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Spring & Early Summer - Upper South
Consider Soaker Hoses
Watering roses with a soaker hose is more efficient than using a sprinkler or hose, plus it helps prevent water splashing from the soil onto the foliage and spreading fungal diseases. Since roses thrive when the soil throughout the root zone is kept evenly moist, a heavy mulch placed over the soaker hose further improves water conservation. When purchasing a soaker hose, check to see that it's not so stiff that it's difficult to use. A simple drip irrigation system is another option.
Battle the Creepy Crawlies
Japanese beetles, June bugs, rose chafer, and a wide assortment of other garden beetles are at their worst in June. Japanese beetles are especially destructive on roses. If you have the stomach for it, hand-pick and drop them into a bucket of soapy water early in the morning when they are lethargic. Otherwise, spray at 10-day intervals with as safe an insecticide as possible, such as neem, and treat the soil with milky spore disease to kill the beetle grubs.
Test Soil and Feed Roses
Repeat-blooming roses, especially, need well-fertilized soil, so test your soil for fertility and pH every year. Roses grow best with a pH range of 6.0 to 6.5. A general recommendation is to add 1/2 cup of alfalfa pellets or meal and an ounce of Epsom salts around each rose bush after the spring pruning. Scratch these lightly into the soil. A week or so later, apply a balanced fertilizer according to the manufacturer’s directions. Water well.
Cutting and Conditioning Roses
For the longest vase life, cut roses either in the early morning or evening when they contain the most water. Using pruning shears, cut the stem at an angle just above an outward-facing leaf. Remove foliage from the bottom 3 to 4 inches of stem. Recut the stem underwater at an angle, removing 1/2 inch of stem, then place in a container with water and a floral conditioner. Set in a humid, cool, dim place for several hours before making your arrangement.
Pruning Roses
Prune once-flowering roses as soon as possible after they've finished blooming. This gives them a long season to develop canes that will bloom next year. Deadhead repeat-flowering roses throughout the growing season. Prune and shape plants, as necessary up until about six weeks before the expected date of the first hard freeze. On roses known for their decorative, seed-bearing hips, remove only the untidy or old, nonproductive canes.
Go Wild
Nothing risque, just consider adding some wild, or species, roses to your garden this year. If you have the space for an 8-foot tall shrub, try Rosa glauca. It only blooms once a year, with small pink-and-white flowers, but provides beautiful maroon-tinged foliage that is superb in bouquets all summer. Rosa rugosa var. alba is exquisite in its simplicity and fragrance. Or, try 'Nearly Wild', a short, bushy, disease-resistant variety with single, pink, fragrant flowers. |
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Resources
Books:
If you’re looking for that one particular rose or just want to know some basic information about roses, then the Combined Rose List (compiled and editied by Beverly R. Dobsom & Peter Schneider; available for $20 from Peter Schneider, Box 677, Mantua, OH 44255) is an invaluable reference. Updated and published each year, the Combined Rose List includes synonyms and code names, color and horticultural classification, breeder, year of introduction, major awards won, fragrance notation, and patent/trademark status on over 13,500 rose species and varieties. Each rose is also keyed to every nursery that offers it, with over 320 mail-order nursery sources fully listed with contact information.
If you've ever wondered about companion planting, here's a fun book that explores the topic in detail. Roses Love Garlic: Secrets of Companion Planting with Flowers, by Louise Riotte, describes how flowers help or hinder vegetables and other flowers. The book suggests companions for many commonly grown annuals and perennials, plus it discusses the medicinal uses, history, and folklore of many plants. | |
