As many may know I bought a new home a few months ago, well it has a large large and dozens of flower beds everywhere. ** I hate yard work and do hire a lot of this done.

But I do love the roses, they seem a little "poor" what would be some good ideas for right now

This is what I want to do with my large yard -- set aside a couple of spots for different types of gardens, like a butterfly garden with bushes and plants that will attract butterflies and birds of all kinds, a shade garden (with hostas and ferns), or a water garden with a small waterfall and pond and logs to attract birds and frogs and lizards.

Definitely adding a waterfall and natural-looking pool area with various bushes and flowers, and a couple of benches for relaxing and meditating would be cool. Talk with an area nursery or landscaping company for ideas. Home magazines at the public library are full of photos and ideas too.

Oh I have the garden spots.

I have one large area in front that is raised for rose bushes.

Then a contoured area around front that has shrubs and other types of flowering plants

In the back there is a place with various more water plants ( a low area that has a lot of water)

Two other areas that are set up around trees with all types of unknown flowering plants ( I am not a flower person)

The back of the house has shrubs and rose bushes,

There are a few other rose bushes scattered around the back yard.

Not to forget the grape vines along the fence rows.

I have a yard person who does the basic weeding and I had them clean out when I took the property over.

But I really want to make the roses extra special. A few of the bushes seem like they are dying or bad.

But I really want to make the roses extra special. A few of the bushes seem like they are dying or bad.
What about creating one rose garden, putting them all together in one large garden with a flagstone or brick path that winds around through the garden. That means you will have to move bushes from other locations and transplant them. If a bush is old or sick or scraggly, I'd let the landscaper decide if it's worth keeping. Then what would be nifty would be creating a "map" that shows the various names not only of the roses but also of the other flowers and bushes and trees.

I've found that flowers in large groups (like tulips, for instance) look so much prettier than one clump here and one bush there.

Hi! Fr_Chuck

But I really want to make the roses extra special. A few of the bushes seem like they are dying or bad.
Do you see yellowish, dark brown or black spots on the leaves? Any of or combination of the three colors can signify pests, and or disease.
Do the roses look like they need pruning?

To help you further I would need to know:
Your general location, and season.

You can use this guide to help you and your gardener identify problems:
Rose Pests and Diseases (http://www.rose-roses.com/problems/pests.html)

You can also use these sites to cull information for you and your gardener.

Rose care basics:
Rose care basics (http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/rose-care.html)

Basics of rose care:
Tesselaar Bulbs: Roses plant care (http://www.tesselaar.net.au/growingguides/roses.asp)

Fertilizing, Pruning and Winterizing Roses:
Fertilizing, Pruning and Winterizing Roses, HYG-1205-96 (http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1205.html)

This site can guide you in using Color in Flower Gardens:
Explore Cornell - Home Gardening - Using Color in Flower Gardens (http://www.hort.cornell.edu/gardening/homegardening/scenee40a.html)


K

I put banana peelings around all of my rose bushes. It is an excellent fertilizer for them. Put a couple around each week at the base and watch it come to life. It will help it make many blooms that are large and deep in color. Better than Miricle grow and much easier and cheaper
online florist (http://www.bloomexau.com/)