Like most
ornamental landscape plants,
roses will
benefit from an application of
mulching
materials around the root zone. One or two
inches of an organic mulch such as shredded
bark, wood chips, cocoa bean hulls, etc.
will help keep weeds down, conserve moisture
and add to the aesthetics of the rose
garden.
Since roses
are a woody plant, you could also use a
landscape fabric beneath a thin layer of
mulch. These fabrics are meant to allow
water to penetrate into the soil while
preventing germination and growth of weeds.
Generally, it
would be best to avoid using rock type
mulches since these will reflect heat up
onto the underside of the rose leaves and
lead to water stress. Also, rocks are not
generally a natural growing environment for
roses so they are aesthetically confusing to
the viewer.
