Care Of Roses
...and how to cut them for display.

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As I see it, care of roses really fall into two main categories: care for the roses that are growing in your garden and care for the roses that you cut to display. There is a preferred way to undertake both of these categories, so in simple terms, we will try to examine both.

Consider this a Care Of Roses basic guide.

Rose bushes are fairly easy to grow if you provide them with sun (morning sun is best!) and well drained soil, and they are also very tolerant of gardener abuse, but with some attention to your care of roses program, your bushes will remain healthy and you will produce a good display of blooms.

Here are five basic rose care tips worth considering:

a...Rose Bed Maintenance:

Your rose beds need to be kept clean and free of debris and a yearly mulch put down in the spring. This could be a well rotted manure or compost, potting soil, a good quality soil and peat mix, peat moss or bark mulch. Put down a couple of inches and it will keep the moisture in and the weeds out as well as keeping the soil cool in summer and warm in winter: and the rain will wash the goodness through to the roots of your bushes!

b...Pruning and Dead heading:

Make sure to prune out the dead, broken and pencil thin canes in the spring. Tea roses need to be pruned back to about eighteen inches in early spring and other bushes need to have about one third taken from the top for shape and control.

c...A Fertilizing Plan:

Roses need feeding so a plan is worth adopting. A handful of all purpose rose food in early spring and at the beginning of summer should do well, if you add liquid fertilizer at half strength every couple of weeks. Water the soil before you add the diluted liquid fertilizer so that it doesn't burn or concentrate as salts in the soil under summer heat. Always water in well.

d...Water; Necessary but Hazardous:

Water deeply at least twice a week but do not get any water on the leaves. In other words water the bed beneath not the leaves above! Once you start getting water on the leaves, blackspot and other little fungi will soon follow. Make sure the soil drains well...roses do not enjoy wet feet. Water pots twice a day and remove them from the direct summer sun. Indirect sun is best in mid summer.

e...On Guard for Diseases:

Make it a rule to stroll the garden and check each bush for little green bugs and other insects. The earlier you can detect them the quicker you can remove them in some way. The first sign of blackspot or leaf rust (brown or black spots on the leaves) and the leaf should be picked and thrown in the garbage. This will happen most often in late summer. You may end up picking all the leaves from the stems by late fall. This is fine but the healthier the rose bush the less likely it is to be stressed. Stressed bushes are asking for diseases....just like ourselves!

Cut your roses early morning, or if you have to, late afternoon......you are looking for the time of day when the sugar content is the highest. Cut when the buds are one third open and the sepals (the green pointy things under the bloom) have all curled back on themselves. This will give you the longest shelf life. Buds have to have started to open.

(ii)...The Cutting Process:

Take hot water in a canister or vase to the rose bush. Use sharp pruners to cut the stems and plunge them IMMEDIETELY into the hot water. They say it should be under ten seconds or air blocks in the stem will occur. Then carry your vase of stems into a dark, cool garage and transfer into cool water with some Floristat or some form of florists flower preservative.

Go to your local florist and ask for some packets. Re-cut the stems, under water and quickly transfer to the cooler water with preservative. (Some say weak Listerine works well because it kills any bacteria....and if you add some sugar that becomes the food for the bloom!) These cut flowers can stay in the cool, dark garage overnight and be ready for display the next day.

(iii)..Preserving the Bloom:

The water you keep them in must contain some bacteria killer and some flower food. The best is flower preserver from your local florist. Placed in an area of indirect light and not anywhere near a heat source like a television, and blooms should last eight to ten days at least.

You can hold them in a fridge at about 62 degrees if you want to hold the bloom for extra days but they should only be in the fridge for about four days, less if they are miniatures. This will affect some colors especially the lighter ones, and they will bruise if they touch anything else in the fridge.

Hopefully we have given you something to help you understand the care of roses you need for your best gardening experience. Don't forget we have a FREE monthly newsletter with “How-To” advice and many more pages to discover. Your Care of Roses, especially as they are your own, should be second to none.

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