Spring, every gardener’s favourite time of year, is on the way. If you want your roses to grow big and beautiful then now is the perfect time to help them out so they grow strong and healthy as the weather warms up.
Leading garden ladder expert Henchman has shared a spring gardening checklist to ensure a blooming season ahead – and the first task on the list is pruning.
Spring is typically the best time to prune, just before new growth begins. Start by deadheading your roses and removing spent flowerheads and surrounding leaves. Make sure you’re using clean and sharp secateurs to make clean cuts.
You can place the debris directly into a bucket, bin, or a heavy duty ground sheet for easy clean up.
While you prune, keep an eye out for common rose diseases like black spot and pests such as rose aphids.
If you see any, remove infected leaves or stems to stop the problem from spreading to your other plants.
The second step is to focus on removing dead or damaged stems and cutting them back to healthy wood. Ensure the cuts are angled downwards to prevent water from pooling on the buds.
For thicker branches, a pruning saw with a high-quality, tooth-edged blade will quickly remove larger stems.
The third task that is important for gardeners is mulching. Ideally, the best time to apply mulch to the roses is early spring.
However, if your roses were not mulched previously or if all the mulch has disappeared by autumn, it is probably worth mulching them in late autumn.
Make sure the ground is clear of debris, such as leaves, and apply the mulch around the base of the rose in a thick layer of around five to 10cm. Well-rotted manure, soil improver, leaf mould or compost are all ideal.
