Summer Rose Tips

• Finger prune those little buds surrounding a center bud so you will have one bloom on each stem – or push off only the center bud to make a spray.
• Feed with a handful of 20-20-20 or something along that line in midsummer.
• Water is essential. As the heat increases, more per bush each week. Up to 10 gallons a week! Check on those pots! Keep them moist.
• Mulch to retain moisture in the soil and keep the top of the soil from drying up.
• Hose off bushes once a week in the morning to clean off foliage and knock off obnoxious bugs.
• Spray once a month with an organic fungicide - mildew is NOT your friend! * Rejoice in your roses – give bouquets away! Make someone happy.

                                                                                 Roses: the Summer Season
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                                                 July 2010  jolene_adams@comcast.net        

   
  
                                                Water, Water, Water

Summer Rose Tips:

* Water is essential.  As the heat increases, more per bush each week.  Up to 10 gallons a week!  Check on those pots!  Keep them moist.

* Mulch to retain moisture in the soil and keep the top of the soil from drying out.

* If your climate is really hot, deadhead lightly!  Just snap off the dead flowers at the top of the stem and leave as many leaves on the bush as possible.

* Hose off bushes once a week in the morning to clean off foliage and knock off obnoxious bugs.

* Water deeply and then feed with a handful of 10-10-10 or something along that line in mid-summer.

* If you live in the fog belt, spray once a month with a mild fungicide of jojoba oil - mildew is NOT your friend!

                                                                                   ***

Summer – the garden is bursting with color, the veggies are ripening, fruits are being harvested.

The roses have rushed to bring spring blooms, and now they are slowing down a bit and ‘recycling’ their energies.  New blooms are on the way!

Keep the rose a mean, blooming machine by removing the spent blooms.  In hotter climates you should just snap the blooms off at the neck, leaving as many leaves as possible to make shade for the bush.  In cooler climates, count down from the spent bloom and cut the stem off at a healthy set of 5-leaflet leaves.

Cool, moist coastal summers are perfect climates for mildews.  Powdery mildew will attack roses (and many other plants). You can minimize any chance of infection by making sure your roses have good ventilation all around each bush.  Don’t plant a rose flat up against a wall or fence - there is no air circulation at the back when you do this and mildews get in and infect the blooms.

Roses need to be fed during the summer months.  They expended a lot of energy bringing on that first and second flush of delirious blooms - now they need to replace their reserves.  A nice meal of any kind of fertilizer that has approximately a 10-10-10 rating would be appreciated (follow directions on the label).  Water deeply before feeding in the summer - you want the rose well-hydrated first!  Remember - also spread some organics under the mulch and water them in.  They become ‘comfort food’ as they disintegrate.

Keep weeds from going to seed in your garden.  Weed seeds will sprout when the rains start again - and you’ll be pulling weeds all winter long!

With dry weather setting in - save the petals of your blooms and make a dry sachet by laying them on a dry surface in a hot, dark area - or use your food dehydrator.

When using roses in cooking – make sure they have not been sprayed with anything other than plain water.

Pluck red, orange or dark lavender petals; snip off the white ‘pip’ at the base, and slice into green salads.  They add color, vitamins, and a ‘touch’ of the exotic!

You can make rose water and add it to tea for a cool, scented beverage.  Pile two cups of scented petals in a pitcher and add water.  Cover.  Set in the sun for several hours.  Strain the water off into a clean container.  Dump the petals in the compost.  Use the water in teas for a hint of roses!

Make “roses” out of gumdrops - just flatten them and roll into shape.

“Candy” some pink rose petals or sprinkle them lightly with fine sugar and lay them on the white frosting on cupcakes.  Lovely!

A tragic death due to heat stress and not enough water                                                                                            

Stop – and Smell the Roses