Growing Roses in the Garden
Roses will bring colour and scent to your garden; the numerous varieties available ensure that you can find fabulous roses for any garden design. Follow our advice and your garden will soon be blooming.
2 minute read
Planting
Roses can be bought bare-rooted, for planting in autumn or pot-grown, when they can be planted at any time of year. Roses need feeding: dig a deep hole and add some manure or garden compost and a little rose fertiliser and plant your rose so that the union (a bump on the lower stem where the rose has been grafted) sits just above the surface of the soil. Firm the soil and water well.
Pruning
Pruning helps your roses to produce more blooms. Most roses can be pruned in March to early April. Remove any dead and wispy stems and cut back remaining branches to just above a bud. When picking roses for the house, cut the stems to just above a leaflet with three pairs of leaves, as this will encourage further flowers to appear.
Keeping Your Roses Healthy
Roses are sometimes attacked by aphids or greenfly that gather on tender stems near flower buds. Remove by hand or spray with a solution of mild detergent or an insecticide. Blackspot is a common fungal disease of roses that attacks the leaves, which will become spotted and die back. It is best prevented by regularly spraying with a fungicide and removing and destroying any damaged leaves.
Roses for Any Garden Design
Patio roses are miniatures that can be grown in pots and are perfect for small spaces; standard roses also require little space and other plants can be grown beneath them. Climbing roses can be grown against a fence or wall but also make a stunning feature when trained around an arch or obelisk.
