Roses, in their many different colors and varieties, can be a beautiful and eye-catching addition to any garden! However, they can be a bit high maintenance if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.
With the right care, you’ll be able to enjoy your rose blooms for months on end, from early summer to mid-fall! Here are a few simple tips to make the most of your rose bushes and maximize their blooming potential.
Pruning
One of the best ways to take care of your roses is to prune them! Pruning your roses can help promote strong branches and plenty of air circulation, leading to healthier plants and more blooms!
“Unlike peonies or daylilies that only bloom once a year, roses will provide blooms summer long if they’re pruned,” says Ashley Barkow, a horticulturist at Green Bay Botanical Garden who tends to the Rose Garden.
Barkow recommends first pruning your roses in mid-May before any buds form to get rid of any dead or weak branches. Then, she says that regular pruning (or deadheading) should continue from June through October, snipping away any spent flowers to encourage new blooms.
After the last blooms happen in the fall, significantly pruning back branches on hybrid tea, floribunda, or grandiflora rose varieties can help reduce damage during the winter months.
While pruning your roses, cut downwards at a 45-degree angle, about a quarter of an inch above a bud. When possible, try to choose buds that are facing outwards on your rose bush.
Fertilizing
Here at the Garden, Barkow makes sure our roses are fertilized three times a year with a compost/fertilizer mixture to keep them sustained all summer long.
For established roses, it’s recommended to fertilize in the early spring after the first leaves start to appear, and again after each bloom cycle. To keep new growth safe from the cold, stop fertilizing between 6-8 weeks before the first frost. In Wisconsin, the first f
rost is typically in late October – so your last fertilization should fall somewhere between late August and mid-September).If you’re planting new roses, start fertilizing about a month after planting – this will allow enough time for the roses to establish growth first. Then, continue to fertilize every 3-4 weeks.
Pest Protection
Roses are a popular snack among many animals and insects! At the Garden, our roses are sprayed weekly with a fungicide and pesticide to protect them from hungry critters.
For other ways to keep animals out of your garden, check out our blog post Get Out of my Garden! Tips to Help Keep Your Garden Critter-Free.
Overwintering
While some rose varieties are hardy to Wisconsin (meaning they can survive through the chilly Wisconsin winters), others need a little help to stay warm. To protect varieties (like hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas, and English roses) from the winter weather, you need overwinter these roses – or, as Barkow says, “put them to bed!”
In November, cover the bottom 10-12 inches of your rose bushes with mulch or soil, forming a mound around the cane. For extra protection, add a layer of straw or leaves as well. This provides a layer of insulation for your roses. Additionally, you can wrap twine around the branches of your roses to keep them secure during windy weather.
Barkow typically uncovers the roses in late April or early May, once the final frost clears. Then, you’re ready to start pruning for the spring and summer months!
Hopefully, one (or more) of these tips will take your rose bushes from barely budding to bountiful blooms! We’re still seeing some blooms at the Garden – make sure to stop and smell the roses during your next visit!
