Summer Rose Care

To gather some research on summer rose care my co-worker Jill and I took a trip over to the beautiful Hershey Gardens in Hershey, PA.

The Hershey Gardens has been operating since 1936 and have 7,500 roses blooming throughout the summer including 275 varieties within this breath-taking 23-acre garden.  On our researching adventure through the Hershey Gardens, we were given some expert advice on summer rose care from Jamie Schiffer, the grounds manager and manager of the gardening and maintenance staff.  Jamie showed us around the gardens and gave us the secrets to maintaining a beautiful rose garden all summer long.

Fertilizing

After the first fertilization in the spring, apply a granular slow-release rose fertilizer to your rose plants between June and July.  Make sure you water-in the fertilizer a day after application.  Try Woodace Flowering Plant Fertilizer for your roses!

Disease, Fungus, and Insect Protection

To protect roses from disease, fungus, and insects, Jamie said that the grounds and maintenance crew at the gardens spray the rose plants about once a week with fungicide and insecticides.  This spraying helps reduce black spot, diseases, and insect damage.  Many of the insect damage done to roses are from spider mites and Japanese beetles (these beetles also lay eggs in your lawn which grow into grubs).

Watering

Roses do not require heavy and constant watering but do not allow the soil to become dry for an extensive period of time.  Water your roses after two weeks of a dry spell without any rain.  Also water at the roots, wetting the leaves and blooms causes the plant to become more susceptible to fungus, disease, and insects.

Dead-Heading

Dead-heading is the process of cutting back wilted or spent blooms.  Jamie highly encouraged dead-heading the rose plants about once a week.  He also said that this process helps the rose plant to grow stronger and produce more blooms.  His advice for dead-heading the roses is to cut back the rose to the 5th leaf at the stem.

Please feel free to leave a comment on any of your own personal tips and tricks for summer rose care!