Roses have a reputation for being finicky and requiring a lot of care but this is not necessarily the case. By following a few guidelines you will be able to grow roses that thrive.

    1. Roses are heavy feeders so make sure they`re planted in compost and well rotted manure. Feed your roses by mulching them once a year with compost and they should do well. If you feel they need extra feeding there`s no harm in putting rose fertilizer on the rose in late spring and mid summer.
    2. Roses require full sun, meaning 6 hours a day or more. Most roses require this to bloom and stave off disease such as Powdery Mildew and Black Spot. *There are some climbing roses such as New Dawn that can thrive in the shade.
    3. Roses also need air circulation. For this reason, make sure you plant your rose in a location with lots of air movement. Planting roses up against a house under the eaves is a sure way to get Powdery Mildew.
    4. Watering is crucial to roses. Never water your roses with a sprinkler. Use a soaker hose to ground water. When watering roses water deeply once or twice a week. This means leaving the hose on the rose for at least half an hour to allow the water to penetrate the lower roots.
    5. When pruning and dead heading, never compost what you have collected. Instead, burn or garbage them. You should also pick off any leaves that have black spot on them .
    6. Spraying roses only works as a preventative measure. This will not get rid of black spot that is already there.
    7. Roses are prone to aphids. The best way to get rid of them is with water pressure, squishing them between your thumb and finger or and insecticidal soap.

Insecticide Recipe
    40ml liquid soap
    4 liters water
    Mix together in a spray bottle and spray directly on the aphids.

Fungicide Recipe
    20 ml baking soda
    4 liters water
    1 ml liquid soap
    Mix together and spray as a preventative method for black spot and powdery mildew.