Gardening expert Monty Don has urged people to adopt one simple daily habit to ensure their roses flourish and bloom throughout the summer months.
Roses are among the nation's most beloved flowers, gracing gardens up and down the country. With their distinctive shape and vast range of colours, they add character and vibrancy to outdoor spaces and green areas alike. However, bringing out their finest appearance requires a degree of expertise, according to Monty Don.
The expert's advice
The renowned horticulturist, broadcaster and author boasts an impressive depth of knowledge across all things garden-related, with legions of gardening enthusiasts keen to follow his recommendations in order to get the very best from their outdoor spaces. Whether your goal is to help perennial plants thrive, encourage native wildlife, or simply carve out your own tranquil retreat on your doorstep, the expert has an abundance of tips to offer.
A familiar face on British television, Monty is perhaps most widely recognised as the lead presenter of the hugely popular BBC gardening programme, Gardeners' World. Like many high-profile professionals, Monty regularly shares his expertise and tips on social media, frequently posting photographs taken in his own garden and offering candid glimpses into the work he carries out to make the most of his outdoor space.
June is 'their time'
The gardening authority also runs a blog, where he writes in considerable detail about plants, flowers and a host of related subjects. In an earlier article, he focused on roses and how to ensure they look their absolute best, calling June "their time".
He wrote: "So June sees roses blooming in every conceivable way and the borders filled with flowers - many of which are very early this year."
"It is as though summer overrides the weather. Even the rainy, grey days are beautiful. The British garden - and countryside - is at its very best and I adore every second of it."
How to deadhead correctly
So what's the single daily task to undertake to ensure your roses flourish? Deadheading - though in quite a specific way. Deadheading involves removing wilted, faded flowers from your rose plants.
Monty said: "The secret of keeping any rose flowering as long as possible is to deadhead daily. Do not just pull off the spent petals but use secateurs and cut the spent stem right back to the next leaf or bud below it - however far down that is. This will provoke a side-shoot which in turn will carry more flowers."
He continued: "Some roses, especially the species such as rosa rugosa or rosa moysii, have glorious hips in autumn and these will only develop if the flowers are allowed to set seed and fruit, so enjoy the flowers as long as they last and do not dead head so that they can develop into fruit."
Monty Don first appeared on television in 1989, with a regular gardening segment on This Morning which opened doors for further work across different channels. A prolific author, he has written more than 25 books since his first publication in 1990. In 2003, on the recommendation of Alan Titchmarsh, he took over as the main presenter of the much-loved BBC show, Gardeners' World. He has also written and presented several of his own gardening programmes, including the forthcoming Monty Don's Rhineland Gardens in 2026.
