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Choosing and Growing Roses In The Great Lakes Region. - Page 3

© Marilyn Burns

Roses should be fertilized at least once a month until late July in the more northern areas or by early August in the southern parts of the region. A good rule of thumb is to count back six to eight weeks from the date of the first fall frost. Fertilize no later than that date so that all growth on the roses will have a chance to harden off.

Proper selection, spacing, and watering will go a long way in disease prevention. Roses often will be bothered by various diseases and insect pests. One control that I use on my roses is NEEM, which I have found to ward off powdery mildew and also black spot as well as many insect pests, including to some degree, Japanese Beetles. There are also many controls, both organic and chemical that can help control rose problems. Just follow the directions precisely when treating a disease or pest problem.

Water in the early morning and avoid wetting the foliage. Roses need about an inch of water a week, so keep that in mind. A good mulch of shredded bark will also help to conserve moisture.

Many of the roses I have mentioned will not need much winter protection. I do protect mine the first season or two, regardless, until they become established. The more borderline or tender varieties such as the Austin (English) roses, I do protect every year. Mound soil and leaves over the canes of the roses. If you have a live Christmas tree, you can cut the boughs after Christmas and loosely layer those over the mounds for added protection as well.

Pruning is something that needs to be tackled to maintain shape and vigor. For those roses that bloom once a season, I remove about a third of the growth and the weakest, crossed, and oldest canes AFTER they have bloomed and no later than the 10th of July. If they are pruned much later, they will not bloom the following year.

For roses that bloom more than once, I prune as soon as the weather moderates and some new growth is coming on, or after I have removed the protective mulch around those that have been winter protected. Again, I remove the weakest or crossed canes and prune out any winter killed or diseased canes, which are dark brown or black in color. I prune about a third of the bushes back overall.

I do not prune my roses in the fall except for the stray cane or two that might have grown disproportionately longer than the other canes.

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