Deadheading and caring for roses

Deadheading and Caring for Roses

Although there isn't much maintenance to worry about with potted roses, it's helpful to deadhead if you want continuous flowering. Cutting off old flowers tells the rose to produce new buds.

When deadheading roses, you should cut down to a leaf node, rather than removing individual flower heads. Cutting at a node tells the plant to produce new buds. Also keep an eye out for aphids, which often appear on fresh growth. Roses will be able to cope with minor aphid infestations, and birds and ladybirds will often take care of them for you. If your rose is completely covered, spray water onto the leaves and buds to dislodge the aphids.

Deadheading to Encourage New Growth

Once all the buds on a flower junction have finished blooming, cut the stem back to just above where a leaf meets the stem (the node). This encourages the rose to produce new buds. Using secateurs or florist's scissors, cut at an angle away from a node. Always wash your tools between plants to avoid transferring bacteria.

Removing Diseased Leaves

Throughout spring and summer, remove yellowing leaves as they appear. Put them into your green waste bin to stop them transferring bad bacteria to healthy plants. Prune all your rose bushes back hard in winter when the leaves naturally fall (except Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis'). Cut the stems down by more than half to remove the dead growth. They will re-emerge again in spring.

Top Dressing Your Roses in Mid-Summer

In summer, top dress with a few handfuls of manure. This locks in moisture, and the nutrients slowly feed down into the soil, keeping the roots healthy.