CARE FOR ROSES

Most roses take a bit of a rest in summer after their major spring efforts, but they’ll still be producing some flowers. By picking these regularly to enjoy indoors, you’ll prevent the formation of unwanted rosehips that take energy from the plant and delay repeat flowering.

In mid to late summer, give long-blooming roses an all-over prune, removing dead or diseased sections and cutting back the remaining healthy growth by about one-third. This helps you get on top of common fungal problems, such as black spot (left) and stimulates lots of fresh new growth on which blooms will form. After pruning, fertilise, water well and mulch to prepare your roses for a beautiful autumn display.

Sap-sucking mites thrive in hot, dry summer conditions and they love attacking roses. Two-spotted mites (left) suck the goodness out from the undersides of the leaves, causing discolouration, spotting and, in severe cases, the formation of a film of fine webbing over the leaves. Major mite attacks can be controlled by commercially available predatory mites but, if you get in early, you can try treating with an insecticidal soap or a rose spray that’s registered for mite control. Watering over and under the leaves can also discourage mites but may lead to more fungal problems.