Planting and Caring for Ground Cover Roses

Ground cover roses offer the most elegant way to cover a specific area. These crawling, ground covering roses are actual small roses that were introduced as an offshoot of shrub roses. The roses cover the ground, taking over dirt areas to give a great look to any yard or garden. While they require a little more work than grass to plant and to start up, they will be worth it in the end. Understanding how to plant and care for ground cover roses is crucial. Without this information, you could be making a wrong plant purchase, or could ruin the plant purchase you have already made.

What You'll Need

• Spade
• Ground Cover Plant (or seed)
• Fertilizer
• Water Supply
• Plant Insect Spray

Plan your Place
The important first step in caring for your ground cover roses revolves around putting them in the right spot. Some ground cover roses like full sun. Others like partial sun. Find the best spot on your yard that has great drainage (so the plant does not drown) and great sunlight.

Dig the Area
Next, dig the exact area that you want the plant to go. If you have a starter plant, you will need to use a spade to clear the area. If you are starting off with something small, you need to simply plant what you are given. When digging the exact area, remember: the plant will grow up to 3 feet tall, and up to 4 feet wide.

Add Fertilizer
Adding fertilizer both below and above the plant is going to give you the growing power that you need to actually cover the ground. You do not need a lot; with ground cover roses, a little fertilizer is going to go a long way.

Water
As with any plant, watering is key. The ground cover rose is going to need to get an adequate amount of water so that it can actually cover the ground. Be careful to not drown the plant, but be sure to water it often. This will allow you to have a healthy, blossoming ground cover rose plant in the future.

Fertilize Regularly
Fertilizing the plant regularly is a great way to have a large ground covering plant. The fertilizer will be sure to give the plant what it needs to grow as large as possible. Replenishing the fertilizer on a somewhat regular basis will give you the growth and ground cover that you are looking for.

Keep Insects Away
Insects are always the enemy to plants. Because of the size (both height and width wise) of ground cover roses, you will want to use an insect spray. The plant has a large surface area for plants to attack. This spray will help to keep them off of the plant and keep your ground cover roses healthy.