How to grow Rose

Rosa · garden rose

Classic flowering shrub grown for its showy, often fragrant blooms. Roses flower in summer, and many modern varieties keep repeat-flowering into autumn; old ramblers and species roses bloom once, in June.

Quick facts

Type	Flower
Family	Rosaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	5.5–6.5
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 8 °C
Germination	7 days
Where it grows	Open ground

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage; balanced (NPK), 30 days into the stage
Flowering	every 7 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage; balanced (NPK), 30 days into the stage

Growing notes

Light

Needs at least six hours of direct sun a day for the best flowering; morning sun dries the leaves and cuts down disease.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil that does not dry out, with plenty of organic matter, pH 5.5–6.5. Roses will not stand waterlogged roots; on poorly drained ground plant them in raised beds.

Care

Plant bare-root roses while dormant, in late autumn or late winter to early spring; container roses can go in at any time except into frozen, waterlogged or very dry ground. Water new roses often for the first 6–8 weeks; established ones need about 25 mm of water a week, given as one good soak at the base, not over the leaves. Feed with a complete or rose fertiliser when new growth starts and monthly until July, then stop. Prune hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras in late winter before growth begins, and climbers after flowering. Deadhead to keep flowers coming. Black spot, powdery mildew, aphids, thrips and spider mites are the usual troubles.

Pests and diseases of Rose

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.