MAKE THESE MISTAKES!
by James Laperouse | Houston Rose Society
One of the biggest mistakes that even experienced Rosarians make (and I continue to make!), is not anticipating for future growth.
- PLAN FOR MAXIMUM SIZE
- We sometimes overlook the fact that those new plants, being young & small, will grow into large, beautiful bushes in a few years. If they’re not given enough space between rose plants at the outset, they will soon grow into each other, becoming very difficult to work with-and unsightly to boot!
- This lack of anticipation also goes for locating rose plants too close to young trees. Roses do not compete well against other root systems, and tree shade tends to rob roses of some of the 6 to 8 hours of sunlight that these plants thrive on. So when young trees become mature, it becomes a “double-whammy” to the rose invading tree roots and an unwanted “roof” over their heads.
- SUMMER “PRUNING” IS DIFFERENT
- Another common mistake deals with in-season pruning. We’re not talking about the type of pruning that is done around Valentine’s Day. This is the cutting of blooms to enjoy during the growing season and, of course, the removal of spent blooms.
- The long stems that we are able to cut in Spring, should not apply to those that we cut in the middle of our brutal Summers. It’s okay to cut roses to bring in the house and enjoy at that time, but the stems should be much shorter, leaving as many leaves on the plant as possible. This will be important as we aim to have healthy plants to be able to produce those large blooms in the Fall.
- DON’T FORGET TO CLEAN UP
- And speaking of pruning (which should be just about finished by now), remember to do a thorough clean up after you are done with this task. This consists of raking up fallen leaves under the rose plants and surrounding areas, then re-mulching your beds.
Good luck to everyone on having a great growing season!
