Rose care
Roses are very beautiful flowers loved by many people across the world, the rose has always been a symbol of love and affection.With the sweet smell and the beautiful flowers these plants produce it is quite impossible not to have some type of rose plant in your garden.
Roses in healthy condition and stress free are less likely to contract insects and diseases,unhealthy roses will not grow corrrectly and you will not get a good show of roses from the individual plant.
In the first 20 or so days after planting your roses they need to be watered daily to help the rose grow. Fertilizers must be used to give your plant a head start.Most fertilizers can be purchased from many different flower nurseries.Plant your roses about one inch below crown level and then tamp the soil in and around it,do not damage the root ball and alway’s keep the crown uncovered.
With a little bit of effort and care you will have excellent looking rose bushes with large blooms that will last for most of the summer.When you have established roses it is nice to prune or cut a few and put them in a vase.Beware not to prune or cut too many stems of your new rose bushes as they need time to grow successfully.
When deciding how many rose bushes you want in your garden spread them out away from each other,this will help the plant to find it’s own space and grow properly.Best time to plant new rose bushes is in early spring when all the frosts have gone.When transplanting last season’s rose bushes make sure you cut all dead leaves and tidy up the bush,this will help new growth.
Remove a few of the old stems at the base of established climbers to stimulate new growth. If fungal disease is prevalent in your area, spray while dormant with Bordeaux mix, lime sulfur, or horticultural oil. Gardeners in the South and West may wish to fertilize monthly from early spring until June, resuming in August and September.
Mid April is the time to look for slugs around the plants base, put a small amount of slug pellets down this normally sorts out the problem.If you find other insects inhabiting the plant use a systemic spray which you can purchase at any garden centre.Keep your eye open for any unwanted shoots on the rootstock and remove them,when the weather gets warmer put some organic mulch at the base of the plant.
If you live in a cold climate and grow Roses that are not completely hardy in your area, you may wish to protect them for the winter by mounding soil or compost around the base of the plants after the ground freezes, and then adding evergreen boughs. Climbing Roses may be detached from their supports, laid down on the ground and covered with soil to get them through the winter. This procedure is viable only on the smaller climbers, but does work well with shorter Roses grown on pillars.