Caring For Your Roses (Chapter 7)

Taking proper care of your roses can seem like a very taxing, and time consuming thing to do, but the results of such care far more than make up for it. Unfortunately, roses are the most difficult flower to manage and keep healthy; however, all good things require high maintenance.

There are many small things that have to be done to keep your roses looking their best, but all of those small things add up to one very large one. Here are some great tips for the regular upkeep of your roses.

1. You should prune your roses in the early spring. Or at least once the others start budding because the buds will eventually become new branches later.

2. You should cut the dead and damaged branches first. Next, you should cut all but five of the leftover healthy branches. They should end up at about the thickness of a pencil.

3. Cut the bushes by approximately one third or one half, depending on how tall you want them. Cutting above the outward facing buds, Which is the buds that is on the outside of the rose bush because this will help the bud to grow upward; which will make the center of the bud open up for better air circulation and shape.

4. You should always sharpen your hand shears before pruning, and prune the climbing roses with caution. The branches have a tendency to overlap and you wouldn't want to prune the wrong branches.

5. Mulching is necessary because it helps to keep your maintenance down a bit. Mulching requires your roses to need a lot less watering, weeding and helps prevent diseases. The best mulches are organic ones like wood chips, pine needles, and grass clippings.

6. Protect your roses during the winter months by adding a few extra inches of soil to the base of your roses. This should provide the extra needed heat in the winter.

7. You should avoid the white plastic cones when doing your winter protection because they trap too much heat during the winter thaw. They are also quite unattractive.

8. You should feed your roses water often, but lightly. When you water your roses, avoid directly watering the foliage because it will cause fungal diseases. You should water the roses at the roots.

9. Keep the area around your roses cleared to prevent them from getting locked in an area that doesn't provide enough circulation.