diseases

A simple month by month guide which can be used as a handy reference tool throughout the year to ensure that your roses will always look their best. JANUARY By the end of the month you should aim to have completed your annual staggered pruning of established Climbers and Ramblers that flower on current seasons wood (Group One). For a guide on how to prune these roses please click here.January is also a good time to plan your summer garden, so ensure you have the most up-to-date catalogues to help inspire you. FEBRUARY Pruning, pruning and more pruning! All established bush and repeat flowering shrubs should receive their annual prune this month. As a general rule bush roses should be reduced down to approximately 5 to 7 buds from the base of the plant and shrub roses should be thinned out, reducing younger stems by a third and older stems cut

After Purchase Keep compost moist.Harden off any soft growth occurring in early spring.   Planting Make sure the rootball is thoroughly moist before planting.Keep approximately 12”(30cm) away from walls and fences; 2-3ft (60 – 90cm) from shrubs or trees.Dig a hole large enough for the rootball and manure, and deep enough to cover stem bases.Add well-rotted manure or garden compost plus a good handfull of bonemeal into the hole. Mix well with the soil at the base of the hole. If dry, fill the hole with water and allow to drain. MIX ALL RAW  INGREDIENTS WITH SOIL.Loosen roots if necessary and plant in hole so lowest leaf joint(s) will be buried.Backfill hole and gently firm taking care not to damage stem bases. Carefully remove ties and cane and tie stems to support.Water well, then regularly, as necessary throughout the growing season, particularly during periods of dry weather.Clematis benefit from a mulch of well-rotted

Pests and diseases that affect roses As with all plants, roses can become infested with pests or damaged by disease. This should not however be a reason for not including them in the garden, as Peter used to say ‘what are a few black spots among friends?’Good husbandry is really a matter of common sense, a little bit of logical thinking in relation to the choice of variety and it’s situation, its care coupled with preventative measures will go a long way in maintaining a healthy rose.   Pests Pests can include a range of creatures that often feed off of the plant and can, if left untreated, cause serious damage to your roses. These can include Aphids, Caterpillars, Leaf Rolling Sawfly, Rose Slug Sawfly, Red Spider Mite and Thrips. Whilst traditional methods of control such as spraying with insecticides are often effective in controlling an outbreak of these pests,

On our show plant and hybridising nursery, which is separate and isolated from our main nursery, we are down to a skeleton crew. Just me. So without the major spring flower shows to look forward to it seems very quiet here at the moment, but the plants keep some kind of normality to life. The seedlings are now growing lovely and hybridising has started. Bringing us full circle. Did you know some roses like Rosa banksiae can only be produced from cutting? These cuttings were moved from modular cells to small pots in late February and will shortly need repotting again.

It’s a hard life being a pampered show plant with no show to go to. It’s been a challenging couple of weeks, with things changing almost daily. Things started off very relaxed as most of the roses were coming back into growth evenly and in good shape. Many were also showing very early signs of bud initiation. This can vary and some years plants will come back into growth very unevenly and may have a large percentage of blind shoots that start to grow. Blind shoots are stems that produce no flowering buds, but instead end in a leaf. This is usually due to harsh winter weather, or the age of the plant. Normally a light pruning will kick start the plant back into growth and isn’t an issue for our show roses, provided we get our timings right! Well, it was

When growing show plants, hygiene and air movement are vitally important. Even at this time of year. So, before the roses are housed, all glasshouses and equipment are fully cleaned. There are also some roses that never fully drop all their leaves and leaf stalks during the winter. As well as the odd hip and old flower stem which may still be left after the winter pruning. These are all places where pests and diseases could overwinter. Therefore, since starting to house the roses, we have been checking each plant to remove any old leaves, hips and unwanted wood. Good air movement is also very important, as damp stagnant air is the quickest way for fungal attacks to start. Watering is kept to mornings, often using watering cans for spot watering rather than hoses, so less water