Rose Care

Roses are nature’s ideal of perfection and romance in a single flower. Their wonderful blooms were created to be enjoyed, either adding magnificent color to a bush or beauty in your home. This is America’s national flower. Roses add value to your property and bring joy to your life. They like to be cut and brought inside. If planted in the right way and with easy garden care, they’ll bloom this season and for many years to come!

4 Easy Rose Rules to Remember:

  1. Plant your rose bushes in a sunny area (minimum of 6 hours) and water them weekly.
  2. Use Bayer Systemic Rose and Flower Care up to 3 times a year. Add liquid fertilizer, Jacks Classic Bloom Booster 2 times a month.
  3. Pick your roses and bring them inside in bud vases or deadhead old or dead flowers.
  4. Roses are hardy plants. Remember: Roses often thrive on benign neglect. Enjoy them.

Planting your Roses

Although this should be the easiest step, it is often done incorrectly and leads to premature death of many roses in our Nebraska climate. Dig a hole that is at least 1 foot wider than the container that the rose is currently planted in. Place the rose in the hole making sure that the graft union (knobby area at base of plant) is approximately 2 inches below the soil surface. Backfill soil around the root ball. Use water, rather than your foot, to settle the soil around the plant. Water the rose using a mixture of Sure Start Root Stimulator to encourage new root growth. A 2-4 inch layer of Cedar Mulch may be added around the base of the plant to keep soil cool and moist and to prevent weed growth.

Fertilizing your Roses

Many roses are heavy users of nitrogen. They require regular applications of fertilizer for optimum growth. It is highly recommended to use Bayer Systemic Rose and Flower Care up to 3 times a year, to feed and to help with insects that may attack your roses. Apply the fertilizer about 3 inches away from the main stem. Water after fertilizing with Bayer Systemic Rose & Flower Care. Additionally a liquid fertilizer, Jack’s Classic Bloom Booster, can be used 2 times a month

Pruning your Bush Roses

When cutting flowers for indoor use or just to remove old flowers, you are pruning your bush. Get a good pair of sharp Pruning Shears. Find a set of leaves that has 5 leaflets on it, and cut the stem at an angle just above the leaflet where you’ll often see a little new bud emerging. If you want the plant to grow outward, cut to an outside bud. If you want the plant to grow more erect, cut to an inside bud. Cutting roses stimulates them to produce more flowers, so cut your roses frequently. Cut off diseased foliage or bad canes as well as dead or faded flowers. Once a year, prior to spring, give your roses a major pruning, cutting them back to 12 to 18 inches in height.

Pruning your Climbing Roses

These roses usually bloom best on two year old wood, so prune very little. Take out spindly new wood, older wood that is no longer blooming as well as it should, and damaged or diseased growth only.

Winterizing Roses

Strong healthy roses are the most resistant to winter damage. Leave the last blooms in the fall on the plant to form hips. This will slow growth and help them go dormant. Rake off and remove all leaves from the rose bed to prevent diseases. Even during the winter, your roses need water to keep them healthy and prevent them from drying out. Water thoroughly after a hard freeze. A thick layer, approximately 8-12 inches deep, of Cedar Mulch or other organic compost should be applied around the base of the plant for added protection. Remember: this will need to be removed in late spring. Stressless Anti-desiccant Spray may be sprayed on the canes in early winter to help prevent the loss of moisture through the rose canes, commonly caused by winter winds. Rose cones may also be used.

Pests on Roses

Using Bayer Systemic Rose and Flower Care and Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Control when needed can control Insects. Using Bonide RoseX when needed can control diseases.