A year in the life of your new rose

June

Planting time! Nurseries are loaded with bare-rooted plants and online companies are delivering orders. Keep roses in the shade until you are ready to plant. The sooner they go in the ground or pot, the sooner they can develop roots.

July

Water new in-ground or potted roses once a week (at most). Don’t fertilise yet as the plants aren’t actively growing. In all regions, except for areas with extremely cold, frosty climates, this is the main time to prune established repeat-flowering roses. (Roses that flower once, in spring, are pruned after flowering.) Spray lime sulfur to kill scale and fungal spores.

August

Continue watering new roses once a week (at most). In cold, frosty areas, now is the time to prune established roses. If you prune earlier, the new foliage is at risk of frost damage. Spray with lime sulfur spray afterwards.

September

Roses are bursting into growth and need feeding. They’re hungry plants, so be generous with organic pellets and a layer of rotted cow manure. New, potted specimens won’t need fertilising yet as quality potting mix contains a slow-release fertiliser. As the new growth appears, expect to see the arrival of aphids! If you have healthy, established plants, you can wait for ladybirds to eat the aphids, but if your plants are new or weak, you’ll need to take action: gently squash them or use an organic oil spray.

October

Peak flowering time! Visit your plant regularly and snip blooms for indoors. Watch for budworm caterpillars that burrow into developing buds, causing significant damage. Control organically with neem oil spray. Tie the new stems of climbing roses onto their support structure.

November

Roses that flower only in spring (banksia roses, for example) will finish flowering around this time and can be pruned hard. Prune 15–20cm off repeat-flowering roses, and deadhead, to set them up for producing more flowers.

December

Fertilise in-ground roses again with organic pellets and cow manure and water new plants twice weekly. Apply a complete fertiliser to potted specimens and water 2–3 times a week (in warmer weather you may need to water daily). Top up mulch for hot weather. Watch for signs of powdery mildew, black spot and rust. Treat with an organic fungicide.

January

Enjoy the summer flush of blooms. Watch out for two-spotted mites (particularly in drier regions) and scale. If they appear, spray plants with an organic oil as these pests can cause significant damage. Keep training the new growth on climbing roses.

February

Be on high alert for fungal problems, as the shortening day length means plants start to slow down and become more vulnerable. In warmer coastal areas, high humidity adds to this problem, so have the organic fungicide ready.

March

Flowering is mostly finished and it’s time to give plants another light prune, and to fertilise again. This sets them up for their final flowering in 6–8 weeks.

April

Keep a watchful eye on new growth and developing buds because aphids and budworm (left) are likely to reappear. Treat organically with a neem oil spray.

May

Enjoy your last flush of blooms, leaving the spent flower heads to develop into rosehips. If you’re lucky, they’ll turn orange or red, adding interest to the winter garden. Take the opportunity to order additional bare-rooted roses – after all, there’s always room for one more!

For more rose care advice, check out our article, Growing roses 101.

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