Gift to swoon at long after Valentine’s
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so there will be a lot of roses being given on Monday because the rose is still a firm favourite with lovebirds and romantic types.
And who am I to argue (although I think the tulip is a more appropriate) and given the right care and, of course, the roots, many roses will produce blooms for months outdoors – whatever the weather.
Treat them with consideration, keep them tidy and you’ll encourage new, clean foliage; continue to deadhead all the spent or damaged blooms by either snapping off the head about 2cm (1in) below the flowerhead or snipping off the complete flower truss, using secateurs, and you’ll encourage even more and later blooms.
But despite all the best efforts with watering and feeding, with pruning and pampering, there are still many dangers awaiting the unwary rose grower. Diseases such as blackspot, and perhaps rose rust, will show their spotty symptoms on mature leaves, leaving affected foliage yellow and weak.
To minimise the infection, pick off any affected foliage and dispose of the leaves somewhere away from your compost heap because it may not generate sufficient heat to kill off the diseases. It’s best to bag the leaves and take them to the local tip.
And to take the battle to the enemy, spray affected roses with a proprietary fungicide as soon as new foliage starts to grow. It aims to kill off any existing infection and protect new growth from these two rose diseases – and it also fights powdery mildew and any sap-sucking aphids which can seriously weaken roses.
Good pruning also has a big effect on the quality and health of roses, but different roses need different treatment; make sure you do the right thing at the right time.
Early spring is a good time to tidy up all roses – removing dead and damaged stems, tying in new, whippy growth on ramblers, and making sure that all varieties are encouraged to grow and flower well.