By any other name.....

Widely cultivated since ancient times, these beautiful prickly plants have captured our imagination and inspired humans for centuries. Nowadays, the sheer number of scents and colours available is dizzying, but while variety is great, sometimes making a choice about which Roses you’d like to grow can be difficult.

We’ve compiled some of the main terms and tips, to hopefully make rose growing easy.

CHOOSING YOUR ROSE
 

There are loads of stunning roses to choose from, and the downside is that selecting the right rose can seem like a complicated process. However this needn't be the case.

When buying a rose consider:

How big it  grow. Do you have enough space?

Is it a disease resistant variety? If not you will probably need to spray more and give it more attention.

How long it will flower for?

Do you want scented or not.
 

POSITION

Most Roses need a sunny preferably airy spot in the garden.

They prefer free draining fertile soils rich in organic matter. They can be planted in heavier soils but more preparation is required.

PLANTING

A good rule of thumb is to dig a hole that is at least twice as deep and twice as wide as the pot that your rose came in.

Backfill the hole with your top soil, compost and sheep pellets, leaving enough space to plant your rose.

Carefully plant your rose, add the remaining soil and firm it down. The rose should be planted to the same level as it was in the pot.

In heavier clay soils mix in gypsum when planting to help improve soil structure. In areas where drainage is a problem planting into a slight mound can help.

Water deeply, to lesson the shock after planting.

CARING FOR YOUR ROSE

WATERING
 

Through the drier months watering your rose deeply once or twice a week is better than giving a slight water everyday.

Avoid wetting the foliage when watering to reduce the likelihood of fungal problems.

Mulching your roses will also help keep your soil moist, and it also helps suppress the weeds!

FEEDING

Sprinkling a handful of sheep pellets around your rose every few months will help encourage worms, provide
nutrients, and improve the structure of your soil.

Use Kings Slow Release Rose Food or for an organic option, use Aquaticus Organic Garden Booster to ensure your rose is nice and healthy.
 

IN CONTAINERS
 

Roses grown in pots can look spectacular, however it is more work.
Be especially careful with your watering and feeding if you want your roses to look good.

PRUNING

The main rose prune should happen in winter, when they are pruned for shape and size, however regularly deadheading your roses through the growing season helps improve flowering and keeps them looking tidy. After pruning spray with copper and oil to reduce the chance of pest and disease problems.

When deadheading make sure that you prune back to a decent sized leaf. If you only remove the spent blossom your rose will start to look messy and often won’t flower as long.

For help with winter rose pruning check out our guide instore.

Pests & Diseases
 

A healthy rose grown in healthy soil, that is kept well fed, watered, and pruned is less likely to develop problems. However, some issues still occur.

Common fungal problems include black spot and rust. To reduce the chance of issues arising clear away fallen leaves and remove yellowing leaves or leaves that develop spots.

In worse cases uses spray with Free Flo Sulphur.

Most pests can be controlled using Aquaticus Bugtrol. If pests and disease do become a problem and you need further help, visit our plant doctor site.