The expert explains how to keep your roses beautiful all summer long

Roses take pride of place in many people’s gardens, adding color, fragrance and a touch of romance to our yards.

They come in many forms – shrubs, climbers, creepers and standards – and there are over 300 species as well as thousands of cultivars. Getting the most out of your roses and making sure they look their best all summer long requires a little love and care.

Luckily, we have an expert on hand to guide us. Karen Richards, a horticulturist with over 40 years’ experience, kindly invited the ECHO into her beautiful Wirral garden to give us tips on caring for roses.

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First things first: feeding and watering. Karen feeds her ‘repeat rambler’ rose once a month with a rose fertilizer. She said: “You should water everything well, put the fertilizer down and then do a top dressing of manure.

“Make sure the manure is two years old, because if it’s fresh, there will be urine in it that can damage the plant. So make sure it’s well-rotted.”

Karen’s Repetitive Rambler is a Malvern Hills variety which bears soft yellow flowers. She said: “What I love about a repeat cart like this is that it’s not over in six weeks. As long as you remove them after they’re done blooming, they’ll bloom again in late summer and you’ll have another one. spectacular display.

“Deadheading is crucial. To deadhead, simply count three leaves down from the head and then cut. But only do this when the full flower rosette has finished blooming.”

Karen, who works at Gordale Garden Centre, uses repeated climbing as a structure for other plants to climb. She points to a climatis that is starting to pass – a Polish Spirit variety that she says will bloom “once there are no more flowers left on the rose plant.”

According to Karen, providing good structure and direction for rose stems is important as it ensures they bloom to their full potential.

She explained: “Don’t let the bruised roses grow up. Many people will buy a trellis and try to push it up. But this is not good. A rose always reaches the top and blooms. When the stems come up, you should Place them over an arch Making the branches arch, the plant will bloom all the way through.”

Pruning is another important area of ​​rose care. Pointing to her David Austin Emily Bronte rose, which was in full bloom during the ECHO’s visit, Karen says she “cuts it back in autumn, about half”.

She says it’s helpful to think of a wine glass shape when shaping your rose bush, adding, “It’s really important to make sure air can get through the plant because you don’t want it to mold.”

As any gardener knows, you should always be on the lookout for signs of disease or pests attacking your roses.

Karen says roses are prone to fungal diseases these days. She said: “If you notice a black spot, make sure you clean up all the debris in the fall and remove all the leaves. I’ll go with a glass of wine and have a little slurp while I pick the leaves!”

She continued: “If you notice yellowing leaves, it could be a lot of things. It could be the food you’re using or the plant could be drying up.”

Karen’s Munstead Wood rose plant started to turn yellow last year and her leaves turned a rusty tinge. She said, “the leaves had little pustules on them that were powdery and bright orange.”

Her solution was to “cut back.” She said: “I fed it, clothed it and gave it good water. Then it bloomed again later in the summer.”

Greenfly is a constant concern for rose growers. According to Karen, the key signs are curled leaves that look “good”. She advises simply removing the leaves and pinching the plants rather than using pesticides.

She said: “I don’t spray – especially not at this time of year when the chicks are around and the birds are gathering food for their little ones. I love my birds and I don’t want them to get sick.”

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