How to Shrub Roses

 Photo: Josi Ribeiro / Unsplash

Article courtesy of Garden Gate Magazine

Pruning

1. Remove dead wood. Cut back to healthy wood, snipping just above a leaf node, or remove the entire stem at the base of the shrub.

2. Prune out crossing branches that rub against each other. The rubbing can cause ragged wounds that are entry points for pests or disease. 

3. Take out growth that’s twiggy (pencil width or less). It won’t develop into flowering stems.

Feeding

Roses love to eat. Find a fertilizer that has lots of phosphorous (the middle number on the label), such as a 18-24-16, for lots of large, beautiful blooms. Then feed your roses after spring pruning, once they start blooming, and twice more in the summer. But if you have cold winters, stop feeding by July 31st to prevent new growth that could be damaged by the cold.

Simple pest watch

Some pests love roses. Watch for small, distorted flowers and black mold spots (signs of aphids), or leaves that turn bronze and fall off (that’s spider mites). If you see these signs, spray your roses with insecticidal soap, or blast the bugs with water from a hose.

See also Create Shade and Privacy at Your Cabin