Gardeners who grow roses will love the colour they add to their outdoor space. However, during autumn and winter months it can be a hard time to keep the plant alive in many gardens across the UK.
Graham Smith, a gardening expert at LBS Horticulture, has shared how people can look after roses in autumn.
Smith has shared five gardening jobs Brits need to do to stop roses from catching any diseases and dying.
By following these simple steps roses will keep alive and thrive outside during the colder months.
Let’s take a look at the five gardening jobs in more detail.
Cut shrivelled flowers:
Smith advised: “Cut off any shrivelled flowers from roses before rot occurs. If you have a rose variety that produces hips, only remove the petals so that the hips are able to keep developing.”
Remove foliage:
He continued: “Remove any foliage that is showing signs of disease, such as black spots or mildew. Gather any infected leaves that have fallen onto the ground and dispose of these, as they can carry diseases over through the seasons.”
Replant roses:
Smith said: “If you have any roses in your garden that are in the wrong position, autumn is the ideal time to transplant roses.
“You can also try to plant new roses (provided that the ground has not frozen over or become waterlogged) so that they have enough time to establish before winter, and it can possibly increase the number of flowers that they will produce in their first year.
“For shrub roses, prune out any dead, damaged or overcrossing stems. Prune the plant with the aim of leaving behind an open-centred framework, as this will allow for good airflow through your rose.
“If your shrub rose is under two years old, then you should cut the plant back to around thirty centimetres above the ground. If the plant is over two years old, reduce its size by half and remove all of the foliage.
“For tall rose bushes, shorten the stems to reduce wind rock from any harsh winter gales, as otherwise this can loosen or damage the roots of the plants. Aim to cut just above an outward-facing bud where possible, and reduce the height of the rose by roughly a third.
“If you have standard roses, thin out the heads, as strong winds can catch these and potentially snap them off in storms. You can prune these in the same way as shrub roses, and any shoots that have appeared from the main trunk should be cut right back.
“If any suckers have appeared at the base of the trunk, these will also need to be cut back as much as possible.
“Young climbing rose plants do not need to be as aggressively pruned as older plants, and should only be pruned back by a couple of inches to encourage new growth.
“Mature plants should have their previous season’s growth cut back to around a few inches above the main stem. If you have rambling roses, these do not need much pruning and only need to have their shoots thinned out if necessary to maintain their height and spread.”
Mulching
“Although spring is the best time to mulch roses, it can also be applied during autumn if they have not been mulched before or the mulch has all disappeared,” Smith explained.
“Ensure that the ground is free of debris, and then apply the mulch in a thick layer (between five to ten centimetres thick) around the base of the plant. Ideal materials to use for mulching include well-rotted manure, leaf mould or compost.”
Cuttings
The expert recommended: “Late autumn is a good time to take any hardwood cuttings from your roses to propagate new plants. Select a healthy stem on the parent rose, ideally one that is eight inches long and has at least two buds at each end of the cutting.
“This is because one bud will provide the leaves for the new plant, with the other bud becoming the roots. Make a clean, slanted cut above the top bud and another at the bottom, before removing any leaves from the cutting.
“Place the cutting into a pot of soil, and water and then store over winter in a greenhouse, ensuring that you water it every few weeks. If the cuttings look as though they have been successful in spring, they can be planted out in May or June.”
