By Nancy Wilson, U. C. Master Gardener

Can you imagine caring for your roses this year by establishing a more natural environment for them? It might take some rethinking on your part, but the results can be interesting and beautiful, with less maintenance. A natural or organic rose garden relies on chemical-free fertilizer and pesticide-free sprays to get the soil, plants, wildlife, insects and gardener working in harmony.

To get started, choose roses that are disease resistant in our area. Visit public gardens and nurseries to talk with rose growers. Call Master Gardeners for our rose lists. Give your roses ample space for air circulation when you plant them. Choose an area that gets six to eight hours of sun each day.

Before you plant anything, dig compost and other amendments into the soil. Be generous. Think about "feeding the soil" rather than feeding the plant. Top dress your rose beds every spring with compost, and mulch the beds heavily with organic materials such as hay, straw, redwood or fir chips, well-rotted manure, compost, cocoa hulls, even newspapers covered with bark chips. Keep the mulch materials three inches away from the rose canes. Mulch keeps the weeds down and helps preserve water in the soil.

All of the lush greenery this month makes gardeners think about fertilizing their plants because they want lots of flowers. Generally, organic fertilizers can be applied directly to the soil without mixing with water. They have a lower N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) composition than manufactured inorganic fertilizers but are less exact in the proportions. Check the labels for exact percentages.

You will have to work out the right proportion of these natural fertilizers for your specific site. Many organic materials can be purchased in bulk from feed stores. You can make a mix that suits your garden and gives your roses a balanced diet. The following are good choices: alfalfa meal, farm manure, banana peels, blood meal, bone meal, chicken or turkey manure, cocoa shells (not good if you have dogs), cottonseed meal, fish meal, hoof and horn meal, municipal sewage sludge, mushroom compost or seaweed meal. Give your roses a meal now and again in August.

Next, plan to keep your garden clean rather than turning to toxic sprays for every problem. You will get problems, but most can be handled easily. Keep all plants deadheaded and all diseased or fallen leaves picked up and removed from the garden. Let nature take its course. Most garden pests have natural enemies (beneficial insects), but you must wait for them to arrive. If something gets an upper hand (aphids, caterpillars, curculio weevils), wash or pick them off when you make your morning inspection.

Encourage birds and wildlife with habitat plantings of nectar plants, herbs, perennials and annuals. The wider your plant palette, the wider your natural predator population will be. Add a water feature for frogs, lizards, butterflies and birds. There are many safe, non-toxic sprays, if you must, but remember that you are changing the habits and habitat of your garden. Be patient while the good guys find a home and see if you can tolerate some imperfections.

Be sure your rose garden has a good watering system. Drip-irrigation is desirable, putting the right amount of water in the right place. It does take monitoring, because emitters can get clogged. That's another thing to check on your morning rounds.