Getting your roses ready
Planting, pruning and feeding are all done now, says Ruth
WHERE many plants drift in and out of fashion, there is one that seems to stay top of the pops: the rose. Whether they are shrubby, climbing, rambling or potted, their popularity never wanes.
If you have roses in your garden, now is the time to start work to help them perform their best this summer.
For despite their popularity, roses can be tricky plants to grow well, liking lots of nurturing while being prone to a range of pests and problems. However, with a strong start to the year and continued care throughout, they should stay healthy and put on a wonderful show all summer and well into the autumn.
Plant health starts at ground level, with the soil. Rose roots run shallow, so take care when weeding to avoid damaging them as this can lead to suckers, growth from the rootstock below the graft node. If you see suckers developing (they are paler and appear slightly away from the main plant), pull them off at the ground. Never cut them as this will encourage regrowth.
For now, weed around your plants and feed with a proprietary rose fertiliser. Fork this in, water and mulch well with well-rotted compost and manure. They will not need feeding again until midsummer, when a top-up after flowering may encourage more blooms. Watch out for pests as the first leaves unfurl. Aphids are drawn to their tender tips and as plants develop, rose sawfly can become a nuisance. They lay eggs on soft young stems, causing tears, and the caterpillars emerge and eat the leaves.
Plants will survive, but you can help control them by picking off larvae by hand and encouraging natural predators such as birds and ground beetles.
■ On P5 I show you how to plant a rose in a spot where a rose was previously growing. To reduce the risk of replant disease, which can cause new plants to fail to thrive, I have planted it in fresh compost in a cardboard box, which will gradually decompose giving the roots time to establish.
I planted it a few months ago and so far, it is looking healthy!