Frequently Asked Questions:

• What type of fertilizer does the garden use?
  After trying several types for fertilizer, the garden is now exclusively using Dr. Earth's Rose Organic 3 Rose and Flower Food. It has proven to provide great cell growth, and is long lasting. It has a blend of cottonseed meal, fish bone meal, fish meal, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, mined potassium sulfate, soft rock phosphate, seaweed extract and soil conditioning by the introduction beneficial microbes plus Ecto and Endo Mycorrhizae (soil fungi). It is available at Yamagami's Nursery and Regan's Nursery.

• How much water do roses need?
  Roses need 7 Gallons of water a week. It is better to water them deeply, 3 times a week, instead of once a day. When weather is hot, add increase the water.

• My roses have disease (Blackspot, mildew or rust)
  First, purchase AARS winning varieties. They are the most disease resistant. Some varieties are disease magnets. The Garden uses Neem Oil, applied every six weeks to help ward off disease.

• Does the Garden use any chemicals on the roses?
  No, the garden does not use chemicals on the roses, as mentioned above, the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden is moving towards an organic approach, beginning last year with the application of neem oil (made from the neem tree) and alfalfa pellets. This year, we moved to all organic fertilizer, Dr. Earth's. For a good resource on Organic Gardening, you can download the booklet on the right or pick one up at our events.

• How much sunlight do roses need?
  Roses should get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Some varieties do well with less, like the Hybrid Musks, but these are hard to find locally but can be purchased through mail order.

• How many different varieties are there in the Garden?
  There are about 230 different varieties in the garden, comprised mostly of Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras, Floribundas, and Shrub roses.

• How many roses are in the garden?
  Several have reported 3500, others 4000, we are currently counting them. One, two, three, four......