Fall Rose Care Tips

Fall Rose Care Tips.

• Enjoy Your Roses! – I think this point is too easily overlooked.  Love your garden and enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Cooler temperatures bring out the blooms and intensifies the color of many roses.  I’m particularly proud of this Over the Moon bloom (above) in my new rose bed.
• Plant New Roses – It’s a great time for adding to your garden and give them a head start for next spring.  Still concerned?  Remember all of our roses are guaranteed for a full year.
• Fertilize One Last Time? – This one is dependent on your location.  If you’ve got 6 weeks to a hard freeze, go for it.  If not, I would use caution.  Your goal is to maximize growth without pushing your rose to produce tender new stems that are susceptible to winter kill. Looking for fertilizer? Give Darn Good Fertilizer a try.
• Lightly Prune – Anyone who has every asked me knows that I am a strong proponent of waiting until spring to cut your roses back.  That said, a little fall clean up can be a good thing.  Let’s call it more of a tidying up.  This time of year you should remove dead and damaged plant material first and then look for canes that may be jeopardized by winter weather.
• Clean Up –  Ugh. My least favorite thing, but think how happy you’ll be when you’re not cleaning out your beds in the winter or spring.
• Dial back the water  – This one can be a bit tricky, and you definitely need to have a feel for your local conditions, but now is the time to start weaning your roses off the constant flow of water from irrigation.  Remember, water in the winter is important to the health of your plants but now is the time to start cutting back.