START YOUR ROSES OFF RIGHT FOR THE SEASON AHEAD
Roses are one of the most notoriously gorgeous flowers in a garden, but they also have a reputation for requiring complex maintenance. If you’ve ever dreamed of having a thriving rose bush in your garden, it’s easier than you think! It just takes the right know-how for pruning and maintenance, which we have summarized for you!
When & How to Prune Roses
Bush roses, climbing roses, and shrub roses should all need pruning in early spring here in Indianapolis. Climbing roses may also need to be lightly pruned again throughout the growing season. Be sure to wait until after the last frost has passed for the season, but once your roses start to bud, it’s time to bust out the pruning shears!
There are a few basic steps to pruning roses. First, remove all remaining leaves; this will eliminate any disease or pest that may be lingering from the winter months. Then, prune back any dead wood to the base. If you cut into a branch and it’s brown inside, it’s dead. If it’s green, leave it be!
Next, look into the center of the plant and remove any cross branches which can rub against one another, eventually potentially encouraging disease or causing damage. Ideally, you want your rose bush to resemble the shape of a vase with all upward reaching branches. You can also remove any weak growth. A good rule of thumb is to prune back anything thinner than a pencil.
The last step in pruning your rose bush is tackling the remaining canes. New stems on a rose bush will grow in the direction of the bud. If you want a branch to grow away from the center of the rose bush, cut ¼” to ½” above an outward-facing node. Try to make diagonal cuts at a 45-degree angle to help with water runoff.
Then, once all of your actual pruning is complete, seal freshly cut canes with a pruning sealer to protect your rose bush from rose borers and rot. Tidy up underneath and around the rose bush to remove any potentially disease-ridden leaves or branches from the site.
Properly pruning your rose bush will encourage more growth and blooms! If your roses need pruning during the growing season, restrict any cuts to dead, diseased, or damaged branches.
Basic Rose Care
Aside from pruning, we recommend following some basic rose care tips throughout the upcoming growing season to keep your rose bush thriving and produce big, beautiful blooms!
Watering
Water your rose bush at ground level rather than watering the flowers or branches directly; this will keep them healthy and help keep leaf spots or fungal diseases at bay. We recommend watering first thing in the morning and watering deeply rather than frequently. Layering mulch around the bottom of your rose bush will help reduce evaporation and retain soil moisture.
Fertilizing
You can apply a granular rose fertilizer around the same time that you prune and then another light application later in the season after your rose bush has had its first round of blooms. We do not recommend fertilizing beyond July, as this will encourage new blooms at the wrong time in the growing season.
Preventing Pests & Disease
Your best defense against pests and disease is growing healthy roses. Plant disease-resistant roses and keep a close eye on your roses throughout the growing season. Apply a systemic disease and pest treatment to keep your roses looking their best. If they end up with any disease or pests, you can deal with the issue early on before it gets too severe.
These are basic tips that you can apply when caring for most roses, but it helps to understand the particular variety or cultivar you have planted in your garden, as their needs vary slightly. If you are looking for rose bushes for sale in Indianapolis, stop by Dammann’s Garden Center to see what we have in stock! We’re always happy to help with any questions about planting, growing, or caring for your roses.