Greetings, Gardener. We appreciate your dedication to our well-being throughout the seasons. To thrive and offer our most splendid blooms, we require specific care tailored to the rhythm of the year. Here is a calendar from our perspective, detailing what we need from you each month.
As the soil warms, our sap begins to flow. This is a period of intense energy expenditure for us. In early spring, once the threat of a hard freeze has passed, please remove our winter protection. Prune away any canes that have died over the winter (they will be brown and brittle) and shape us to encourage outward growth. Feed us with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer as new growth emerges to support the development of strong canes and lush foliage. As the season progresses, ensure we receive deep, weekly watering, especially if rainfall is scarce, to establish strong root systems before the summer heat.
The heat of summer is our time to shine, but it is also demanding. Our primary request is consistent moisture. Water us deeply at the base in the early morning to avoid wet foliage, which can invite fungal diseases like powdery mildew and black spot. A layer of mulch around our base will help conserve water and keep our roots cool. Continue to feed us according to the fertilizer's instructions to replenish the nutrients we expend on continuous blooming. Most importantly, please deadhead our spent flowers. By cutting the stem back to a five-leaflet leaf, you signal us to produce more blooms instead of wasting energy on producing rose hips.
As days shorten and temperatures cool, our growth begins to slow. Please stop fertilizing us about 6-8 weeks before your first expected frost. This discourages tender new growth that would be killed by the cold. You can stop deadheading as well, allowing a few rose hips to form; this helps signal us to enter dormancy. After the first hard frost, tidy up our bed by removing any fallen leaves and diseased foliage to prevent pathogens from overwintering. This is also the time to give us a deep watering before the ground freezes, ensuring we have adequate moisture to last through winter.
We are dormant now, conserving energy for the spring. Our greatest need is protection from freezing temperatures, drying winds, and the sun's warming effect on sunny winter days. After the ground is consistently frozen, mound 10-12 inches of fresh soil, compost, or mulch over our graft union (the knobby base where the canes emerge). For climbers and more tender varieties, you may need to wrap our canes with burlap. Please avoid using plastic, as it can cause harmful temperature fluctuations. Check on us periodically during winter thaws and provide water if the soil is dry and unfrozen.
