Now is a great time to get prepared for pruning of your roses to ensure a beautiful flush in late spring. Get your secateurs, saws and long armed secateurs sharpened, purchase some lime Sulphur, some Epsom salts and a slow-release fertilizer like 8:1:5.
When pruning your aim is to open up the internal part of the bush to encourage good airflow thus reducing the risk of fungal infections. Prune to an outward facing bud about 15 to 20cm above the ground for your hybrid teas and floribundas. Your climbers and groundcover roses require a good shaping but not as severe a cut back.
Spray the whole stem and cut surfaces with lime Sulphur, apply a tablespoon of Epsom salts and the same of fertilizer and gently dig in around the bush. Start watering your roses once a week with a deep soaking and then mulch with a good layer of compost and bark chip.
When your roses start shooting and budding keep an eye out for those pesky aphids, I like to squish by hand or spray them with a strong jet of water to reduce the numbers but still encourage the beneficial insects like ladybugs who will control them for you. Then sit back and enjoy.
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