How to Design a Rose Garden

Over the years, roses have been used in formal, informal and cottage gardens. The elements of design can vary, but roses add beautiful colors and scents to any garden.

Instructions

Formal Garden

1. Choose your shape - usually a simple square or rectangle for a formal rose garden.

2. Use hybrid teas, grandifloras and floribundas as the backbone of the design of your formal rose garden.

3. Lay out straight rows of roses, and plant only one type of rose in each row or bed. Use neatly trimmed lawn or paving stones to separate the beds.

4. Find a focal spot for the garden and plant a perfect rose in that spot. Grandifloras and floribundas both bloom vigorously and nearly continuously and serve as an attractive focal point.

5. Surround the garden with latticework to support climbing roses.

Informal Garden

6. Vary the types of roses and their placement for a less formally designed garden. Straight rows of individual rose types are not a feature of the informal garden.

7. Relax the design for an informal rose garden. Use curving lines to soften the edges of the beds and the entire garden.

8. Mix old-fashioned and modern roses together. Shrub roses make a good backdrop for the newer hybrid teas.

Cottage Garden

9. Combine roses with your other favorites and even edible plants to design a cottage garden.

10. Plant taller plants and shrubs at the back of the cottage garden, then gradually decrease the height of the plants as you work toward the front.

11. Avoid straight lines when designing a cottage garden. Draw meandering paths and curved edges in the garden design.


Tips & Warnings

Choose your site carefully. Roses need at least five hours of sunlight every day and good air circulation. Roses can grow in less perfect sites, but will not bloom as enthusiastically.

Learn about all the different types of roses and how they can be used. Hybrid teas, floribundas, ground covers, climbers, ramblers and miniatures can all be used in your rose garden.

Draw before you plant. Designing your work on paper before you plant will save time and energy on planting day.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_2054594_design-rose-garden.html

How to Become a Garden Designer

A garden designer is a professional who creates the layout or flow of a garden as well as picking the right types of plants for the area. Some of these professionals train in the art of landscape architecture, which gives them the ability to take a much more formal approach and be hands on in all aspects of the garden. If you want to become a garden designer you need to gain experience in gardening and learn more about the various plants in your area.

Instructions

1. Attend horticulture classes either as a part-time or full-time student. There are dozens of schools in the U.S. alone that offer degrees in this field, while many others offer classes in landscape architecture or design. Getting a degree in design or graphic design can help quite a bit as many garden designers work with computer programs.

2. Intern or work for a garden supply store, preferably one with a focus on plants and flowers. This is the time to start cold calling all those nurseries and garden centers in your area. You can skip over the big home improvement stores and mega stores with a garden area because they probably won’t help much. Working or interning in a smaller store can get you some hands on experience in how to work with plants and how to use certain tools.

3. Practice by designing your own garden. Even if you only have a small amount of space you can learn how to design a garden by looking at what plants and flowers work together in that area. If you do a good job on your own garden, you might even pick up a few jobs from your friends, family and neighbors.

4. Get experience in the landscaping world in any way possible. Some of the best garden designers in the world started out working for landscaping companies. They dug holes, planted trees and even mowed lawns to work their way up. If you’re willing to show hard work and get your hands dirty, your boss will notice your work ethic.

5. Learn about the plants and flowers that are native to your own area. Before you ever start designing a garden, you need to know about the plants and flowers in your area. Choosing a palm tree when you live in a cold climate doesn’t work that well. Your clients are going to depend on you to make the right choices for their home and climate.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_4422166_become-garden-designer.html