Summer Rose Care

My roses don’t look good” is a comment we’re hearing more of lately. July’s heat and dryness has left roses as well as other plants struggling with a variety of issues. Here are some things to do to keep your roses looking good.

First of all, keep up with the pruning by removing spent blossoms before they go to seed. Removing faded blossoms stimulates roses to grow and produce more blooms.

Use a good set of hand pruners and snip the bloom just above an outward facing 5-leaf set. At this point in the season, you're like to find more 5-leaf sets than 3-leaf or 7-leaf sets.

While you're deadheading, look for any weeds creeping into or around your roses and remove them, especially bindweed.

Hard prune any dead or diseased canes to the ground. Water roses slowly and deeply every 5-7 days. This will encourage strong, deep root systems.

Fertilize with Mile High Rose Food now. It takes a lot of energy to produce beautiful blooms. Feeding now will encourage stronger growth and better flowering through the rest of summer. Check for insects, particularly aphids. Use a general insect spray such as Triple Action or buy and release some ladybugs near your roses.

Watch out for diseases, such as black spot or powdery mildew.

You can control these with Safer Sulfur fungicide or Triple Action with Neem Oil.

If the leaves on your roses are looking pale and adding iron didn’t help, use some Magnesium Sulfate, which is agricultural grade Epsom Salts, to restore the dark, rich green to your rose plants.

Doing these things now will help your roses remain healthy and blooming, well into fall.