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Summer Tips:
JUNE: The Big payoff, the great bloom feast! This is also the 'Rose Show' month, and roses will be out in all their glory, in rose shows, in public and private gardens, and on the street edges as you drive by. In a typical Utah climate year, the big 'Spring Flush' as it is called should be from the first to the middle of the month.
When the bloom is on, fertilizer should be put on for the SECOND (or if you are really antsy) the THIRD time. (The first fertilizer was applied in April right after the plants started to leaf out). Roses cannot take up materials until the pumping power is there in the leaves, so don't ever forget about deep watering. The hot days are beginning and evaporation is starting to get high.
'Deadheading', the removal of dead blooms begins in earnest. Right after the big first flush. If you don't do this, your roses may go to seed and stop producing. Deadhead by cutting back to a five leaflet for new larger blooms or just break off the old bloom at the top stem if you want more clusters of bloom. Cut back further for the specific varieties that produce 'Long Stemmed' roses. Some varieties need to be deadheaded back by about 18 to 24 inches. If you don't do this, these varieties will be 12 feet tall by the end of the season. Remember that deadheading is a matter of taste, you are trying to keep the bush blooming, but you are also trying to keep it at the ideal size for your garden taste.
For those of you with the hybridizing jones, this is the month to make your crosses and label the rose hips so they are not deadheaded off later in the season. Rose hips need most of the summer in order to mature fully, so crosses should be made by Mid July at the latest.
This is also the time of year to take cuttings in order to propagate more roses. Wait till after the first flush is over. Take your cuttings leaving the 'heel' (where a small side branch meets a cane. Remove the old bloom and leave 2 to 3 leaf sets.
Invite your friends and neighbors to a garden party in your garden during the peak bloom. Now is the time to show off!
JULY: This is the start of the continuous hot blast furnace weather so water is EXTREMELY important. Continue with IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practices and spray for insects or diseases if necessary. Make sure to keep taking off the dead blooms. Apply next major fertilizing around the 15th. Every 6 weeks is a good rule. (Two to four weeks if you are completely obsessed, depending on the variety and it's needs.)
Thrips and Spider Mites are the biggest insect problems in July and August, so you might have to deal with them. Don't forget to keep the weeds down, as weeds love the month of July. Oh, and apply mulch to the bottoms of the rose if desired. Mulch is the best way to prevent weeds around your roses. It also allows the soil to retain moisture.
Did I say water? Yes I did. This is the most important thing to do for your plants in July.
Grab a glass of lemonade, a comfortable chair, and find a shady spot from which to admire your roses and the bees and butterflies in the garden. Don't forget this critical step, it is part of the big payoff!
AUGUST: The Heat Blast Furnace continues. More heat, so a good mulch around the roses will save on the ever increasing water bill and help keep the roots cool.
Apply the last application of fertilizer around August 15 to the 31st. Mildew will probably start to be a problem this month, so have your plans formulated to deal with it if it gets severe. If it is just mild, don't worry about it.
These are the last of the 'Halcyon Days' Enjoy them while they are here, because usually around September 1st is the first tinge of fall. It might not seem like much at first, but the days will start to be noticeably shorter and the sun will start to get lower in the sky soon.
SEPTEMBER: This should be a really good rose month, due to cooler weather. The Blast Furnace is gone. No more fertilizer on the roses is needed, but water is still important.
After September 15th, stop deadheading. Leave the last bloom on the bushes, as this helps them to harden off for the winter. Usually there is a bloom in October, and if so, leave on the rose hips. An application of Treble Superphosphate will help get the roses into cold weather.
Make sure to get Rid of the weeds in the garden so they don't go to seed. I weed can produce up to 100,000 seeds!
The first of the next season rose catalogues come out about now. Our climate pushes the limit at which you can do fall rose planting, so your best bet is to order for next season. USDA Zone 7B is about the lowest climate zone in which people can safely plant bare root roses in the fall. Some people buy fall bareroot plants and then bury them completely for the winter, digging them up the following March.
(Story Used By Permission from The Utah Rose Society)
