy produces wonderful white blooms, but it's not among my favorite because, so far, it hasn't been much of a producer for me.