Valentine's Day is almost upon us and the flower of this special day is roses. It's estimated 250 million roses are grown for Valentine's Day. While it's great to receive cut flower roses, perhaps getting the whole plant might be a better gift.
There may not be full-sized rose plants in garden centers yet, but there are miniature roses. Mini roses are regular rose plants, just bred to be smaller. They're easier to grow than hybrid roses and hardier because they're grown on their own rootstock.
Miniature roses grow best in full sun on well-drained, compost amended soil. Some don't actually stay very mini. Climbing varieties can reach 7-feet tall, but still have the small flowers. There are trailers that can ramble and then there are bush mini roses that stay around 1- to 2-feet tall.
When purchasing a mini rose at a florist or garden center, read the description to know what type of mini rose you're getting. 'Lemon Drop' is a nice, bush yellow variety. 'Sugar Plum' reaches 18- inches tall with lavender colored flower and a sweet fragrance. 'Hot N Sassy' has dazzling red flowers with a yellow center, growing up to 3- feet tall.
Once you have purchased your miniature rose plant for your sweetie, keep it in full sun indoors until spring. Don't overwater. Come spring, find a full sun location to plant the rose in your garden or in a container. Remember the ultimate size is small, so plant it with other low growing flowers.
