• Keep your roses healthy with the right products.roses image by Piotr Markowski from Fotolia.com
  
  Roses, long a symbol of romance and passion, can lend vibrant color and lush, green foliage to any backyard garden. With such a wide range of available colors, from yellow to coral to deep red, you can select a rose cultivar that enhances your landscape palette. Unfortunately, the plants can also be finicky when it comes to their care and maintenance. Several types of products can help boost the health and appearance of your rose plants for a lusher shrub.
  
  

Fertilizer

• Fertilizer helps enrich the soil with vital minerals and nutrients that your rose plant needs to maintain optimal growth and blossom production. Poorly fertilized rose plants may experience stunted growth, a lack of flowers or a greater susceptibility to rose diseases. In the February 2009 article "Rose Culture," Washington State University recommends using any general granular fertilizer labeled for use with rose shrubs and possessing nutrient ratios of 6-10-4, 10-5-5 or 8-12-4.
  
  

Water

• Rose shrubs need lots of water to keep the foliage perky and the blossoms from drooping. Water a minimum of once a week. This varies depending on your climate. To gauge your area's water needs, wait until you see slight wilting at the edges of the shrub's leaves to determine when it needs watering. When you do water, Texas A&M University suggests using enough water to soak the soil to a depth of 18 inches.
  
  

Pruning Equipment

• Pruning helps improve both the health and appearance of the rose bush, reduces the risk of disease and encourages the growth of new rose blossoms, according to Ohio State University. The university reports that the best pruning equipment for roses are long-handled lopping shears, pruning shears or a fine toothed curved saw. Most roses need pruning right before they exit winter dormancy at the end of March. When pruning, cut off all damaged, dead or diseased wood; branches that curve inward toward the plant's center; and the weaker of two branches when two intersect and rub against each other.
  
  

Insecticide

• Humans aren't the only ones who love roses. Several insects get drawn to the plant to feed on its juices and leaves. Common pests include leaf cutter bees, thrips and aphids, warns Washington State University. Use any general purpose insecticide, such as a carbaryl-based spray, to effectively treat these problems and keep your rose plant healthy and pest-free.