Roses will 'flourish like crazy' if gardeners complete easy '10 second' task now

20 September 2023 , 10:36

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A simple ten-second task will keep your roses blooming this autumn (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

With the cold weather setting in, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the time for blooming roses has well and truly passed. But autumn is actually one of the best times for roses, which get back into flowering mode with the cooler temperatures.

Luckily, there's one 10-second task that gardeners out there can do to ensure their roses keep budding over the coming weeks, and it couldn't be simpler.

The trick is to keep deadheading and cutting back your roses. If you spot browning leaves or dead flowers, cut them back - and watch new buds appear in their place. Of course, it doesn't just apply to roses; the majority of flowers will greatly benefit from regular deadheading.

To remove a finished bloom from a flowering head, pinch or cut off the finished flower, just below where the base of the flower joins the stem. Leave any remaining buds or blooms to continue flowering.

Alternatively, to remove a flowering head once all the blooms in a cluster have finished, remove the entire flowering head by cutting the stem just above the first leaf with five leaflets, the Express reports. You can then trim any additional long stems so they match the height of the rest of the plant, creating a more pleasing shape to the plant as you go.

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Speaking in the summer, gardening expert Philip Harkness, who is the co-owner of Harkness Roses and launched five new roses at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show, shared his top tips for keeping roses. The flowers need a balance between sunlight and shade, and Philip said that thinking of your plants "as people" can help you understand how they fare in extreme temperatures.

He explained: "Prevention is easier, so make sure you have sunlight and the roses aren't in places which are too dark and overcrowded. If they are near a big hedge, they are going to be struggling for water and for light. If the plant is under stress it is more prone to become unhealthy.

"Think of plants as people. They do suffer stress in hot, dry conditions and if there's competition. If you get the underlying culture and environment right for them, they should fare far better than if they are undernourished, under-watered or overwatered." He further added that a good feeding regime is key, and you should be giving your roses a liquid feed once a fortnight in order to help them achieve their full potential.

Gemma Strong