Here at Make Their Day Flowers Cheltenham, we love roses a lot, we have some beautiful bouquets in our online shop with the most perfect blooms in and we understand that people love to fill their gardens with these lovely romantic flowers and we have some top tips for caring for your rose bushes.
The classic rose bush is a favourite choice for growing in home gardens for both their beauty and fragrance. With the proper care, rose bushes planted today will still be thriving and producing beautiful roses decades from now.
How to Prune a Rose Bush
Topping the care list of things needed by rose bushes is a good yearly pruning. Rose bushes should be pruned in early spring, just before the new growth begins.
Use a sharp pair of pruning shears and prune away any dead or diseased rose canes. Next, prune away any weak rose canes or canes growing towards the centre of the rose bush. Lastly, give the rose bush an overall uniform shape by pruning the remaining strong canes to a uniform height. If buds have already made their appearance on the canes, prune the cane by making an angled cut ¼ inch above the bud, with the high end of the angled cut facing the bud.
Feed After Pruning
Rose bushes awaken in the springtime famished and pruning signals the bush to produce new growth. Feed the rose bush immediately after pruning with a portion of systemic rose food, balanced, all-purpose fertiliser, or well-rotted cow manure. You can also make your own compost from your home and garden waste.
Apply the food in a circle around the rose bush about six inches away from the base and work the food into the soil lightly with a hand-held garden fork. A light touch is needed for working the food into the soil as rose bushes have roots that grow close to the soil surface.
Apply Mulch
Rose bushes grow best when the soil moisture and temperature are consistent. After feeding, apply a layer of organic mulch around the base of the rose bush, keeping the mulch about two inches away from the main rose cane. The mulch will give soil moisture and help it stay temperature consistent and prevent weed growth.
The organic mulch will slowly decompose and add nutrients to the soil which the rose bush can use. Apply a second layer of organic mulch in mid-to-late summer if needed.
Water Needs
Deep, once-a-week watering is preferred by the rose bush. Deep watering will promote deep root growth and help to sustain the rose bush during dry times. Shallow watering promotes shallow root growth and weakens the plant.
Pest and Disease Control
Inspecting rose bushes often for signs of pests or diseases is the best line of defence for control of bugs and beasties. Handpick any harmful pests off the bushes and remove any discoloured foliage. Apply a systemic pest and disease control product or use a foliar spray product at the first sign of pest infestation or disease to keep the problem from spreading and killing the rose bush.
Pruning is vital to the health of rose bushes. Proper feeding, watering, and inspecting for pests and disease are also part of the health care roses require.
So there you have it. How to care for your roses in your garden, and as many garden roses don’t do very well off the bushes, especially the older varieties, to have beautiful roses in the house, don’t forget to look at our online shop for delivery in Cheltenham and around the Cotswolds or pop into our shop in Charlton Kings when we reopen.
