How to Grow Roses

Read our tips on how to grow roses and home and keep them flowering all through autumn.

Summer is just about to start in the northern hemisphere and that means it is rose season! It is one of the best times of the year in the garden when all of the fragrant roses start to fully bloom.

While roses are a fairly hardy shrub, here are a few tips to keeping the flowering beautifully through summer and autumn.

Planting

If you are planting roses in the ground, dig a hole that is large enough to accommodate the roots with some extra room to spread, water the hole first and allow the water to drain before planting your rose. Plant the rose and build the soil up until the base of the roots are well covered. If you need to move the location of your rose wait until winter when you the plant becomes dormant. If you are planting your rose in a pot, apply the same principles and make sure your pot is large enough to accommodate the roses expected growing height and width.

Pruning

During winter, roses need a heavy prune in order to prepare them for the growing season however it isn’t the only time they need pruning. Roses also need a light mid-summer prune to remove deadheads and encourage new growth. A good tip is to prune as if you are picking the stems for cut flowers.

Water

Newly planted roses in their first season will need a little more water as they establish their roots. For more established roses, give them a deep soak once a week in high summer when there is little or no rain.

Mulch and food

Keep roses mulched to lock in soil moisture and smother weeds. Mulching in spring will ensure your roses have the best chance of thriving during summer. Keep humidity down by watering the roots (not the leaves) and make sure there is good air circulation around each shrub.

Roses should be fertilised three times a year with a rose fertiliser – at the start of spring, the start of summer and the start of autumn. Roses are heavy feeders as they require a lot of nutrients to produce those beautiful blooms however don’t overfeed roses or you may end up with large leaves and little blooms.

Most importantly, enjoy these beautiful blooms all throughout spring, summer and autumn – they really are one of the garden’s most beautiful blooms.

Want more? Read our tips here for How to Grow Hydrangeas and here for How to Grow Dahlias.