Everything’s looking rosy
The nation’s favourite bloom will turn heads all summer long with a little bit of love...
ROSES are a national treasure. Immortalised in art, poetry and classic works of literature, they are synonymous with summer and romance. In surveys to find the public’s favourite blooms, they are always a shoo-in for top spot.
Our love affair with these plants is deep-seated and the flowers have provided inspiration for many notable Britons over the years. William Shakespeare, for example, mentions roses 70 times in his works and in his final play, The Two Noble Kinsmen, he wrote: ‘ Of all the flowers, methinks a rose is best.’
There’s no doubt that a first-rate climber, hybrid tea, floribunda or any other type of rose is a thing of great beauty, but even the Bard would find it difficult to wax lyrical about those that have been neglected – leggy, overgrown, weak and unproductive plants are truly an affront to the senses.
To ensure roses possess the kind of looks that will turn heads, it’s important to give them regular attention. Watering, feeding, deadheading and a little bit of pruning, along with vigilance to keep pests and diseases at bay, will ensure they remain strong, healthy and floriferous all summer.
Watering is essential during hot, dry periods. Ideally, soak the soil first thing in the morning or in the evening, allowing plants to take up moisture before it evaporates. Established roses generally need watering once a week, while newly planted ones may need watering every other day.
MULCHING will help to slow down moisture loss, along with keeping roots cool and preventing weeds from germinating. Spread a 2 in layer of composted bark, garden compost or leafmould around the plant, leaving a gap around stems.
While you’re at ground level, check the base of roses for ‘suckers’. These underground shoots don’t have the same characteristics as the rest of the shrub and will sap its energy. Trace the stem back to below the surface and twist it off.
It’s important that roses get plenty of nourishment too. Garden centres stock a range of specialist granular fertilisers that can be used two to three times a year. Give plants a dose in late July to keep them going until the end of the season.
One of the best-kept secrets in gardening, Uncle Tom’s Rose Tonic is a go-to product for commercial growers. High in potassium and phosphorous, it promotes strong, healthy growth. The foliar feed can be sprayed every seven to 14 days during the growing season.
Some roses provide only a single flush of flowers, but many are repeat- flowering types that will keep on going until the first frosts. Encourage a constant supply of flowers and prevent them from l ooking s cruffy by r emoving blooms as soon as they start to fade. Cut back to a healthy pair of leaves with secateurs.
Apart from deadheading, and the removal of the odd dead branch, most roses don’t need formative pruning in the summer. The exception are ramblers, which are best trimmed in late summer – thin out congested clumps by removing a third of old stems and shorten side shoots of those remaining by about two-thirds.
Many varieties are resistant to complaints such as mildew, but plenty are still martyrs to disease. A common problem is black spot, a fungal menace that results in leaves turning yellow, developing dark patches and falling prematurely. Clear up leaves and spray branches with a suitable fungicide.
As for pests, aphids are attracted to shoot tips, fresh leaves and buds. Their sap-sucking can lead to a loss of vigour, distorted stems and wilting, while the sticky substance they excrete on leaves can be infected by sooty mould. Rub the aphids off by hand immediately, or spray with an organic pesticide.