Roses

Dawson’s don’t just sell roses, we’ve been helping WA gardeners get the best out of their roses for over 110 years. For best results follow these easy growing hints.

Planting Roses

Because Dawson’s roses are grown in pots, you can confidently plant them into your garden at any time of the year.

  1. Before planting, water the rose in its pot.
  2. In a sunny location, dig a hole 60cm wide and 45-60cm deep. Mix Dawson’s Garden World Organic Soil Improver with the soil from the hole at a rate of 1 part Soil Improver and 2 parts soil from the hole.
  3. Return enough of this mix to the hole to achieve the correct height for the new plant.
  4. Take the rose out of its pot, leaving the root ball intact, and place in hole. Add 1 tablespoon of slow release fertiliser around the root ball.
  5. Return more of the mix around the plant until the soil is level, then add mulch, leaving a 15cm clearance around the stem. Water in well, ensuring the root zone is thoroughly saturated.
  6. Use any left-over soil to make a shallow well around the plant; this will help retain water and direct it to the root system.

Watering

  • Use plenty of water to compact the soil and give plants a flying start.
  • Soil wetting agents allow water to penetrate into water repellent, sandy soils. Apply in Spring and mid-Summer.
  • Water daily in Summer months.

Staking & Training

  • Standards and weeping standards will require a permanent and strong stake for support.
  • Weeping roses can be trained by using a ‘rose hoop’, so that it’s easy to tie the branches to develop a lovely shape.

Feeding

  • Feed roses at regular 4 week intervals from Spring to Autumn.

Mulching

  • Use coarse grade mulch applied to the soil at a depth of 5-10cm, leaving a 15cm bare circle around the main stem. Never heap mulch or soil up around the stem.

Rootstock

  • One of the main virtues of grafting onto Fortuniana rootstock is its vigour and hardiness. If you see bright green foliage appearing from below the graft of the plant, simply break it off and discard.

Common Diseases & Pests

  • Without full sunshine, roses may develop ‘Black Spot’ and ‘Powdery Mildew’.
  • Avoid overhead watering and watering in the evening wherever possible.
  • Spray with fungicide after pruning, and again in Spring and Autumn.
  • Control aphids and thrips with systemic insecticide used monthly. Environmentally friendly sprays are  available at Dawson’s.
  • Red spider mites are the most troublesome pest of roses over the warmer months. Spray with Mavrik*, Natrasoap* or Eco-Oil*. Spray twice, two weeks apart, to bring mite populations under control. Predatory mites can also be ordered from your nearest Dawson’s store. Predatory mites feed on spider mites, offering a natural way to control them in your garden.
  • White Rose Scale- Spray with Eco-Oil* or White Oil*. Severely infested canes should be pruned out at pruning time.
  • Herbicide Damage – Don’t use Glyphosate herbicides near your roses; they’re very sensitive to Glyphosate damage, and this causes distorted ‘witches broom’ looking foliage.

* During the warmer months, don’t spray during the heat of the day, or when temperatures exceed 35°C.

Pruning the easy way

The object of pruning is to shape the bush and promote new blooms. Pruning is done every year in Winter while plants are dormant, before new Spring growth appears.

  • Before starting, make sure pruning tools are clean and sharp.
  • Hybrid tea roses, miniatures and floribunda roses can simply be cut back to half of their original height, using secateurs, loppers or even hedge shears.
  • Then tidy up by removing any crossing branches, diseased older wood or branches growing into the centre of the bush.
  • David Austin rose bushes are best pruned by removing one third of their original height each Winter.
  • Climbing roses should be pruned and trained to restrict them from growing straight up. This is best done by tying new canes to a horizontal position or by arching into a fan shape.
  • Weeping standard roses and shrub roses are best clipped and shaped with hedge shears. This can be done continuously after each flowering.
  • Immediately after pruning thoroughly spray bushes with Lime Sulphur.

 

In this section