Hundreds of flowering perennials and flowers exist, and most of them prefer partial to full sun. Local nurseries and garden centers carry plants that grow well in your area and many offer a guarantee on their plants. When buying plants, choose a complementary color scheme, and start with three or four favorites. A few well-chosen plant varieties generally look better than many different kinds of flowers, unless you have a large garden.

Plant Selection

Carefully select sun-loving flowers that thrive in your area. Perennials, such as coneflower, Jupiter's beard, lavender, salvia and coreopsis, grow in almost any soil and tolerate drought. Others, such as roses, clematis and lupine grow best in a sunny location with evenly moist soil. Choosing plants that thrive in the conditions naturally present in your garden creates healthier plants and reduces maintenance.

Soil Amendments

Few soils are the perfect combination of sand, clay or silt, known as loam. Adding a few shovelfuls of well-rotted compost or manure to soil improves drainage and texture and adds nutrients. Till soil for a perennial bed to a depth of 12 inches, since the bed is permanent.

Planting Times

Sun-loving flowers suffer some shock after planting, just like any other plant. To minimize transplant shock, plant in the spring and plant in the evening, on a cloudy day if possible. Water the plants thoroughly after planting and keep them evenly moist for the next four weeks, until new growth emerges. Perennials may be planted through the summer and early fall, but their growth may initially suffer because of hot weather. With adequate water, they rebound quickly.

Maintenance

Feed plants with a starter fertilizer after planting and thereafter, annually, in the spring. Many perennial and annual flowers benefit from deadheading (the removal of dead blooms). This practice keeps the garden tidy, reduces self-sowing and encourages more blooms. A wood chip mulch conserves moisture and minimizes weed growth. Mulches also stabilize soil temperatures, keeping soils cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Rose is a symbol of love and a flower of classic beauty in a bouquet or garden. Many gardeners find growing roses challenging or mysterious, but proper techniques can keep a bed of roses growing in nearly any garden. Plant your roses in optimal conditions, care for them meticulously, and a garden of roses will reward the homeowner with years of flourishing blooms.

Instructions

Planting a Rose Garden

1. Choose a location for your rose garden that receives at least six hours of sunlight daily, away from nutrient-robbing bushes, shrubs or trees. Pour water onto your proposed site to check if the water drains properly and quickly since standing water stunts rose growth.

2. Prepare to plant your rose garden in the spring, after temperatures have warmed past the danger of an overnight freeze, when soil does not hold standing water.

3. Top the soil in your desired planting bed with 2 to 4 inches of compost. Add 2 lbs. of superphosphate to each 100 square feet of area. Mix the compost and superphosphate into the soil.

4. Dig holes the approximate depth of the root bundle approximately 8 to 18 inches apart. Place each rose plant into a hole and cover with the soil. Water the roses thoroughly to incorporate the root bundle into the planting bed.

5. Add 1 or 2 inches of mulch to the bed, pushing it right up to the rose plants.

Maintaining a Rose Garden

1. Water the soil around the rose plants at least 12 inches deep at each watering using a watering can. You may need to use an irrigation hose in the bed the first season after planting if your area does not receive regular rain. Do not use a sprinkler to top the roses with water.

2. Test the soil periodically using pH testing strips. Shoot for a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. If pH is too high (alkaline), add 1 lb. of sulfur per 100 square feet. If pH is too low (acidic), add 1 lb. of sulfur per 100 square feet.

3. Apply 1/10 lb. of actual nitrogen throughout the soil three times during your rose season, spacing the application evenly. Find out how much actual nitrogen is in your garden nitrogen additive by checking the label.

4. Prune roses by cutting away all diseased and dead branches at a 45-degree angle to the main bush. Trim rose bushes as needed to maintain the desired shape and size.

5. Protect rose plants through winter by mounding up some of the mulch around the base of the plant. Place a protective plant cylinder over the plant for the duration of the winter. Remove the mound of mulch from around the base of the plant after winter passes.

Tips & Warnings

• Climbing roses should be removed from the item they climb before winter and covered with 3 to 4 inches of soil for protection.

• Although bare-root rose plants cost less than potted roses, rookies should choose potted roses because they are easier to plant and tend to fare better.