Climbing roses unlike clematis and climbing Lonicera, unfortunately, don’t have any suckers on their shoots with which to cling to supports and walls. It’s up to you to ensure that they entwine themselves on the climbing framework that you provide. Here’s how to train a climbing rose; combine this with my guide on pruning climbing roses here to make a display to be proud of. What is a climbing rose? A climbing rose is simply a rose whose canes are…
A common question I get asked occasionally as a professional gardener is, ‘Why are my roses growing so tall’. My answer is they usually need pruning as they haven’t been pruned in years, or you might have purchased a climbing or rambling rose without realising. Sometimes, they don’t realise they need to prune their roses every spring to maintain a certain height, usually between 4-5ft. Roses are best pruned back to 20-30cm every year. The issue starts with plant labels…
You may see guides and people often say that the reason for your rose leaves turning yellow is dieback. But dieback is just a general term that means that something is stressing out your rose tree or bush. It takes some detective work to establish exactly what is making your rose plant unhappy. It could be pests or diseases, its growing environment or even how you’re treating it yourself. In most cases, it is probably black spot or rust disease,…
Your roses are probably drooping due to watering problems. Most people know that not watering roses enough will lead to them dropping, especially if you grow roses in pots. Potted plants have limited soil to retain moisture, and roses can quickly outgrow pots. Even roses grown in the ground may need watering occasionally, especially during periods of drought or even very hot weather, and newly planted roses need consistent regular watering until established. Many gardeners don’t realise that too much…
I’ve been growing roses in pots for over 20 years, and although I have roses in raised beds, as well as maintaining large rose beds as part of my garden maintenance business. I also love to grow roses in pots and think it’s a great alternative to growing them in the ground. I just love the idea of scented roses on the patio or balcony and the fantastic displays you get from the longer flowering varieties such as the Floribunda…
Unfortunately, roses are vulnerable to quite a few pests and diseases, and when I think about all the plants I’ve grown over the years, they’re the only plant where I try to prevent diseases in the first place. I’ve had the most success spraying roses with fungicides early on in the season to help prevent diseases like rust, blackspot and mildew. Prevention is much better than trying to treat a disease once it sets in. The good news is that…
Although the different types and varieties of roses have different pruning needs, most require only light pruning to keep them in shape and encourage vigorous growth. I cover the main points of how and when to prune roses here, plus some specific tips for the different kinds of roses after over 20 years of pruning roses myself. I worked in the family nursery for almost 20 years and potted up, pruned and sold thousands of roses so I know a…
While most roses require only a light pruning, if left alone, climbing roses become a tangled mess of stems and branches without many blooms. Prune climbing roses in the late autumn or early winter, before frost sets in, by cutting off unwanted stems and tying new ones to the support. This enables your climbing rose to grow strongly and healthily and protects young shoots from heavy winds. Four reasons to prune climbing roses When to prune climbing roses Climbing roses…
For a long time, roses have been associated with the traditional English garden. I’ve been personally growing them for over 20 years and my family has grown them on their nursery for over 40 years. But lately, rumours have been spreading as to how difficult it is to grow and care for roses. While I admit that, these plants are susceptible to several pests and diseases, maybe even more than most, they’re not really more high maintenance than other plants…
Bare root roses are one way you can buy a rose plant and are usually a little cheaper, too, when compared to buying them already potted. You basiclly get them at the same time as nurseries, but they pot them up to sell in summer, but you can plant them straight into your garden or into pots. As they come without soil around the roots, you need to plant them quite quickly or at least heal them into some soil…