Roses are one of the most popular plants in British gardens – they’re romantic, beautiful and symbolic, and a pleasure to care for… especially when they’re blooming! But they’re also notoriously fiddly to get right. Here’s how to care for roses indoors and outdoors:
Outdoors
Outdoor roses come in lots of different varieties, so be sure to visit somewhere like Ashridge Nurseries to pick your favourite. Once you’ve chosen your preferred type, you’ll need to consider where you’re going to put them. Roses bushes like fertile soil, and need around six hours of sunlight every day to flourish.
- Soil and fertilizer: use an all-purpose garden fertilizer (if you’d like to use one at all) to ensure you’ve got the right amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil. Plant the rose bush any time between spring and autumn.
- Water: roses need about two inches of water every seven days. It’s better to do this once or twice a week, giving them a deep soak to let them draw the water up at once, rather than light, sporadic sprinklings. Don’t give them too much, however, or they might develop diseases such as black spot (which looks like this) and powdery mildew!
- Grooming: grab some strong, sharp clippers and cut out the stuff that doesn’t look good. For example, remove dead wood and any stems that are rubbing against each other. Be ruthless with ‘spent’ flowers too. If a rose begins to look a bit tired, cut it off – it might feel destructive, but it’s the only way to encourage the plant keep making more flowers!
- Pruning: outdoor roses should be pruned in early spring or late winter. Remove excess growth, thin the plant back so every part of it is able to benefit from sunlight, and shape it too – it might feel like you’re demolishing it, but it’s the only way to make it thrive. If you are not confident to do it yourself, you could always employ a tree trimming expert who have all the correct tools and will make your plants more healthy and beautiful. Here’s some helpful advice from the Royal Horticultural Society on pruning roses.
Indoors
Indoor miniature roses are easier to care for, but bear in mind that they will prefer to be outdoors at some point. Their true home is in the fresh air, so move them when they’re ready!
- Soil and fertilizer: a soil with a neutral pH (7) and a general purpose fertilizer will work well.
- Sunlight: find a spot in the house that gets plenty of sunshine. Miniature roses, like outdoor roses, need several hours of direct sunlight every day to thrive, and cope well in rooms heated to between 16 and 24 degrees celsius.
- Water: unlike outdoor roses, miniature rose roots are going to be relatively short and will need a little water every few days. If you put your finger into the soil and find it’s dry, give the plant a little more water. Avoid getting water on the leaves though, as this can cause black spot.
- Grooming: miniature roses are young plants and therefore won’t require much grooming. However, if flowers start to fade, remove them in order to encourage new flowers to bloom. Don’t pluck them with your hands… tearing can cause damage to the stem. Instead, cut the stem using sharp gardening tools at a 45-degree angle.
- Pruning: again, as indoor roses are young, they won’t need much pruning. But, when you move the miniature roses outdoors, cut them back in autumn and winter. Yearly pruning promotes vigorous regrowth and helps to give rose bushes a nice shape.
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The children bought me a beautiful indoor rose plant for Mother’s Day which was doing great but all of a sudden has started to dry out even though the soil is damp, I think I need to give it a bit of extra TLC!