Calgary Rose Society - Miniature Rose CareHere are some hints on growing miniature roses in Calgary. We have annual mini rose sales in April and May - Click on Events (to the left) for more information. For general hints and tips on growing roses in Calgary, click here. Garden Show Mini Rose Sale: If you bought your minis at our sale at the Calgary Horticultural Society's Springtime Serenade, you will have to wait a bit before planting them outside. Allow your minis to harden off by putting them outside during the day and inside (in the garage or the house) at night. You can leave them in the pots you bought them in - just make sure they never dry out. Soil should be moist, not soaking wet. If the bottom leaves of the rose are turning yellow, check the water. Mother's Day Weekend Mini Rose Sale: In good years, the weather might be nice enough to put the minis outside right away. But since they've been growing in a nice protected greenhouse till now, you'd probably do better to harden them off for a few weeks, then plant outside. Once your flowerbed soil has thawed and a hard freeze is no longer expected (mid-late May), it is probably time to plant the minis outdoors. Selecting a Mini Site: Miniature roses can be planted pretty much anywhere, with some exceptions. Like normal-sized roses, minis must have 6 hours of direct sunlight a day - any less and they will be spindly or won't bloom. You can put minis in flowerbeds, in hanging baskets or in planters on your deck. Plant away from large trees and roof overhangs. Planting New Minis: Make sure that the soil is amended before repotting the minis. Roses like well-drained, organic-rich, acidic soil. So, add sphagnum peat moss, well-decomposed compost or manure and amendments like vermiculite, perlite and/or well sorted coarse quartz sand to your rose beds or pots. Remember that in Calgary, adding peat moss is pretty much a must! DO NOT FERTILIZE THE NEWLY PLANTED MINIS UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST BLOOM as this will kill the new fine roots. Once the first bloom is over, you may give them rose food. Deadhead minis to remove the spent flowers and increase the number of blooms. If you do put the minis in planters or hanging baskets, check them every day to make sure that the containers have not dried out. If the leaves start to yellow, this might be the problem. They may need watering once a day - try to do this in the morning to avoid powdery mildew. A mulch of some sort will allow longer water retention and you might want to try those water retaining crystals. Wintering your minis: The miniature roses we sell are generally hardy in zones 4-5. Since most of Calgary is zone 3, this means you will have to protect your minis for the winter. They will not survive in containers outside during the winter. You can try several things:
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