Do not be fooled into thinking that only rosarians and gardeners can produce beautiful, healthy garden roses.  With the right know-how, anyone can have a successful rose garden.

Choosing your roses
Before going to your favorite garden center to buy your roses, you must answer some important questions.  What hardiness zone do you live in?  Roses have different levels of hardiness and will only thrive in certain hardiness zones.  Enderlein roses are grown right in Canada, and as a result, they are well suited to the variable and sometimes harsh Canadian weather conditions.  How much time are you willing to spend in maintaining your roses?  It is important to remember, for example, that some roses are not as hardy as others, and they require extra attention.  What types of roses appeal to you most?  There are many varieties of roses available, each with their own charm and special characteristics.  With this information, you can make a more informed purchasing decision.

The right location
The first step to planting a rose is selecting an appropriate location.  You must ensure that the site has plenty of sunlight, at least six hours each day.  Roses cannot tolerate deep and continuous shade.  The site you choose must also be sheltered from cold winds; a hedge or fence can protect a rose from the wind, but it should not provide excessive shade.  Roses do best on a site that offers good air circulation.  In order to keep your roses healthy, do not plant them under trees or crowd them with other plants; this hinders the circulation of air.  Finally, the site must have suitable soil conditions.  Ideally, the soil should be medium loam, slightly acidic, well drained and reasonably rich in nutrients and humus.  Roses do not thrive in soil that has a high lime content, and a high clay content can also be harmful if it is not amended with humus.

Preparing the soil
When preparing the soil for planting, you can begin by aerating the soil.  Work the soil over and then add humus and a rose fertilizer.  Do not throw out the smaller sized stones because they assist with water drainage and help to aerate the soil.  You should also remove any nearby weeds.

Planting
When planting container-grown roses, dig a hole that is wide and deep enough for the soil ball.  Before removing the rose from the container, make sure it is thoroughly watered and then gently slide the container away from the soil ball.  It is generally recommended that your planting mixture consist of 1 part soil, 1 part peat and a few handfuls of bone meal.  Bone meal is a good source of phosphorous which is critical for root development.  Before planting the rose, cover the bottom of the hole with the planting mixture.  Then place the rose in the hole, spreading out the roots so that the planting mixture can surround the roots.  Once the hole is filled, gently tamp the ground to ensure that large air pockets are eliminated.  If you experience cold winters, the bud union  (where the bud and the rootstock are joined) should be below the soil surface by approximately 2 to 3 cm. 

Watering
How you water your roses is critical to their success.  Keep a regular watering schedule until the newly planted roses have established.  They should receive an equivalent of at least 2 to 4 cm of rain a week.  When watering roses, be sure to soak the soil well; they need more than just light sprays of water.  Some other tips include watering in the morning, avoid letting the water come into contact with the leaves and blooms, and providing mulch so that the soil retains its moisture.  Once roses are established, their roots will have grown deep into the soil.  As a result, they do not require frequent watering.

Fertilization
Roses are demanding of the soil and its nutrients, so it is usually necessary to apply fertilizer.  Do not, however, fertilize newly planted roses until after the first bloom. Generally, you can fertilize in the spring, before the leaves are fully open, and again in June or July.  If you want to avoid using chemical fertilizers, you can try these organic alternatives: alfalfa, bone meal, compost, fish emulsion, manure, seaweed or soybean meal.

Insects and disease
You can keep your roses free from harmful insects and diseases by spraying them regularly with an insecticide/fungicide.  Be sure to read the spraying instructions carefully before applying them to your garden.  There are organic ways of keeping your roses healthy.  For example, spraying the foliage with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of dish soap to 1 gallon of water will usually prevent outbreaks of black spot, rust and powdery mildew.  Aphids strongly dislike garlic, dill, fennel, coriander, tansy and marigolds, so having these plants in your garden can act as an aphid repellent.  If aphids do invade your garden, they can be washed off plants with strong blasts of water.

Pruning
Pruning is an important part of rose maintenance that not only improves the appearance of your rose, but its health as well.  One of the main purposes of pruning is to get rid of old, exhausted wood which is no longer able to produce flowers.  There are some basic steps to follow when pruning.  First, cut out all dead, diseased and damaged wood.  The cut surface should be white; if it is brown, then you need to cut back further.  Next, you can cut thin stems, sucker growth, and stems that rub against others.  A pruning cut must be clean so use a sharp pair of pruning shears, and remember to cut approximately 1 cm above an outward facing bud.  Pruning usually occurs in early spring, when buds begin to swell but before leaves appear.  There is an exception to this rule, however.  Roses that are spring bloomers produce blossoms on wood that has hardened over the winter.  You do not want to prune this old wood because that will result in little or no flowering stems.  Spring bloomers are to be pruned approximately 3 months after blooming.

Winter care
Most varieties of roses need to be protected during the winter months.  You can add more soil around the base of the rose, approximately 8 to 10 inches, just before the ground freezes.  This will protect the bud union, which is the most vulnerable part of the rose.  It is also beneficial to place leaves and straw over the mound after the ground freezes.  You may also want to cut back any long stems that may contribute to wind-rock on windy winter days. 

The reward
Knowledge and experience go a long way in gardening.  Read all you can, ask lots of questions and keep trying!  A beautiful rose garden will be your reward!