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Rose Care

Exposure - Roses grow best in full sun. Plant in an area that receives at least 5 hours of sun. Plant rose bushes 3-4 feet apart. Hedge and groundcover roses can be planted closer together.

Amendments: - To enhance performance, plant in composted, well-drained soil where roots can grow deep. Amend existing soil with LGM Planting Mix.

Watering - A Rose needs water to the full depth of its roots (assume 16-18 inches). Avoid overhead watering as it encourages diseases and fungus problems. Under each bush, create a basin-like well with soil to hold water during irrigation.

A slow, deep soaking is the best method for watering roses. Use low pressure, allowing only a very slow stream of water to thoroughly soak the root ball (10-15 minutes depending on soil type). Water once a week during cool months, twice a week during warm to hot months.

Fertilizing - After planting your roses, generally wait until after the first flush of bloom before fertilizing them. They will need to be fed every 2 weeks, up until around mid-to late October.

Pruning - Deadheading and grooming needs to be done regularly to keep your roses looking their best. Deadheading should be done before the petals begin to fall off, and should be clipped at the fifth leaf to promote new bud growth. Also, because disease often starts on the ground, keep the general area surrounding your plant clear of petals, dead leaves, and all other clippings.

Diseases: - Your rose's worst enemies will be powdery mildew and rust. They can be treated with Ortho Rosepride spray. Treat 3 times, with 7 day intervals in between. ALWAYS SPRAY MORE THAN ONCE! Diseases and fungus are easy to cure when caught early, so inspect your plants often. You can also take other precautions, such as:

Insects - Well tended, healthy roses are less likely to fall prey to damaging pest infestations or disease.

Discuss options with our sales staff. You have two options when it comes to battling insects:

  1. Natural Products - Insecticidal soap sprays, horticultural oils, neem spray.
  2. Synthetic Pesticides - such as Ortho Rosepride, Orthonex Systemic, or Bayer Systemic.

Pruning Climbing Roses

Climbing Roses should never be pruned in the same manner as a bush rose. Climbing rose canes need to STAY LONG! Climbers grow slowly the first year with just light blooming, but gradually can become an entire wall of blooms.

Each year in January, you will need to prune the flowering shoots that appear along the canes on your climbing rose. Cut back leaving 2 to 3 buds on each shoot.

Once your climber is 4 to 5 years old, you may need to do the following additional pruning each January: remove older and weak canes, also any dead or diseased material. Make cuts all the way down to where growth originates.

After your rose is 3 to 4 years old a second pruning can be done in the spring just after the new growth appears. Prune the end of each stem by cutting below two or three leaves, leaving 3 to 4 buds to promote more vigorous flowering.