Kristin,
I would take out all of the grass, you didn't mention the type of soil you have, but your roses will do much better if you amend the soil. The existing grass will keep growing if you water the area, and I wouldn't want to mow in between roses. Your timing is perfect for next Spring since you can still remove the grass, turn the soil and add your compost, and organic matter now. I think that if you do the hard work now, it will be much easier in the Spring. Your rose & perennial choices will make a beautiful garden.
Diana

2nd that. If you are going to have roses and perennials, you don't want grass there, unless you want grassy paths and can clip or mow the grass without running over the other plants.

It may look 'under construction' for awhile, but you'll be happier in the long run.

I third everything said above--plus you will have much better drainage if the entire area is dug 10-12 inches deep with amendments worked in. Future weeds will be much easier to pull out also.

Yeah, hauling in mulch is always one of the big springtime chores--but it really pulls the beds together and makes everything look so much neater (plus inhibiting weeds and helping to retain moisture in the soil).

Good luck,
Kate

I would kill the grass with Roundup, black plastic, or cardboard, then rototill it in along with 3" of composted manure or other organic matter in the fall, when the soil is semi dry (to avoid compaction). This would not involve a lot of work.

One thing you should do is design permanent paths that will let you reach everything with the aid of a few additional stepping stones. Grass paths are possible.

You don't have to remove the grass. Cover the area with newspaper or cardboard and put a layer of mulch on top to keep everything in place. This will kill the grass without a lot of work. Trust me, you don't want to try mowing around a rose bush. It's dangerous. You will have to invest in mulch, but you can sometimes find it very cheaply. The city I live in has free mulch available. Unfortunately, I like the expensive mulches and I'm using cedar mulch which is supposed to last longer and retain color.

I'm still trying to decide if it is better to plant and then do the newspaper on the surrounding grass, or if it is better to do the newspaper the year before and then plant. The first time I tried doing the newspaper the year before it didn't work very well as my dogs tore up the area. I think it might have worked better if I had used more mulch. This year I've been doing the newspaper as I plant and it seems to work fine and require less foresight as to where I want the beds. But since you already know where you want the bed you should be fine laying down the newspaper right away.

Many grasses secrete growth inhibiting chemicals out of their roots into the surrouding soil. That helps keep the area a place friendly for grasses and not so friendly for taller plants.

Get rid of the grass. If you don't want to use a mulch (newspaper will often work just fine, although you'll probably want to hide it with a thin layer of leaves or something) then plant the area in an inexpensive ground cover, but don't leave the grass.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I started "digging in" yesterday afternoon and it's actually not as big a chore as I was fearing. The soil is very nice and fluffy under the lawn in this area, although I do believe it's probably high in clay content and I will be amending with plenty of compost.

Most of the grass is already pretty dead due to lack of rain this year. Would it be acceptable to simply dig in about 1 foot all over and turn the dead sod upside down to rot over the fall/winter? Or should I remove the sod altogether?

Yes you can do that, and remove any bits of sod that haven't mostly rotted next spring when you plant. Definitely get some compost or composted manure in there after you tear up the grass.

What I do when getting a bed ready for next year: remove sod, have several yards of compost delivered or go collect cow manure, work in and then mulch the bed with a thick layer of shredded leaves. If you get 50% organic matter worked into your soil, you're doing well. You only get to do this once down deep where the roots go so do it right.

Kristin, the rose bed you are creating sounds very much like one I put in just this year. Last fall, I removed all the grass from the area...about the same dimensions as your garden. I would definitely recommend getting rid of the grass entirely. In my experience, if you leave any part of it, you will regret it. Grass (even when turned upside down) always seems to find a way to survive and then you end up weeding way more than you would like.

What I did with this bed after removing the grass was to turn the soil over while mixing in manure and organic material like rotted leaves, old grass clippings, etc. Then, I planned out where I was going to put the various roses. I actually dug the deep holes in the fall, backfilling with more organic matter and manure. Then I stuck tall bamboo stakes in the middle of the space to mark where a rose would be all ready to plant. I finished off the bed in the fall with a 3 inch layer of mulch to bring the earthworms.

In the spring, when my roses arrived, I just popped them into the already prepared holes. I also planted a lot of companion perennials like lavender, daylilies, hardy geraniums, lilies, foxgloves, a peony, a butterfly bush, etc. I added lots of the annual blue lobelia for added interest and constant color. Then I mulched around everything with a dark organic mulch to help retain moisture.

I am very pleased with my new garden bed. I added a cobalt blue birdbath in the center and everything has grown in beautifully. The roses are still fairly small but growing nicely. The perennials and annuals filled in an it looks lush and colorful. A new bed doesn't have to look spare, even in its first year.

Good luck with your new garden. Enjoy! Shelley

Yes, pull out the grass. I'd also have someone come to do it if you have the budget for it. It can be back breaking labor and you'd rather spend that extra energy getting your compost tilled in the soil once your grass is gone.

I had 2 guys from a landscaping company come out to dig it up and haul it away. I then did all the tilling of organics myself. Let's just say it was a great workout!

My opinion is to definitely get somebody else to do the heavy brunt work of removing the grass, especially if it is clay, for such a large area that you are thinking about.

Cheers!

Betty

I would like to add some roses that survive well in my garden in zone 3a. I love these roses!

Morden Blush - hardy - no protection needed
Morden Centennial - ditto
Honey Perfume - tender, but grows to about 3 feet tall
Brother Cadfael - tender, but grows to about 3 1/2 feet tall
Elizabeth Taylor - ditto
Golden Celebration - tender, but grows to about 3 feet tall
Chrysler Imperial - tender, but grows to about 1 1/2 feet tall
Crimson glory - ditto
L.D. Braithwaite - tender, but grows to about 3 feet tall
Liebeszauber - ditto
Cherry Parfait - ditto

Remember to plant the tender roses with the graft 4" below the surface. This will make your roses shorter, but they'll survive winter. Mulch well.

Carol

I'm convinced. I'll remove the grass entirely. Thanks for the suggestions.

Shellfleur and Canadian Rose your gardens sound beautiful!

Here is my advice and what I would do in your case. I always start my new bed preparations the Fall prior to the Spring I want to plant.
First, get rid of the grass in whatever way you find best and easiest. For me, I simply rented a sod cutter from the home improvement center and it really did the trick, taking off the sod layer only and leaving the good soil beneath very quickly and neatly. The sod cutter is very easy to use and does a very neat job of it with nice crisp lines/borders.
The next and probably the most vital step of the whole process is next, and is really a no-brainer in my book. After the sod removal and before any supplementing/amending of the soil in the bed, get it tested by your local Agricultural Extension Agency. That way you know what needs doing for sure to make your beds rose friendly. This is especially important when it comes to your Ph #'s of your garden soil. Be sure your sample is taken from several different spots in the bed and is about 6" down in the soil. If your Ph is bad, no amount of amending will do it any good if the soil is chemically unavailable to your roses because of a bad Ph. rating. If you make sure to tell the agency your target crop are roses, most will even tell you what kind and how much of whatever amendment is needed to make your soil perfect.
First get your Ph corrected with whatever the agency tells you that is needed. I am lucky in that my soil Ph is almost perfect naturally so I don't have to do much there except to add just a little sulphur, but you do whatever they suggest to you.
Then, I bought the cheapes amendments possible at Lowe's and till them in to the bed several different installments, watering deeply between each tilling to encourage the amendments to "sweeten" the bed. In the last couple of tillings I always work in a good amount of peat moss and a good quality garden soil and again till it several times to really spread it deeply and evenly, finishing off with another good soaking. Now just leave the new bed alone and let it sit through the winter until very late in the Winter season to mellow/sweeten out.
Now,just prior to Spring in late winter I take another couple of soil samples to the Agricultural Extension Agency. This way you catch any slight changes especially to your Ph level before you start your planting. Make any necessary adjustments to the Ph if needed. I just cannot stress how important the correct Ph is to grow your roses. You can go to a lot of trouble and spend a lot of money and time spinning your wheels if the Ph is not right.
I know this sounds like a lot of trouble, but doing this simple stuff is very important and will pay you so much in return you will find that it was well worth the effort you put in and will save you lots of aggravation not to mention time and money later on. You will get much better roses and be much happier with what you get from them when they grow vogorous bushes with tons of beautiful flowers, supposing you plant the new bushes/bareroots correctly, but that is another posting, LOL.....
John