| Rose Care | ||||
| Links |
|
Pruning
Once blooming roses should be pruned after they bloom in the summer. These roses bloom on "old wood" so if they are pruned in the winter or early spring before they have bloomed, you will be pruning off your flowers.
Repeat blooming roses can be pruned at any time of year. Traditionally, they are given a hard pruning in winter when they are fully dormant, or in early spring. I prefer doing this pruning in early spring when the leaves are just starting to break dormancy or "about the size of a squirrel's ear." For me, in zone 7, Virginia this is between Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day in most years. This would be when I thin out the canes and trim the rose to the size I want after I remove the dead canes.
From my experience, both once blooming roses and repeat blooming roses benefit from lighter trimmings later in the summer and into early fall. This trimming just helps them keep a nice shape and stay filled out. In my zone, the once bloomers still have enough time to produce next years flowering growth if they are given a light pruning no later that early September. I would leave any hips for winter color however.
| ||
|
Spray Program
My "spray program" consists of an application of dormant oil around February and applications of Wilt Pruf as needed. No other sprays are used.
Fertilizing
I have tried a few different fertilizers including Rose Tone, Fertrel, alfalfa tea, and my favorite, a Spring and Fall Tonic recipe I found on the net. I apply the Tonic in (you guessed it) the Spring and Fall, and use more soluble fertilzers in between (focusing on organic solutions like alfalfa and fish emulsion.)
Mulch
Mulch can do so many things for a garden that its value just can't be overlooked. Because I have a pretty large garden and a pretty small budget, I use free shredded wood mulch from the county. Granted, I usually have to pick out some large chunks and sometimes a few bits of plastic bags but it is worth the effort. The mulch cuts down on annual weeds and water loss. It breaks down and replenishes the soil with organic matter as well. This also makes the soil very light and easier to remove stubborn perennial weeds that spread underground like wire grass (a real problem in my garden).
Companion Plants
Companion plants are said to help in preventing disease spread and insect infestations by providing diversity in the garden and making it more difficult for the culprits to spread from one rose to another. Whether or not this is true, I think that a garden with plants other than just roses looks more like a garden and less like a plant experimentation station. I especially like using ground covering plants to smother out weeds around the roses such as dianthus and moss phlox. Slightly taller plants help to fill in around the roses and cover up any naked rose legs. Victoria Blue Salvia, which, if planted in the spring, has been perennial in my zone 7 garden for the past several years, is a great plant for this purpose. I am particularly drawn to silver foliaged and blue flowered plants as I think they compliment all rose colors - especially pink. Other favorites are artemesia, lavender, daylilies, and lamb's ear. Alliums are also useful in detering voles and fungus problems. Note: Provence lavender has been the only one so far that has done well in my garden. It seems to tolerate the humidity and clay soils better than any other.
| ||||
