Everything’s Coming Up Roses!
After what feels like months of never-ending rain (I might be being a little dramatic there) as soon as the sun comes out I’m itching to get outside, soak up some Vitamin D and enjoy its gentle warmth.
So top of my gardening agenda this month is sorting out the roses. We love to grow roses in the garden, any we can lay our hands on. Climbers, ramblers, standards, bushes, we squish them all in somewhere.
Now is the perfect time to start thinking about giving those roses a bit of love. Pruning roses is best done from now until March so pick yourself a sunny day and get those secateurs out. Pruning roses can feel like a bit of a minefield so here’s a quick reminder for you, in all instances you want to start by removing any dead or diseased stems as these will not only look unsightly but can spread disease throughout the rest of the plant:
Climbing Roses
- Tie in new shoots
- Cut back old wood by around two thirds
Shrub Roses
- Flower on old wood so prune lightly to shape only if you wish to have blooms this year
Floribunda & Hybrid Tea Roses
- The pruning for these types of roses is very similar, it’s just the amount you cut back by that varies
- For Hybrid Teas cut back to around 10-15cm from the base
- For Floribunda cut back to around 25-30cm from the base
Now is also the perfect time to plant new roses, provided the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Roses like a sunny spot in the garden and as a general rule, the more sun the better! This year I’m definitely finding a spot for Vilchenblau, its new to our range for 2023 and bears wonderful purple and white blooms with a delicious orange fragrance.
The last job before a well-earned cuppa will be treating the roses to a spa! Don’t forget to give your roses their first treatment of the year with Sulphur Rose to keep away the dreaded black spot and mildew. This tonic forms a protective barrier to keep these fiends at bay. When foliage appears later in the year it also strengthens the leaves to keep aphids away too. Spray stems and soil now to give your roses the best start to the growing season possible and then spray once a month throughout the year.
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Happy gardening!
Lou