With much of the UK experiencing soaring temperatures and a run of heatwaves, gardens are needing extra care. As the hot weather continues into August, most of the UK is now covered by a hosepipe ban, making garden maintenance more challenging. However, simple steps can help protect struggling roses from turning to dry sticks.
Expert advice from RHS Gold Medalists
Peter Beales Roses, RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medalists, have issued advice to help flowers continue to bloom or even just survive. In a Facebook post, they shared it was now “time to give your roses some extra care and attention” to ensure they bloom or produce hips through until the end of summer and into autumn.
They highlighted the “most important” step: “After the recent heatwaves, the most important thing you can do for your roses in August is to make sure they are getting enough water; however, this can be more challenging if you live in an area that is currently experiencing a hosepipe ban. If this is the case for you and you aren’t able to water your whole garden with a watering can, our Rosarians recommend focusing on watering roses in pots and those that get the most sun, as they will be under more stress and so will dry out at a much faster rate.”
Deadheading and feeding for healthy roses
Deadheading roses once flowers have gone over is the best way to keep them looking neat and tidy. This allows the plant to put energy into new growth and produce another flush of blooms sooner if it is a repeat-flowering rose. For once-flowering roses, leaving the flower heads on allows them to produce colourful rose hips.
They also advised: “If you haven’t already, August is the perfect time to give your roses a feed with a slow-release fertiliser, once the flowers have gone over. This will give them the best chance of producing an abundance of blooms on the second flush and will help support the plant after the recent heatwave. Because the weather has been so hot, you will need to water your granular feed into the soil to make sure it is absorbed. If your roses are flowering again or have flower buds, you can give them a liquid feed to keep the plants healthy and producing more flowers.”
For further information on rose care, visit the Peter Beales Roses website.
