There are plenty of gardening jobs to do at this time of year, but taking a little time to tend to roses now can make a big difference in the longer term.
Garden enthusiasts, take note – before the summer sun sets for good, there’s a blooming opportunity to extend the life of your rose blooms. Alan Down, a green-fingered guru with half a century of cultivating expertise and founder of Down to Earth, advises that properly tended roses could flourish well into the cosier days of mid to late autumn.
He emphasised the importance of July rose care, stating: “July rose care often gets overlooked. But a little effort now will reap dividends that in many roses leads to prolonged flowering.”
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As the balmy late summer months roll in, it’s prime time to keep an eagle eye on your roses due to the increased activity of aphids, spider mites, Japanese beetles, and greenflies on the prowl and keen on making your roses their target.
By sparing just five minutes each day to tend to your prized roses until the cusp of August, you can help ensure they stay bountiful and even coax out blooms that would otherwise be waving goodbye much sooner, reports the Express.
Feed the roses
Firstly, he urged gardeners to feed those hungry roses. Alan advised: “Roses are hungry plants and respond well to being given more feed now. This is especially so if your garden has hungry light soil. The main feeding time is of course during winter. But a top-up at this time of the year will work wonders!”.
To feed your roses most effectively, look for a balanced fertiliser with equal measures of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, those passionate about petals might consider specially formulated rose feeds or organic options involving fish parts and bone meal to really let their roses revel.
Encourage your roses to keep on blooming
Simply pop out to your garden and remove any wilting petals from your roses to encourage the growth of longer-lasting blooms. Alan explained: “It’s okay to just nip off each browning flower so as to stop the plant wasting energy on seed production.
“But it’s better to cut back into that flowering stem too. Aim to cut back the stem to remove at least two leaves as well as the fading flower. This should stimulate fresh strong growth that will grow flower buds at its top.”
Stay vigilant with rose disease management
One particularly pervasive affliction is black spot, a fungal infection that thrives in humid climates and can be identified by big circular purple marks on yellowing rose leaves. Be on the lookout for other conditions such as powdery mildew, which presents as a white dusting on leaves, potentially causing them to wilt, and rust, recognised as an orange residue underneath the foliage.
Promoting good air flow around your roses, watering from the base, deadheading, and feeding them well markedly decreases the likelihood of encountering these summer woes.
Alan remarked: “Well-pruned and well-fed roses are in better shape to resist this attack. But regular sprays that coat new shoots in a protective layer will go a long way to preventing your bushes from blackspot, powdery mildew and rust attack. So don’t let up on the spraying now if you want more colourful and sweetly scented roses growing on you till autumn!”.
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