Buy some professional rose soil. It comes by the bag or in bulk, and it's labeled "Rose Soil." This is normally a perfect mix of soil, sand and humus for a rose garden.
     The next simple step is to make a raised bed with the rose soil. It is recommended that it stand wight to 10 inches tall, full of rose soil. Rose roots grow laterally and shallow, so making a raised bed of the right kind of soil is key. Another trick of the trade to help abate weeds and unwanted grass, is to lay four to eight sheets of newspaper on the ground where you make your raised bed.

The first step in the spring pruning of hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas and climbing roses is to remove any canes that are dead or just old and non-productive. These canes are usually gray in color and scaley. To prune hybrid tea and grandiflora roses, follow certain principles including:

• Prune high for more flowers earlier, or low for fewer, bigger flowers later
• Prune to remove weak and crisscrossing canes
• Remove growth an inch below a canker
• Cut damaged, dead or broken canes back to healthy growth
• Remove sucker growth as close as possible to main root.

Cut back canes and growth to a point where you have five or six healthy canes 12-18 inches long that, together, form a "vase-like" structure.

Floribundas are usually not pruned as severely as hybrid teas. Even so, be sure to cut any dead, broken, damaged or blotched branches back to where the pith, or center of the cane, is white and healthy looking. Next, remove weak, spindly canes, canes growing toward the center of the bush, the weaker of two canes that crisscross, canes that grow out then up, and suckers. Finally, trim all remaining canes back to one-half their former height.

Miniatures - In the spring, it is best to cut miniatures almost down to the ground (i.e., 2-3 inches). Moreover, if they are over three years old, it is a good idea to divide them by cutting the whole plant in half or more. Be sure to leave some roots on each division.

Old-fashioned (Antique) and shrubs - Remove any dead canes, and lightly trim the remainder of the bush, removing about a third of the growth. Mass blooming is the aim with these roses. Additional light grooming throughout the year is encouraged, since ever-blooming varieties flower on new wood. Varieties that bloom only once during the season should be pruned AFTER they have bloomed, since they bloom on old wood.

This segment is in two parts. First, there is a description of rose. Second are suggestions from the Houston Rose Society for suggested varieties that consistently do well in the Houston area.
     It's hard for me to imagine a garden without a least one rose. But which rose? The choices today can be mind-boggling. Nurseries and catalogs offer hybrid teas, polyanthas, floribundas, grandifloras, climbers, miniatures, tree roses and shrub roses. It's easy to be confused and wonder which are best for your garden. Here's a rundown that might help.

Hybrid Teas - These are the classic among all kinds of roses; they are often called monthly or ever-blooming roses. They are the result of crossing two old-fashioned rose classes, the hybrid perpetual and the tea rose from China which gave the repeat-blooming trait.
Floribundas -The floribundas originated from crossing the hybrid tea with polyantha roses. They're compact plants that produce more flowers per stem and tend to bloom all summer long, which is why they are very popular now. There are very few polyanthas on the market today because floribundas seem to have more appeal.
Grandifloras - This is a relatively new classification which resulted from crosses between hybrid tea and floribunda varieties. Grandifloras are usually very vigorous plants. Queen Elizabeth is probably the most popular rose in this class.
Climbing and Pillar Roses - Many of the popular varieties of the classes previously described have climbing forms. But it's interesting to note that climbers don't actually "climb." They do, however, produce canes that reach 20 feet in length, and those can be attached to walls, fences, lattice and trellises.
Old Garden Roses - This is really more of a generalized grouping than a class of roses. Included are China, hybrid perpetual, tea, moss, damask, bourbon and moisette roses. Recent years have seen considerable interest in many of these plants. Part of their popularity is due to nostalgia and interest in historical plantings. Old-rose enthusiasts quickly point to the superior fragrance, hardiness, growth-habit and disease-resistance of some of the old varieties that may have been lost or weakened in the hybridization process of newer varieties.
Miniature Roses - Most of these plants are pint-sized versions of full-size plants that produce a profusion of flowers all summer long and do extremely well in containers. They grow no more than 16-36 inches high.

By no means is this THE list. Or is it an all-inclusive list. That would be impossible, considering there are thousands of varieties available these days. These are just suggestions from The Houston Rose Society. For information on the organization, see www.houstonrose.org You may also wish to attend the society's monthly meetings on the second Thursday of each month at the Houston Garden Club in Hermann Park.