Basic Rose Care
Growing roses is one of the great joys of gardening. Roses will bring beauty to your home and garden for many years. One of the truly unique characteristics of roses is that they are amazingly versatile. There are roses for almost any landscape application: groundcovers for a carpet of color; beautiful hybrid teas and climbers for architectural interest; shrub roses for a striking hedge; and elegant tree roses for color around a patio or deck. Roses will adapt to your personal gardening style whether you prefer a formalsetting or a casual cottage garden.
Roses are hardy plants and flourish in a wide range of conditions, but they do have a few basic requirements that you should consider before planting.
Watering: Roses need the most moisture when they are actively growing and blooming. They require adequate moisture, but should never sit in water. Soak your plants slowly and thoroughly, being careful to keep water off the foliage and just around the base of the plant. Drip or soaker hoses are the most thorough and efficient ways to enable the roses to thrive in landscape plantings. Try to limit wetting foliage to avoid leaf fungi. If you do use a sprinkler system to water, do so early in the morning so that the foliage can dry out quickly. This discourages disease.
Try this. Take a 1 gallon milk jug, poke a few pin holes in its bottom, fill with water and then set it at the base of your plant. The water will seep into the ground over a long period of time. It’ll water deeply and it frees you to relax and admire your cut roses. During the hottest part of the summer, repeat this 2-3 times a week
Mulching: Mulching is very useful for growing healthy roses. It eliminates the need to cultivate around your roses, aids in water retention, keeps roots cool in hot Summer months and discourages the growth of weeds.
Fertilizing: During the growing season, roses take nutrients from the soil, which must be replaced. It is best to use fertilizers that are rich in phosphorous (10-20-10 Plant Food, the middle number “20” represents 20% formulation of phosphorous). Slow release fertilizers are ideal for long lasting vitality. Liquid fertilizers are necessary for the added growing and blooming of your garden roses. Begin fertilizing your plants once they are fully leafed out with a balanced fertilizer and approximately every six weeks thereafter through August, but not after September 1st. There are many manufactures and types of fertilizers for roses. Consider using one with systemic insecticide added for protection against summer pests. Remember to always water the dry fertilizers into the soil immediately after applying.
Pruning: We prune roses to promote health, vigor, and good air circulation and to give them direction. Pruning gives the plants shape and style and removes unproductive wood, which weakens the roses.
The best time to prune is before new growth begins and sometime after the last killing frost. Fall pruning is only necessary when your plants are extremely tall and you need to prevent them from Winter wind damage. Prune most roses back in early Spring to about 18-24 inches high. Winter damaged wood should be cut off 1″-2″ below the damage. Remove diseased canes, crossing canes, and cluttered canes growing too close. Always leave the newest and healthiest canes. Miniature shrub roses should be pruned lightly for shape to about 6-10 inches high. Prune canes with a downward angle to allow water to repel easily off the cane.
Remember to always use sharp pruners and periodically clean them with alcohol to keep clean.
How do I prune my climbing roses?
Generally, it is best to allow your climbing rose to establish itself for three years before any significant pruning is required. Lightly prune for directing the flushes of growth. After your climbing rose has been established, strategically prune out old canes to allow for younger and more vigorous canes to replace for accomplishing best flowering. Downward angled pruning cuts are preferred.
Spraying or Dusting: When and how much to use fungicides and insecticides depends greatly on the type of roses you plant and on the climatic conditions of our Summers. Humidity and excessive rain can give us problems with blackspot and powdery mildew. Insects seem to thrive in almost any condition. Hedge and shrub roses generally need less spraying than conventional roses such as hybrid teas and floribundas.
Black Spot: Circular black spots appear on leaves; leaves turn yellow and drop prematurely. Remove and destroy fallen leaves; do not wet foliage when watering. PRIOR to an outbreak of black spot, spray with Benomyl or other systemic fungicide every 10-15 days. Adding one Tablespoon of white vinegar to a gallon of spray water enhances the effectiveness of the fungicide.
Deadheading: During the blooming season it is necessary to prune spent flowers to rejuvenate your rose. Deadheading is pruning old blooms. Find a rose leaflet that has five leaves. Choose a five leaflet that is pointing outward from the bush. Prune just above the five leaflet with a downward angled pruning cut to encourage repeat growth and bloom. Stop deadheading in late September-early October to enjoy Autumn accented hips or berried fruits.
Over-wintering: Strong healthy roses are the most resistant to winter damage. Leave the last blooms in the Fall on the plant to form hips. This slows the growth and helps them go dormant. Rake off and remove all leaves from around your roses to prevent disease. Cover the crown of the plant with a mound of soil and mulch, hay or straw. (You will, of course remove that mound in the Spring before your roses start to sprout.)
