Gardening Australia – May 2019

ROSES

THEBASICS

Choose the best roses for your

climate,notjustwhat’sonspecial

Plant them in an area that gets

5–6hoursofdirectsunlightaday

Space roses 60–100cm apart,

dependingontheirpotentialsize

Plant bare-rooted roses between

June and September – potted roses

canbeplantedyear-round

Check your soil pH at least once

a year, and adjust to 6.5–7

them around large trees or shrubs, where

they have to compete for nutrients and

water. Use a good, organic fertiliser and

potash to boost the plant’s cell structure.

CARE & MAINTENANCE

The most important thing you can do for

your roses is make sure they get sufficient

water on a regular basis, and don’t forget

to mulch, to retain the moisture in the soil.

Also, get into the habit of preventative

maintenance. If you regularly walk around

the garden, trimming off any dead flowers

andstems,yourroseswillrewardyouby

producingmorebloomsofhigherquality.

Ifyoutakethetimetomaketheright

plantchoices,anddojustalittlebitof

maintenance,youcanhavewonderful

rosesgrowinginyourhumidgarden. GA

Autumn

(S)MID-MARCHisthetime

forlightpruningtohelpbring

onanewflushofroses

REMOVEspindlygrowth

onnewlyplantedroses

wheretheyhaveshotaway

withfreshstronggrowth

FOLIARFEED,asinspring

PRUNEwinter-flowering

roses,suchas‘Lorraine

Lee’and‘NancyHayward’

PREPAREgardenbedsfor

newwinterroses

TIEUPramblersorclimbers

Summer

FERTILISE,topupmulch

anddeadhead

WATERwell,especiallypots

PRUNEallone-shotramblers,

suchas‘Albertine’,aswell

asBanksiarosesandanyof

theheritageshrubs(Albas,

Gallicas,Damasks)

WATCHforspidermitesin

dry,hotweather

FEEDwithorganicfertiliser

andwaterinwell

TOPUPmulch

(T)LIGHTLYPRUNEyour

rosesinearlyFebruary,

removingdeadordiseased

woodtohelpbringonanew

flushofblooms

Winter

PLANTnewroses,aslong

astheweatherremainsmild

RELOCATEestablished

rosesthatareinthewrong

placeortooclosetogether

PRUNEwellbeforemoving,

thenwaterinwellwith

liquidseaweed

(T)STARTpruningroses

inearlyJuly,finishingby

theendofthemonth

(S)PRUNErosesonthe

lastweekendinJuly

REMOVEallleavesfromthe

bushesandpickupdropped

leavesfromtheground,then

bagthem–donotcompost

USElimesulfurtosprayon

barerosesandlightlyonthe

groundaroundbushestokill

anyfungalspores

TOPUPwithfreshmulch

Spring

FERTILISEthenwaterin

well(plantsareinfullgrowth)

REMOVEanyblindshoots*

ONCEbudsappear,start

sprayingplantsfortnightly

withafoliarfertiliser

SPRAYwithorganicfungal

protectantatthefirstsign

ofdiseaseorwhenachange

inweatherconditionscould

leadtoinfection

CUTrosesforavase–this

promotesmoregrowthand

floweringinrepeatbloomers

VISITnurseriesandrose

gardensforinspiration

*Stemsthatgrowandgrow

butneverproduceaflower

ROSE CARE calendar

Mostofthetasksinthecalendararethesameforallclimates.Wherethereisaclimaticdifference,they’reannotatedwith(T)or(S).

T=Temperateandcold-climatetimingonly S=Subtropicalandtropical-climatetimingonly

24 MAY 2019 GARDENING AUSTRALIA

TOP TO BOTTOM

The luminous, pure white Hybrid Tea rose

‘Pope John Paul II’ has an intense fragrance;

‘Veterans’ Honor’ is the perfect red Hybrid

Tea rose to grow in any climate.

PHOTOS

ALAMY, ISTOCK