ROSE Facts

COLORS

Pink, red, white, lavender, yellow, orange, bicolors

LIGHT

Full sun

SOIL

Fertile, well drained

WATER

When soil becomes dry

pH

6.5 to 6.8

HARDINESS

Varies with selection

USES

Special beds, borders, specimens

TIP

Try new disease-resistant selections in humid climates, or new cold hardy roses in the far North.

ROSES

Treasured for their beauty and fragrance, roses hold a special place in the hearts of most gardeners. Many new disease-resistant shrub roses bloom over and over during the summer, just like the better-known hybrid teas. There are many other types from which to choose, including historical old roses and exuberant climbers. All roses need plenty of sunshine, good air circulation, and fertile soil with good drainage. To properly fertilize any rose, you need only know whether it blooms once or several times each year. Those that bloom continuously will need more fertilizer than those that bloom only once a year.

All roses need plenty of sunshine, good air circulation, and fertile soil with good drainage.

FERTILIZING ROSES

Roses need more fertilizer than other types of shrubs. Large, well-established older roses and climbers that bloom once have huge root systems, so they also have the smallest appetites. Fertilize these types of roses after the flowers have faded.

Roses that bloom repeatedly need regular feeding and pruning. Each time a hybrid tea or other reblooming rose finishes a flowering cycle, snip off the stem that had blossoms on it. To decide where to cut, look down the stem for a place that has an outward-facing bud at the first leaflet that has five leaves (some will have three), then cut the stem just above the bud. This bud, and possibly others below it, will grow into a new bloom-bearing stem.

To make sure reblooming roses have plenty of energy to grow new stems all summer, fertilize them every 2 to 3 months beginning in early spring. You do not need to wait a full 3 months between applications. If your roses seem slow to rebloom, you can fertilize them every 7 to 9 weeks. Stop fertilizing your roses when your first fall freeze is less than 2 months away. Tender stems that grow in fall are easily injured by winter cold.

Use Vigoro^® Rose Food 12-6-10 that contains timed-release fertilizer. Sprinkle the product evenly over the soil around each plant. This formula has been endorsed by the American Rose Society for its superior quality---- and balance of ingredients that meet the needs of roses.

Back to Top