| ROSE
CARE
1
August 2006
 Roses
are at their best now with bush, shrub, climber,
rambler and patio species all a mass of colour.
To ensure a continuing display they will benefit
from a little extra pampering.
Established plants will send roots in search
of water but newly planted roses will be under
considerable stress during periods of drought.
When watering make sure that sufficient is applied
to thoroughly wet the soil. Dig down to check
if the sprinkler has put sufficient on to penetrate
to where the roots are.
A 5-10 cm (2-4 inch) deep mulch of bark will
help to prevent evaporation. This is a good
time to apply a feed of rose fertilizer at the
recommended dose. If it is granular or powder
it will only become available to the roots after
rainfall when it is in solution.
 Dead
head as soon as the flowers are over and before
hips form. Cut them off along with the top 3-4
leaves and put them into the compost heap. Some
varieties of rose drop their old flower petals
but it is still necessary to remove the seed
head.
Black spot disease is a serious problem with
some rose varieties. The sprays available will,
at best, reduce the severity of attack. Where
there are only a few plants the best control
is to pick off all the affected leaves and burn
them. Where there is yellowing and leaf drop
then rake up the leaves from around the base
of the plant and burn them.
 Stems
that have serious amounts of black spots and
streaks should be pruned out and burnt. If a
particular variety is constantly covered then
I would dig it up and burn it. That way you
lose a plant but the remainder are less likely
to be contaminated.
Suckers can be a problem. Most bush roses are
now bud grafted into Rosa laxa rootstock which
is less prone to suckering than Rosa canina,
the dog rose.
Remove suckers as close to the stem or root
as possible to prevent the stump re-growing
with extra suckers.
Some shrub roses such as the beautiful Rosa
rugosa are prone to sucker and these may be
dug up in autumn as rooted plants and planted
out in the garden or potted up as presents for
friends.
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