By Stan V. Griep, Consulting Rosarian, American Rose Society – Rocky Mountain District Photographs courtesy of Stan V. Griep
June is the month for many weddings around the world, and roses typically play a huge part in those weddings. That is because they deliver so well the messages of love and adoration, truth and faithfulness.
Rose-loving gardeners enjoy the beauty and fragrance all season long in our rose beds and garden areas. In some parts of our country and the world, rose-loving gardeners (rosarians) have enjoyed their first flush of bloom smiles, deadheaded and are coming into the next round of those beautiful blooms. In my area, we are just now getting our first flush of those gorgeous bloom smiles that our hearts yearn to see all-winter-long.
It is extremely important to keep our rosebushes well fed and watered especially during this time, as the rosebushes are working very hard to put forth their best for us. I like to use granular rose fertilizers/foods as they seem to hang in there longer and give the roses what they need for a longer period of time. I like it to be organic or organic-based, too as these not only feed the rosebushes but also feed and build the soils that keeps our roses happy and healthy.
Watering our roses with water that has both a good root stimulator and some Super Thrive mixed in it together is a great idea, not just for new rosebushes, but for all of them. This mix watered in two or three times over the season helps them stay strong through the stress of heavy bloom production as well as heat and wind stress.
Also, be present in your gardens and rose beds and ever vigilant for insect or fungal problems. Catching such things early goes a very long way in controlling them with the least amount of effort.
After blooming, many of the rosebushes will need deadheading (the removal of old spent blooms) to keep them producing new bloom smiles. Knockout and Home Run roses are the exception to this rule. You really do not need to deadhead them and it is best that you do not. Deadheading Knockout and Home Run rosebushes will actually cause less blooms to be produced in the next bloom cycle. I like to keep my rosebushes neat and tidy looking and the old spent blooms do not look very good. I remove the old petals only so that what is left blends in better with the overall bush and leave the rest there without any pruning or deadheading at all.
Again, the main things to do in the rose beds for June: Keep rose bushes well fed and watered, deadhead as needed (or do old petal removal only on the Knockout and Home Run rosebushes), be ever vigilant for bug and fungus problems starting, and enjoy your bloom smiles!
And if you happen to be getting married this month, congratulations to you, and I hope you are surrounded with the beauty and fragrance of roses on your wedding day and from then on as well!
Author bio: With 40+ years of rose growing experience, Stan V. Griep is a Consulting Rosarian for the Rocky Mountain Region of the American Rose Society as well as the Denver and Loveland Rose Societies, a Colorado Native Rosarian, and is a member of the American Rose Society, The Denver Rose Society, and the Loveland Rose Society. He is a “Cyber Consulting Rosarian” for the American Rose Society, Colorado Gardening on-line and GardeningKnowHow.com as well as a freelance writer and speaker. An award winning photographer, his latest book is available at Blurb.com: http://www.blurb.com/b/6909245-heavenly-gifts-for-the-soul .
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
By Dan Heims, President, Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
Photographs courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
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