Just because you have giant oak trees in the front or the neighbour’s back garage creating an overcast in your backyard doesn’t mean you can’t have some nice greenery. If you’re struggling with growing a lawn in shade, try one of these alternatives instead.
Shade is a gardener’s worst enemy. More often than not, plants want full or partial sun. Even the word shade tolerant is misleading since the plants will not typically thrive in the shade…only tolerate it.
Over the years, I’ve battled many shady areas in my garden. I turned the front yard of my previous house into a shady haven, complete with many plants, a bench, and a fountain.
I’ve also constructed a stacked vertical garden bed to maximize the one sliver of full sun so that I could grow more vegetables.
In my new house, I’m battling some shady lawn areas myself. The key here is that I’m working with the shade, not against it. And you can, too!
In this post ahead…
My lawn struggling in the shade earlier this year.
Consider Lawn Alternatives
For anyone who is willing to listen, I’ve been gushing about wildflower lawns. I recently put one in the front yard at my house, and it’s been one of my best decisions ever.
I have some shady spots in my wildflower lawn, primarily along the fence where it blocked the sunlight from streaming in.
In those areas, I had about a third of the germination compared to sunnier spots.
This was a lot better than my backyard. In my backyard, I used a bee alternative lawn mix, and it didn’t grow one bit in the shade.
So the wildflowers get that leg up. I supplemented it with a shade lawn blend to help fill in those spaces, and it worked wonderfully.
Would you believe me if I told you I’ve NEVER watered my wildflower lawn?
Work With What You Have
I often tell people to work with what they have rather than against it. For many, shade is something they can’t control due to large trees or buildings.
While you may want a lawn, the space may just not be able to give you that. You could have a struggling lawn, or you could change it into something else that thrives in the shade and looks infinitely better than patchy grass.
I turned my front yard into a spring bulb lawn and wildflower lawn. Here, the wildflowers just started to germinate.
Try a Mossy Approach
One such way to change your mindset is to think of different ways to get a “green carpet” in your yard.
If you live in a climate where moss grows well, I highly recommend you work with the moss in your yard to give you some greenery.
Take some flat stone and lay them down, encouraging the moss to go around them. It will help with the drainage in the area, and keep the area green and beautiful year-round. Plus, the ground will be treadable.
This is the Nitobe Memorial Garden at UBC, where they have embraced the moss for a beautiful soft carpet look.
Shade Tolerant Ground Covers
There are many ground cover plants that will happily take over a lawn, even those in a shady area. Head to your garden centre and they should have a groundcover and a shade section for you to browse.
Here are a few shade-tolerant ground covers to keep an eye out for:
Creeping Jenny—Lysimachia nummularia
Corsican Mint—Mentha requienii
Redwood sorrel—Oxalis oregana
Creeping phlox—Phlox stolonifera
Golden Japanese Stonecrop—Sedum makinio ‘Ogon’
Kenilworth Ivy—Cymbalaria muralis
Alpine Geranium—Erodium
Sweet Woodruff—Galium odoratum
Japanese pachysandra—Pachysandra terminalis
Ostrich fern—Matteuccia struthiopteris
Creeping juniper—Juniperus horizontalis
Saxifraga ‘primuloides’
‘Georgia Blue’ Speedwell—Veronica umbrosa
Overall, think outside of the box. Once you let go of what you think a traditional lawn should look like, it opens up a whole world of landscaping possibilities. A shady lawn doesn’t have to be a patchy, dry landscape.
You can add all kinds of colours using groundcovers.
FAQ About Growing a Lawn in Shade
What is the best grass for shady areas?
Look specifically for shade blends. Some grasses are more shade tolerant than others, such as hard fescue and zoysia. Keep in mind that even with a shade blend, you can expect this area of your lawn to not be as full and dense as other areas.
What is the best month to put down grass seed?
The best time of year to plant grass seed is in the fall. You’ll want to do it a month or so ahead of the frost since the current conditions will encourage root growth rather than top growth. This will set you up with a strong lawn the following spring.
I planted my lawn in early spring, since we had a warmer than usual spring, and so I could rely on the rain and moisture ahead of the summer season.
What is the best grass for under trees?
Many trees will take up all the nutrients and moisture from the soil, as well as shading the area below. This means that most grass beneath these trees ends up short and thin.
For this reason, it’s better to plant something either than grass below the trees. Consider shade-tolerant ground covers or moss instead.
I planted spring bulbs under my oak trees at my rental house to help spruce up the patchy lawn.
Let me know what you end up trying for your shady lawn in the comments below!
Most of us remember to slather on sunscreen when we are exposed to the sun, but what about our lips? Yes, your lips can get sunburned! Thankfully, the solution is easy: make a batch of this DIY all-natural lip balm with SPF.
Before you head out in the sun, do you cover your skin with sunscreen? We all know the importance of taking care of our skin when it comes to the powerful rays.
But what about your lips? Applying sunscreen meant for your skin directly to your lips doesn’t taste very good. Plus, it dries out your lips and dulls the shine.
Instead, try this homemade sunscreen lip balm with SPF. It will protect your lips and make them kissably soft, and it’s made of all-natural ingredients!
Here’s what we’ll be covering today…
Should Lip Balm Have SPF?
Most of the lip balm recipes I make have some sun protection inherently in the oils and wax. Most days of the year I am confident that my lips are protected just by using these.
But in the hot summer months, when the UV levels are through the roof, I bring out the big guns: this sunscreen lip balm recipe.
Many ingredients in natural lip balm recipes provide a degree of SPF. Some oils, such as raspberry seed oil and olive oil, are said to add sun protection properties.
This recipe is based on a basic lip balm recipe, using soft oils like wheat germ, jojoba, and shea butter, each of which has SPF properties.
Many oils naturally have SPF in them.
Essential Oils in Sunscreen Lip Balm
It’s important to also note that there are ingredients that can accelerate the sun’s effects. Phototoxic essential oils typically run in the citrus family (lemon, lime, bitter orange, mandarin leaf, and grapefruit).
For this recipe, I’ve only used essential oils that are known to help with sun protection.
Sweet orange oil is generally considered not phototoxic, which is why it is included in this lip balm with SPF. Vanilla essential oil is also included, resulting in a lovely creamsicle flavour.
This lip balm recipe smells and tastes like a creamsicle.
How Much SPF is in This Lip Balm?
Making sunscreen or sun protection products at home is a solid way to add sun protection and one that I use for my fair, freckly (read: easily burned) skin.
Even so, I would not venture a guess as to what the SPF is of a homemade recipe. I can say that I have been using this recipe on my own lips for years and have not burned them once.
Plus, I can feel good about the ingredients that go into the recipe and on my skin. My general rule of thumb is to stay out of the sun when the UV is strongest and take steps to protect my skin (and lips) as naturally as possible.
As with all home recipes, test a bit on your skin and see how you react. Those with sensitivities, who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and for use on children should take caution and check with their health care professional.
Stay out of the sun during its peak afternoon hours, even with SPF on.
Sunscreen Lip Balm Recipe
This recipe makes six standard-sized tubes of lip balm with SPF. If you need more or less, you can adjust the recipe accordingly.
Ingredients
Materials
If you can’t get these tubes, you can also use small metal tins.
Measure all of the ingredients into a small double boiler or a Turkish coffee pot. I like to use the Turkish coffee pot because it has a pour spout. I can heat the oils up quickly and then pour them easily into the tubes.
Once the oils, waxes, and butter have all melted together, turn off the heat and add in the essential oils. Stir well with a small spatula.
When everything is thoroughly mixed, use the spout on the Turkish coffee pot to pour the lip balm into the tubes. Fill each tube to just above where the center screw is.
Let the lip balm cool, and then warm up the remaining mixture in the pot so that you can top off each one of the tubes. Filling the lip balm tubes in two steps ensures that you won’t have a large depressed area with a hole in the center of the lip balm. If this still happens, then you can always add a little bit more lip balm onto the top of the depressed area and use a lighter to melt it onto the rest of the lip balm. If this recipe is just for your own use (and you don’t really care what it looks like), then just fill up each one of the tubes the first time; it won’t affect the final product’s function or usefulness.
I left mine plain, but you can add a cute decorative label if you’re gifting some of these lip balms.
FAQ About SPF Lip Balm
Do you really need SPF lip balm?
Absolutely. The skin around your lips is very thin and contains little melanin (the pigment in our skin that naturally protects against the sun). This makes the skin on your lips very susceptible to sun damage and skin cancer.
How much SPF is enough for lip balm?
SPF 15-30 is usually all you need for a lip balm. While I can’t say the SPF of this lip balm specifically, I have never gotten a burn while wearing it.
How long does lip balm with SPF last?
The general rule of thumb is that you should reapply any kind of SPF every two hours, give our take depending on if you’ve been swimming or sweating, or in this case, eating or drinking.
More Ways to Stay Safe in the Sun
DIY Lip Balm with SPF
This all natural sunscreen lip balm is made with ingredients that you can feel good about.
Measure each ingredient, except the essential oils, and add them into the double boiler.
Melt together the ingredients over low heat.
Turn off the heat, then stir the essential oils in.
Once the lip balm ingredients are fully integrated, carefully pour the mixture into the empty lip balm tubes.
Allow them to harden, then apply to lips before sun exposure!
This insect bite roll-on is great to have on hand when you least expect to get attacked by mosquitoes, flies, or other annoying pests. By using essential oils for bug bites, you can get quick relief from that darn itch.
Some people have no reaction to mosquito bites, and others (like me) get huge, red welts that itch so badly that I want to jump out of my skin and hide!
It’s no fun at all when I get a bite, so I did some research to figure out WHY ME! Er, I mean, why do the bites itch so badly, and what on earth can I do to relieve it?
This roll-on remedy has become a lifesaver for me during the summer when I’m out gardening and camping. Using essential oils for bug bites is easy, and provides fast relief.
Here’s what we’ll be covering today…
I use a roller-ball to easily apply my essential oil mixture.
Why, Oh Why is a Mosquito Bite SO Itchy?
Mosquito and insect bites itch because our bodies have a histamine reaction to the insects’ saliva, a mini allergic reaction.
When your body detects bug spit, it quickly sends in histamine, an immune response that turns the site into a red bump. The bump is itchy, and when you scratch it, it gets even more inflamed and itchier.
My mother would always apply antihistamine cream to relieve the itch, but that tackles the immune response, rather than the irritant. Instead, it’s better to neutralize the saliva and let your body relax.
If you catch the bite right away, using this roll-on should help you to avoid even the initial bump, but if you found the bite from scratching and it’s already inflamed, then it could take a few applications and a bit longer.
Now, it is true that mosquitoes prefer some people to others. I’m living proof of that. Try camping with me. You will love it! All mosquitoes hunt me down and will leave you alone. Unless you are as tasty to them as I am, and in that case, you need this mosquito bite relief roll-on remedy, too!
Most bugs avoid strong smells like lavender.
What is the Best Essential Oil for Bug Bites?
Lavender and tea tree are some of my go-to essential oils for bug bites. In fact, they have many of the same beneficial properties for the skin.
The main and most helpful property of these essential for bug bites is their anti-inflammatory properties. We all know how quickly a bug bite flares up, creating a large and red bump. The pair of essential oils lessen the redness and immediate irritation after a bite.
Insect bites also have a habit of getting infected if you touch and itch them too much. Lavender works as an antifungal while tea tree is an antiseptic, both helping to prevent any nasty bacteria from growing.
Some bites can be painful, especially if you scratched too hard. Lavender and tea tree will soothe the bite, offering some pain-relieving and numbing effects. Lavender also promotes the healing of skin tissue, helping your bite to go away quickly.
Of course, tea tree and lavender are two very strong and distinct smells. You get a 2 for 1 with these essential oils, as they also act as an insect repellent. In fact, many commercial sprays include lavender and tea tree in their formulas. So when the bugs get you once, this roll-on may even help to avoid a secondary bite.
Note: never apply essential oils directly to the skin. Since they are concentrated versions of plant power, you always want to dilute them beforehand. In this case, I use witch hazel!
If you also love the smell of lavender, then you’ll enjoy the scent of this roll-on.
Witch Hazel
The base of this mosquito bite relief roll-on, witch hazel also has a ton of healing benefits. Primarily known as a wound-cleaner, witch hazel is a champion for the skin helping to soothe irritated skin, reduce inflammation, and prevent redness.
You can grow your own witch hazel in the garden, harvesting the bark to make a gentle astringent for the skin, and use in this recipe. If you are in need of an immediate fix, you can also easily grab a bottle of distilled witch hazel too.
Witch hazel is known for its healing skin properties.
Mosquito Bite Relief Roll-On Remedy
This remedy is super easy to make, and uses just a few key powerful essential oils for bug bites. Make a few of these ahead of time, keeping it handy when you’re out and about and needing some quick itching relief.
Ingredients and Materials
See the recipe card for full measurements.
Make it!
Pour the witch hazel into the roll-on bottle using a small funnel. Add the essential oils for bug bites and put the roll-on top back on the bottle. Shake well before using.
Shake well each time before you apply the roll-on to your skin.
How to Make Mosquito Bites Stop Itching
To use this roll-on for mosquito bite relief, apply it as soon as you see the mosquito on you or feel the bite starting to itch. Don’t scratch! Roll on a little of this insect bite relief right onto the bite and allow it to dry.
Again, don’t scratch! I know, easier said than done. But, the more you scratch the more inflamed it will be. If you can restrain yourself while the bug bite remedy works, you should feel better in about 15 minutes.
The other way I use this bug bite roll-on is when I’m outdoors on the grass and those annoying little flies are all over me. Maybe this just happens to me, and if so, you are lucky because it is the worst! The flies don’t bite but what feels like hundreds land on my skin and just sit there.
They always seem to land on me 10 to 20 at once (no exaggeration this time). My bug spray recipe is very effective at keeping them off, but if I happen to be out somewhere and only have my roll-on, it works just as well. I apply the roll-on in a zigzag pattern on my arms and legs and the flies fly away for good.
FAQ About Using Essential Oils for Bug Bites
Can you put eucalyptus oil on bug bites?
Eucalyptus oil is another great choice for this roll-on. It can fight inflammation and promote healing, and it also has a scent that we love, but bugs don’t.
Is it safe to put lavender essential oil directly on skin?
Never apply essential oils of any kind directly to the skin. They are powerful concentrations of plants, and can irritate or even burn your skin if applied directly. Instead, dilute them with a carrier oil or solution such as witch hazel or jojoba oil.
Does putting deodorant on bug bites work?
People will apply deodorant to their bug bites to relieve itching. Deodorant contains aluminum chloride, the main ingredient in stopping excessive sweating. This is said to help relieve the pain and swelling. Personally, I stick to this roll-on remedy as I rely on essential oils for my bug bites.
Does Vicks Vapor help bug bites?
Vapor rub has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce the pain and swelling from a mosquito bite. Since menthol is a key ingredient, it also cools the skin. It also contains eucalyptus, which, as I mentioned above, helps with mosquito bites.
Amazing, isn’t it? These essential oils for bug bites pack a ton of power into a small roll-on bottle. If you give it a try, let me know how it works for you in the comments down below.
More Ways to be Bite-Free and Happy
Mosquito Bite Relief Roll-On
After a bug makes a visit, roll on this natural remedy using essential oils for bug bites.
Use a small funnel to pour the pure witch hazel into the roll-on bottle.
Add in your drops of essential oil.
Screw the roll-on lid and give it a good shake before each use.
With unpredictable weather becoming more and more frequent, having effective water conservation and filtering systems in your garden is more important than ever. If you have downspouts in your garden that direct to the street or a drain, let me introduce you to rain gardens! This garden project allows you to disconnect downspouts from sewers and instead let the rainwater rightfully return to the earth.
While a rain garden sounds fancy, it’s really a low-maintenance system used to filter and release stormwater runoff. This keeps water local to the soil and creeks, just how nature intended it.
I live in a rainy climate where a lot of wonderful work is being done to study, build, and educate the public on rain gardens and why they’re so important. It takes some time for these rain gardens to fill in, but boy are they beautiful when they do!
There are many rain gardens in my area, the Pacific Northwest.
To check out some established rain gardens, I went on a walking tour with Deborah Jones from Cougar Creek Streamkeepers. They’re a wonderful group of volunteers dedicated to helping to restore and maintain the health of Cougar Creek, a salmon stream here in BC.
One of the major things they do is create rain gardens to help reduce stormwater drainage. You can check out the rain gardens I visited on this map (stops 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17). The McCloskey Elementary School especially had a beautiful one. You can see the school’s rain garden in the photos throughout this post, among the other stops.
This post will cover…
By the way, this is one of many projects featured in my latest book, The Regenerative Garden. Besides sustainable water drainage systems and gardens, I also cover plenty more ways you can create a natural and self-sustaining garden. Be sure to check it out if you’re ready to take your garden the extra mile towards sustainability.
What is a Rain Garden?
A rain garden is any type of landscape that takes, absorbs, and filters rainwater runoff. Usually, this runoff is directed from man-made surfaces such as pavement or roofs.
Without human interference, all rainwater would naturally soak into the ground. But the more buildings, streets, and other urban developments we create, the more land we cover. This means less and less ground area where rain can soak into the soil.
Our solution was to create water drainage systems like eavestroughs, storm drains, and ditches. This is known as urban runoff. These drainage systems direct water back into streams and rivers, but they become incredibly polluted. They carry litter, oil, fertilizer, gas, pesticides, and more.
Buried downspouts can direct rainwater directly into the garden.
A rain garden can help retain water where it naturally belongs and filter all that urban runoff. It will remove the pollutants that would have otherwise gone down the drain.
Beyond their functional duty, they also can be beautiful gardens that become a habitat for local wildlife and even provide some much-needed shade during the warm season.
McCloskey Elementary School rain garden
How Does a Rain Garden Work?
Home gutters sometimes direct into sewer systems, which route stormwater through the same treatment system as toilets, showers, and sinks. Not only is this treatment unnecessary, but it can also cause overflows of the sewer system that redirects into the nearest river, lake, or ocean. This leaves local soils and waterways devoid of the rainfall they need to stay healthy.
The basin of a rain garden is filled with plants that love moisture and can act as biofilters to purify the water. The upper swales have drought-tolerant plants that love to grow deep roots and access the available groundwater when they can.
The rain garden design can be as simple as attaching a gravel-filled trough to a downspout and building a garden bed around it to designing more elaborate rain gardens that become a haven for bird and insect species.
Rain gardens are also designed to be incredibly low maintenance.
Creating a Unique Rain Garden Design
Every rain garden will look different but there are some rules you will want to follow to get a functional design!
The garden is built as a swale: a recessed center about 4-8 inches with berms around the perimeter to hold water in. The center planting area should be level to prevent pooling. The garden is generally twice as wide as it is long, with the widest part at the lowest point of the slope.
Locate an area 5 to 15 feet away from buildings. At a minimum, the overflow drain should end 5 feet from structures without basements and 10 feet from structures with a basement height of 5 feet; add 2 additional feet for every foot deeper the basement is. Don’t locate a rain garden over underground utilities or large tree roots.
McCloskey Elementary School rain garden
The rain garden’s location should be slowed away from buildings to direct overflow out through spillways to other gardens rather than running back toward structures; however, the garden itself should have no more than a 5% grade overall (1-foot drop in 20 feet).
In rainy climates, the bottom inside of the garden should be 15% of the square footage of the runoff source. So, a 500-square foot root requires a 75 square foot garden base (500×0.15=75).
These measurements were provided by Seattle Public Utilities and King Country Wastewater Treatment Division’s RainWise Program.
Observe the garden after heavy rainfall to ensure the drainage is working correctly and not pooling.
How to Build a Rain Garden
Determine the garden’s location and extend the downspout to the highest point of the garden. Choose a location that can handle plenty of water saturation, away from septic systems, and away from plants, shrubs, or trees that don’t like their roots to stay wet.
Use a garden hose or sprinkle flour to outline the garden’s shape.
Dig the base 24 inches deep and use the soil to berm up the sides.
Fill the base with 12 inches of a rain garden soil mix (one-third compost and two-thirds garden soil). This leaves 12 inches of ponding depth (the space from the top of the base soil to ground level where water can collect during rainy periods).
At the lowest point of the garden edge, create an overflow area packed with rocks. This allows the overflow to be released without eroding the garden. The overflow should be directed to a street drain.
Plant the rain garden design with water-loving plants. Add optional spillways to other garden beds that the overflow can irrigate.
Native plants will have the best chance of survival in your rain garden.
Rain Garden Plants
Choose the right plants for your garden’s conditions. Suggested plants can be native plants or cultivated garden favourites that perform well in your unique microclimate. The best place to find the right plants for your garden is at your local garden nursery, which will carry both native and cultivated plants.
Plant the garden plants, mulch with 2 inches of compost and water well. Water the plants regularly to establish them in the first few years. Add more compost as mulch annually.
Often plants will move into the right position in the garden, like these drought-tolerant plants below that have replanted themselves to the basin of this area.
Over time, your rain garden will look like a natural, curated space.
FAQ About Rain Gardens
Where is the best place to put a rain garden?
Look for a high to low spot, where gravity can help with drainage. You want an area that can handle lots of water saturation.
Keep your rain garden away from large trees where their roots can take over, right next to buildings, and from septic systems. Also, consider the soil, as clay soil will require a larger rain garden to avoid pooling.
What is the best shape for a rain garden?
The best shape depends on your space, as you want to work with gravity rather than against it. Most rain gardens are designed to come from a downspout and move downward. People also design them alongside a driveway or ditch for a longer, more narrow design shape.
You want to maximize infiltration. Guide the water to meander or pool through the garden so that it filters before draining to an overflow drain.
Also ensure you’ve called your local authority and mapped out any utility lines on the property when designing your shape.
What is the best mulch for a rain garden?
Arborist woodchips are great for improving water absorption, as they prevent the soil from compacting. Regularly adding mulch will conserve the moisture in the ground and improve water retention and soil aeration.
Can I add rock to my rain garden?
Rocks won’t absorb any water, so you want to use them sparingly and as a final touch. Once you’ve made sure the soil is spongy and ready to absorb water, you can add rock for aesthetic purposes or to protect the soil from erosion in areas where there’s lots of water flow. Keep it a thin layer and don’t overdo it!
As you can see, creating a rain garden is fairly simple and can provide lasting benefits for years to come. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below!
If you ask someone to name a flower, chances are they’ll say a rose. One of the most sought-after and beautiful flowers to plant in the garden, growing a rose bush is practically a right of passage for a gardener. Read this guide to learn how to plant, care for, and use your rose bush. Soon enough, you’ll have your own rose garden!
I have a confession…I’m not a big fan of roses. Coming from a gal whose last name is literally ROSE, I’m sure you’ll find this surprising. But the love for roses was just never there!
When I first moved to my current house, the back garden bed was nothing but a wall of roses and raspberries. I’m talking a 5-foot-tall wave of thorns! With thick gloves on hand, I ripped them all out and gave them away.
I transformed the garden into something else entirely. Now, you’ll find it the home to my wildlife pond and hopscotch steppingstones.
It wasn’t long before I regretted my decision to remove the roses. Along my healing journey, I learned all about the herbal properties of roses. And when I realized just how amazing they were besides their beauty, I fell in love.
Roses make for beautiful cut flowers, and they taste like delicate summer. They are extremely forgiving to grow and take well to hard pruning.
Amazing for the skin, I can’t harvest them fast enough. Whenever I head back to my original home of Alberta (known as Canada’s wild rose country), I make sure to gather some petals from wild roses and dry them. Once dried, they get featured in all my rose recipes.
But enough talk about the love of roses (for now!). If you’re here, it means I don’t have to do much convincing!
Jump ahead to…
Meet the Rose Bush
There truly is a rose for every occasion and person out there. With over 150 species and thousands of hybrids, roses have held their position as one of the world’s most beloved flowers. This isn’t a new thing, either. It is believed that the cultivation of roses began 5,000 years ago in China!
June’s birth flower, everyone has come to know red roses as a symbol of love and romance. However, roses come in nearly every colour, each of which has its own meaning. White roses represent purity and innocence, while yellow roses symbolize friendship and joy.
Different coloured roses have different symbolism.
Of course, in the garden, we have our own way of classifying things. Most gardeners classify roses as one of the following:
Heirloom roses: also known as old roses, heirloom roses refer to anything cultivated before 1867 (the arrival of the hybrid tea rose). These roses are lush, extremely fragrant, contain lots of petals, and are disease resistant.
Modern hybrid roses: these roses are what you will find today, made from hybrids of tea roses. When you think of a rose, this is likely what you picture. Modern hybrids are very hardy, disease-resistant, and long-blooming. These roses tend not to have a strong scent.
Wild roses: native to the northern hemisphere, you can easily find these roses in the wild. Extremely fragrant, they’re characterized by single blossoms of 5-petals. They bloom in early summer.
Most old and climbing roses bloom once a year in the spring. Some roses will have repeat blooms later in the season. Many modern roses, however, have been bred to bloom continuously throughout the summer.
While the famous saying encourages us to stop and smell the roses, not all roses smell. Some have a more old-fashioned smell while others are more modern. The best smell? Wild roses. The closer we stand by them, the better!
Not all roses smell, so consider this when choosing your varieties.
Rose Benefits
You may be surprised what this flower, known for its beauty, is capable of! Roses used to be grown more for medicinal and culinary uses (yes, they’re edible) rather than for their beauty.
In my opinion, roses are best used for skin care. Full of natural oils, roses help moisturize and even your skin tone. The anti-inflammatory properties reduce redness and puffiness around the face. As a natural astringent, it also has antibacterial properties, making it good for clearing out acne-causing bacteria.
The astringent qualities and antioxidants also help to support skin tissue. This makes rose a helpful sidekick in combatting fine lines and wrinkles! You can also fight age spots and discoloration with roses. Rosehip oil especially aids with this.
Speaking of rose hips, this is the rose plant’s seed pod. Just like the flower, the rose hip has plenty of benefits to offer. Rose hips have high levels of Vitamin C—even more than oranges.
They’re also rich in Vitamins A, B complex, C, E, and K and contain calcium, silica, iron, and phosphorus. You’ll find them packed with plenty of antioxidants, particularly bioflavonoids, which strengthen heart and blood vessels.
You’ll notice how much the wildlife enjoys feasting on rose hips. You can also feed them to chickens, horses, dogs, and wild birds for a treat!
Selecting a Rose Bush
When it comes to selecting a rose bush, you have two options: potted roses or bare-root roses. Potted roses are great for beginners. They’re available at every garden centre and can be found throughout the season. Potted roses are easy to plant and establish quickly.
Bare-root roses look like a bunch of dead sticks when they first show up. Don’t fear! These rose bushes are still dormant and haven’t leafed out yet. With bare-foot roses, you tend to have more selection and varieties to choose from. For those who want lots of roses, they’re also more economical. They just need a little more work before planting.
Both options will offer plenty of varieties and different sizes, colours, and types of blooms. Research your specific variety before planting.
Planting a Rose Bush
When you get your bare-root roses, plant them right away. They’re often available and shipped in early spring while they’re still dormant. Plant them by late spring to get the best results. As long as potted roses are well watered, they can be planted anytime. Early spring after the last frost or in fall, six weeks before the first frost, is best.
If you’re planting bare-root roses, soak them in a bucket of water for 8-12 hours before planting. Prune back the roses so that each cane (main branch) has 3-5 offshoots.
In the meantime, scout out your rose bush location. Roses like full sun and well-draining soil. Planting by a house, fence, or structure can protect roses in cold climates. Be careful not to crowd roses and ensure they have enough room to reach full maturity.
When planting, wear thick gloves to protect yourself from those nasty thorns. Dig a hole twice the size of the container or roots. Mix in compost. If planting from a container, “tickle” the roots before planting and filling the hole.
Give the plants a good soaking after planting, and you’re all done.
Wild rose bush.
How to Care for Roses
Now that you’ve got roses in the ground, here is everything you need to do regarding rose bush care to keep your roses blooming nonstop!
Soil
Roses may be thirsty plants, but they want soil that drains well. Ensure soil has adequate drainage but also that it can retain moisture long enough for the roots to enjoy it. Overall, they like loose and loamy soil. You can achieve this by adding soil amendments to your already planted roses.
In an ideal soil world, roses would prefer slightly acidic soil. 6.5 is just right. You can easily perform an at-home soil pH test if you don’t know the acidity of your soil.
Water
New rose bushes need frequent watering. When watering, be sure to soak all the roots. Less frequent, heavy waterings are better than less frequent shallow waterings. Remember to water at the base of the plant to avoid any water fungal diseases.
Those in dry summers may need to water their roses more often to protect them from the heat. A layer of mulch around the base of the rose can help to conserve water. It also helps to overwinter the rose bush in the fall.
Once established, the roses need very little supplemental watering.
Sunlight
If you can, place your rose bush somewhere that receives morning sun. This burst of sunshine in the morning will help to dry the morning dew on the leaves and prevent diseases.
Rose bushes need at least six hours of sun a day. Six to eight hours is the golden zone. Roses planted in the partial sun may weaken over time and produce fewer blooms.
In hot climates, you may want to place your rose bush somewhere sheltered from the hot afternoon sun.
Prune
Roses take extremely well to pruning. I’ve seen old and struggling rose bushes come back to life the next season after heavy pruning. If you do choose to heavily prune your rose bush, do so in the spring, just when the plant begins to wake up and leaf out. Don’t worry; the blooms come later in the season.
Don’t prune too hard in the autumn, as this can damage the rose and affect its ability to overwinter. Feel free to prune lightly during the summer, though never during intense heat. Don’t hesitate to clean up old or diseased branches.
Some roses also benefit from deadheading. Once a week, remove spent flowers by cutting them back to the nearest leaf. Be sure to leave some roses behind later in the season so you can enjoy some rosehips.
Other types of roses are self-cleaning and won’t develop rose hips. These blooms drop off automatically.
When pruning, make sure to sterilize your pruners before cutting.
Pests and Diseases
While most roses are bred to be disease-resistant, that doesn’t mean they’re entirely in the clear. Roses are often affected by powdery mildew. This fungal disease appears as a light grey or white cast on the leaves. It thrives in warmth and humidity.
Roses can also be affected by black spot, a fungal disease with black or brown spots on top of the leaves. You may also see botrytis blight, which is a grey fungus that causes the blooms to drop or turn brown.
The best way to avoid disease?
Remove dead leaves and branches.
Space out your roses for proper air circulation.
Avoid getting the leaves wet by watering the rose at the base.
Rose bushes may also be infested by aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites. Deer also enjoy munching on the scrumptious buds, so try planting them in a deer-safe area whenever possible or use a strong companion herb such as lavender to hide the smell.
Things to Do With Roses
Besides enjoying these beauties in your garden, here is what you can do with the blooms.
If you want to reap the glorious benefits of roses for your skin, it all starts with rose water. Not only can you drink it, but you can use it as a toner, a makeup remover, in the bath, as an air freshener, in baked goods, and so much more.
Toner is such an important part of a skincare routine, and it often gets skipped. Helping to balance the pH of your skin, this rose toner gives you an extra boost after washing your face.
I make my toner out of rose water and witch hazel.
There’s no denying the romantic and sweet scent of rose. Use it to your advantage and also apply the benefits of rose to the skin with a batch of this beeswax massage balm with rose.
Keeping up with the love and romance, you can use rose petals to add some ambience to the bath. These rose petal bath bombs are also infused with rose essential oil for some extra aromatherapy.
Rose petals retain their colour very nicely when dried.
One of my go-to lotion recipes, this rose face cream is nice and light on the skin. It hydrates my dry, sensitive skin without causing any clogging. I may have to give this face cream credit for my youthful appearance!
Put the scent of rose to the test with this natural rose deodorant spray. I’m highly against putting anything I can’t pronounce on my skin, even when it comes to the armpit! Honestly, don’t underestimate the confidence of having rose-scented armpits.
Roses and lavender make a wonderful scent combination.
Roses should ideally be planted in the spring after the last frost or in the fall six weeks before the first frost.
If planting bare-root roses, you will want to plant them as soon as you get them (after soaking). With potted roses, you have a little more time to get them in the ground as long as they stay hydrated.
Do roses like sun or shade?
Roses are sun-loving flowers. They prefer 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. This will get you more blooms and a healthier, stronger plant. If you live in a hot climate, protect the roses from the hot afternoon sun in their location.
How do I pick roses?
Roses are one of the most popular cut flowers around. Roses are best picked immediately after the bud stage when the flowers are just beginning to open. Harvest roses in the morning after the dew has dried so they’re hydrated and not under any heat stress.
Before getting started, wear gloves to protect yourself from the thorns. With sterilized pruners, cut the rose at a node (where the leaf meets the stem).
Before placing them in a vase, recut the ends to eliminate any air bubbles. Cut at an angle. Remove any leaves that would go under any water, as this leads to bacteria. If you want, you can also remove the thorns using a rose stripper or by cutting the thorns with a pruner. Change the vase water every other day.
