How to Grow the Perfect Rose Garden

There’s nothing quite like the timeless beauty and fragrance of a thriving rose garden. Here in Tallahassee, with our long growing season and warm climate, cultivating roses can be both rewarding and relatively easy—especially with the right varieties, products, and a bit of planning.

Choose the Right Roses

To create a stunning and manageable rose garden, consider mixing rose types for variety in shape, height, and bloom style. At Esposito’s, we carry an impressive assortment, including climbing, hybrid tea, grandiflora and tree form.

Climbing Roses

• Lady Banksia Rose (e.g., Peggy Martin, Don Juan, White Dawn): A thornless, vigorous climber that thrives in North Florida. Known for its profusion of tiny yellow or white blooms in spring.
  Mature Size: 15–20 ft tall and 6–10 ft wide.
  Pro tip: Plant near a trellis, arbor, or fence. Esposito’s has a wide variety of trellises perfect for showcasing your climbing roses.

Bush Roses

• Knock Out Roses: Extremely disease-resistant and bloom continuously from spring to frost.
  Mature Size: 3–4 ft tall and wide.(Insert Knockout pic)
• Drift Roses: A low-growing, spreading rose ideal for borders and containers.
  Mature Size: 1.5–2 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide.
• Hybrid Tea Roses (e.g., Julia Child, Peace, Tequila): These are classic, long-stemmed roses known for their large blooms and fragrance.
  Mature Size: 3–5 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide, depending on the variety.

Tree Roses

• Tree roses are grafted rose varieties trained to grow on a central trunk, giving the appearance of a small flowering tree. Available in Knock Out, Drift, and Hybrid Tea types.
  Mature Size: 3–6 ft tall, depending on the trunk height.

Soil Prep and Planting

Start your rose garden right with rich, well-draining soil. We recommend amending your soil with Michigan Peat, available at Esposito’s, to create the perfect base. Dig a hole twice as wide and just as deep as your rose’s container, then mix the native soil with peat and compost for optimal growth. Be sure to add Espoma Bio-Tone to the bottom of the hole to help establish roots.

Feeding for Blooms

For lush blooms and strong growth, feed your roses monthly with Espoma Rose-Tone, an organic, slow-release fertilizer that promotes vibrant color and healthy roots. Apply it around the base of your plants and water it in well.

Protecting Your Roses

In our humid Tallahassee climate, it’s important to keep an eye out for pests and disease. Prevent issues before they start by spraying Bonide’s Rose Shield once a week. It offers insect and disease control in one convenient product, helping you maintain your roses’ health all season long. For pest treatment, we recommend Bioadvanced All in One Rose & Flower Care.

Ongoing Care Tips

• Watering: Roses love consistent moisture but hate wet feet. Water deeply once or twice a week, early in the morning.
• Pruning: Lightly prune Knock Out and Drift roses throughout the season to encourage blooming. Prune Hybrid Teas in early spring, just as new growth appears.
• Mulching: Add mulch around the base of each plant to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. Keep mulch 1–2 inches away from the stems.

Whether you’re a new gardener or a seasoned rose enthusiast, Esposito’s has everything you need—from top-quality rose plants and soil amendments to stunning trellises and expert advice. Stop by and let us help you grow the rose garden of your dreams.