It’s easy to think growing roses should be done by experts or professional gardeners.
But, if you’ve just bought a house and it has established roses, or you have a blank spot in your garden, you may be surprised to know that it’s fairly easy to keep roses happy.
“They are pretty hardy,” said Jerry Georgette, consulting rosarian for the Peninsula Rose Society. Don’t let his intimidating title fool you. Georgette is easy to talk to, even for a non-rose expert. (His email address and phone number are posted on the society’s website as a resource for anyone with questions or concerns about their roses.)
“It’s a myth that they need to be fussed over,” Georgette said. The main things, like with many plants, is water and grooming, he said. Ideally, roses prefer water at a “low” level like a drip system, to avoid water directly on leaves. Each plant needs about 5 gallons of water per week, with the water going directly down to the roots and not splashing on the leaves, which could open the door for fungal diseases like powdery mildew, black spot or rust.
If you have well-established roses, they may not have been fertilized in a while. You can use a monthly or a “slow release” fertilizer which take about 6-9 months until the next application. The granular fertilizer can be put into holes around the plant, roughly four around the perimeter of the rose plant. This helps the plant stay healthy to fight off diseases and helps it produce more flowers.
As the blooms fade, cut them off (also known as “deadheading”) just above a “leaflet,” where a stem has five leaves on it. This will stimulate more blooms and more growth. Cutting roses for indoor use also will help encourage growth, the same way as you cut back the faded blooms. Cut fresh flowers about 1/4 inch above a node (spot where a new branch is about to grow) pointing outward.
A final yearly pruning in California doesn’t need to be done until October, but it’s important to encourage the plant to go dormant for winter. Prune the rose plant in the shape of a bowl or vase, leaving the middle part open so air can circulate and sunshine can penetrate. Cut out any cross branches. Stop pruning for winter so cutting doesn’t stimulate any winter growth.
Winter is the best time to buy bare-root roses, which are simply wrapped in burlap and can be put right into the ground. In spring and summer, most nurseries have roses in containers, which can be planted any time.
Any rose needs about six hours of sun per day. To help figure out how much water to give your plants, Georgette suggests a soil-moisture meter, akin to a meat thermometer, which is available for a few dollars at a hardware store, to help determine when to water. Sandy soil will require more water, clay probably less, and a mix of sandy loam probably somewhere in the middle.
“People select roses for their favorite colors and fragrance,” Georgette said. But often those two things don’t go together as many roses have been bred for disease resistance and lack fragrance. He encourages people to select a range of roses so you’ll end up with some fragrance and some strong plants.
Once you plant your roses, it’s good for them to have companion plants, which will attract good insects and look nice as well. Suitable companions are sweet alyssum, irises or other bulbs, lobelia, peonies, catmint, lavender, lantana, thyme, sage, verbena or yarrow.
If you want your roses to grow vertically, a climbing rose planted on a trellis or arbor will work, or if you have a small patio, add a tree rose for some height.
If you’re not sure which kinds of roses you like, Georgette encourages people to visit several nearby rose gardens or attend a rose society meeting. Local gardens, which often have old garden roses with heavenly fragrances, include Elizabeth Gamble Garden at 1431 Waverley St. and the Palo Alto Veterans’ Administration hospital at 3801 Miranda Ave. in Palo Alto, or the Filoli estate in Woodside. The rose society will be included in the Filoli Flower Show from June 1-3.
The Peninsula Rose Society meets the third Tuesday evening of the month at the Veterans Memorial Center, 1455 Madison Ave. in Redwood City. Its website is peninsularosesociety.org.