My roses are about to bloom and by this time next week they will be in their glory.  As a rose lover, I think this is the very best time of the year.

My garden is home to about fifty rose bushes, all of which are planted in beds of mixed annuals, perennials and shrubs.  They are grown organically and almost never receive supplemental water.  About half are "own root" specimens, and the other half are traditional grafted plants.  Old varieties and species roses mingle happily with newer ones.

My roses are not high maintenance divas and over the years I've had remarkably few fatalities.  My rose growing credo is as follows: If I refuse to fuss over my roses, the roses won't need a lot of fussing.

It works for me.

All I do to my roses is mulch them thoroughly, underplant with bug-repelling species like catmint and feed once a year with composted manure.  In early spring I prune out dead or weak branches.  After the big spring flower blow-out, I prune most of the bushes back by one third.

That's it.  Some of my roses develop black spot, especially during hot, sticky summers.  I don't worry because the bushes are extremely healthy and rebound readily.  Japanese beetles generally appear around here in July.  I pick some off, but the resident blue jays do a much more thorough job.  Our thriving ladybug community helps dispatch the aphids.

My roses are not always perfect, but they are very plentiful.  At the peak of the season I can pick scores of them for the house without diminishing the outdoor display.  That makes me feel rich.

So...for those of you who grow roses--stop fussing.  You'll live longer and so will your roses.