Autumn may seem like a great time to relax, but by following some simple autumn rose gardening basics, you can be sure to improve the quality of your garden for next year.

You just looked at a calendar, and realized that the year has flown by and it's autumn already. As a rose gardener, you should rejoice. Autumn is the most ideal season for roses. Their color is most intense. They've survived the brutal heat of summer rose gardening. And they're showing off for everyone. But it's not just the roses that are happy, autumn is a great time for rose gardeners too. It is when all the fruits of your hard work has paid off. Your planning, prepping, planting, watering, and tending has created a beautiful rose garden to enjoy in the cool of Autumn. Although this season isn't as hectic as others, there are still some Autumn rose gardening basics that will help your roses get ready for the winter ahead.

The first thing on your to-do-list is to figure out how your roses are doing. Autumn is a great time to check their health and make any needed adjustments to your garden. If your roses did poorly or developed any rose diseases, it's a good time to figure out why. If you're roses didn't perform well, the most common reason is location. It always comes back to location with roses. Did the roses receive enough hours of strong sunlight per day? If not, you may want consider either replacing them with a rose variety that requires less sun, or by moving the rose plant to a more sunny area. Moisture could also be the problem. If your roses are getting too much moisture, they could have developed fungal or mildew diseases. Autumn is a great time to combat diseases, because your plants can heal while dormant for the winter.

Because so little active work is needed, a good autumn rose gardening basic is a soil test. One of the rose plant's greatest enemies is alkaline. Acids that may have developed in the soil of your bed could be causing or begin to cause serious damage if not controlled. Doing the test will let you know exactly how much acid is in your rose bed. If you rose is not blooming properly, dig it up around the roots. Then use the soil near the roots to do the soil test. There are tools and kits for soil testing available in most greeneries and many lawn care retailers. While the

One of the most important parts of autumn rose gardening basics is the preparation for winter. This is especially important if you live in an area that gets extremely cold. Spread fertilizer around your rose bed. It takes several months for nutrients to mix with soil enough to reach a plant. By adding compost and fertilizers in the fall, you can be sure that your rose garden will have all the nutrients it needs to bloom again in the spring.

The beauty of having a rose garden is to be able to enjoy them inside your home as well as outside. Excellent, easy to do science fair projects can be done in regards to rose preservation.

• When is the best time to cut roses, morning, afternoon or evening? See which roses last the longest.
  
• When you cut the roses, do they last longer in water if they are cut on an angle or straight across?
  
• Will the cut roses last longer if the thorns and leaves are left on or cut off?
  
• Do cut roses last longer in a dark room or in a bright, sun-filled room?

Autumn is a a rose gardener's vacation. They get to do less work and enjoy the year's most beautiful roses. And if you take the extra time to follow these autumn rose gardening basics, it can also be the time to prepare for a whole new season of beautiful roses.