It seems we love our roses in the here Hunter Valley.
They’re often planted at the ends of row after row of grapevines, adorning cottage gardens and beautifying modern homes as well. If you want your roses to burst into uncontrollable blooms this spring, there’s some things you can do to right now to help them on their way.
Phillip Luck, the owner of Aberdeen Nursery and a veteran of landscaping is giving The Hunter River Times readers the low down on rose care.
When it comes to pruning, Phil is an advocate for cutting them back hard. He says the harder you cut them back, the fuller and more condensed the foliage will be. “When choosing where to prune, you should always cut just above an outward facing bud so that your rose doesn’t grow into itself and become an unruly tangle,” Phil said.
The ideal shape is to imagine a wine glass and work towards that.
Phil advises fertilising your roses with a good quality organic fertiliser when you are pruning. “If you wait until they show signs that they need fertiliser, you’ve already missed out – fertilise pre-emptively.
“Some fertilisers will give you a lot of foliage, but you need to choose one that benefits the root system also. The root system of your plant is the engine, the driving force, so you need to fuel it properly for healthy blooms.”
Another important aspect of keeping your roses healthy is to keep them well ventilated and clean. If you leave your leaves around the rose bush, any mould will go back into the soil and make the plant sick.
