Heat can be hard on roses: Deep water; don't sprinkle

While all roses need at least four hours of full sun a day, preferably six and even more, our current hot sunny days are a bit much, even for the tougher native Rugosas. Blasting hot sun can stress plants and plenty of water is the key. However, setting out the sprinkler can do more harm than good.

Deep watering is the answer and it doesn’t have to be done every day. Lay your hose end or bubbler (on low pressure) at the very roots of your plants — in early morning or at sunset — and let it run until well soaked. You shouldn’t have to do this more often than every three or four days — or even less if you have dappled shade. Too, soaker hoses are excellent for plants in a row; they may need to run a bit longer till soil is uniformly moist.

Sprinkling is not a good idea for roses in bloom, since the drops on petals can encourage black spot and other problems. Sprinkling, by the way, is different from spraying — as for aphids. That’s a valuable and short term action that works. More on that later.

Whether your roses are arching, rambling, dense, open, upright, climbing, suckering, groundcover, spreading, and in whatever bloom style imaginable, they share one trait: Roses are tough. The daintiest of mini-roses to the huge, glamour-bloomers are inherently hardy and they want to live. Their success at this trait is evident throughout the country — where often one will drive by a deserted old house literally covered in glorious blooms.

There is a caveat, however: “Tough” only goes so far; some roses — the Teas, English or French-style roses are not bred for snowy, icy, windy winters. If you’re planning on putting in some roses in the fall, pick what’s right for our area and your space.

You can choose from a wide selection of Grandifloras (large flowering), Floribundas (lots of blooms), Shrub (can include many types), Polyantha (many-flowered — the “bouquet” roses), climbers and minis.

Many area nurseries and greenhouses offer them, and one should definitely buy from them, since they order for our zone and can give you valuable information. Some brand names to look for: Morden; Bucks; Weeks; Carefree; Iceberg; or connotations of Arctic, Canadian Explorer, etc. Remember that “Rugosa” is a native/wild rose and the hardiest one growing. If the family name includes Rugosa in its heritage, it’s just about a sure thing. Please do NOT buy roses from big box stores — no matter how tempting the price; purchase from the pros that sell for our Zone 3-4-5 location.

When planting time comes, be prepared: Spring or Fall, have planting areas prepared planting with compost or aged manure in readiness for your purchased selections. Roses demand a BIG hole and that’s your first and probably most important rule. Own-root roses (the best choice) demand a deep-dug, wide hole that gives plenty of expansion room for roots to spread and take hold. When planting own-roots or your own transplants, line the bottom with well-rotted manure or rich compost, and make a little hill of soil over which to spread the roots. Cover lightly, water well, then fill in the remaining soil.

Potted roses also need a big hole, with plenty of loose soil for their root ball to be planted in. Loosen the compact soil a bit when taking the plant from its pot, and make sure there are no roots circling up and/or around. If there are, cut them away, and make sure the bottom of the root ball is loose enough to enable good contact and merging with the ground soil. You can give a shot of fish emulsion or your favorite (natural) fertilizer, especially if you haven’t used compost in the planting hole. Mulch lightly around the root base and keep watered until nicely established. Twice or three-times a week watering is plenty, and a soaker hose is ideal since overhead watering can cause black-spot and other leaf-spotting problems. Fertilize about every six weeks, stopping at the end of September to allow natural dormancy.

A word of caution: Whether new planting or transplanting - do NOT plant a rose bush in an old rose hole. You must dig out and change the soil completely to make a successful planting in a former site.

Once you’ve planted new roses, do NOT cut them back as some instructions will tell you: That rule is not for our cold-winter climate. Trim damaged branches, then let them be. Too, don’t prune new plants for three years other than for winter-damage, and then only in the spring. (This rule holds for all Perennials — shrub or ornamental; it takes that long for complete root-system establishment).

Finally, remember the one vital caveat for roses: Don’t use pesticides anywhere around them. They are sensitive to all of them, including some of the once-popular fungicides. Use natural repellants and consider Companion Planting (parsley and garlic make great rose protectors/enhancers).

Remember that aphids can be hand- sprayed off with a strong shot of water — do this in the early morning or after sunset so the water won’t spot the petals. Aim the spray low at the stems and necks below the blooms themselves if possible. Hand-pick off curled/damaged leaves and in the spring, keep an eye out for neat rows of butterfly eggs laid on the bottoms of some leaves, leaving them strictly alone.

You may want to try Safer’s Soap if you have bad damage. Some area nurseries carry a wonderful organic rose spray — it’s a nurturing, not-killing product. Partner with Nature’s helpers — the ladybugs, lacewings, bees, butterflies, spiders, ground-beetles, toads and yes, snakes (if you’re lucky enough to have them). Rose-growing is a “community” effort.

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.