As the weather gets damper, the expert gardener gives householders advice to keep their roses blooming.
Lynn Love Lifestyle Writer and Samantha Masters
15:43, 22 Sep 2025
Monty Don (Image: Getty )
Gardening expert Monty Don has urged gardeners to look after their roses this autumn. As the weather continues to shift, black spots are likely to begin to appear on roses. These dark coloured marks signal fungal disease.
Monty, who hosts Gardeners’ World, discussed how to handle black spots, suggesting it’s a matter of personal tolerance. He advised: “A lot of plants get black spot, but it doesn’t affect the flowering and doesn’t affect the health of the plant. It’s just unsightly and that, personally, I can tolerate.”
“If it’s defoliating completely, if a plant is suffering and looking bad, and other roses near it are not suffering from it, then that’s because the plant is particularly prone to it, so just get rid of it.”
The 69-year-old much-loved presenter warned: “You’ve got a problem if all your roses are affected by black spot.”
With conditions becoming “more warm and damp”, he cautioned gardeners to expect “more fungal problems, not less”.
A rose in bloom(Image: Getty)
Speaking on the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine podcast last year, he recommended: “The only practical thing you can do is not water overhead. You can’t stop the rain, but don’t wet the leaves; keep the leaves dry.
“So water at the base, gather up all the affected leaves that drop and burn them, don’t put them on the composite.”
Monty continued to share further advice for managing gardens as winter approaches.
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“In winter, rake the ground around the plant thoroughly to disturb the spores. Leave it bare over the winter months, then mulch it thickly in early spring,” he shared.
“And the cold, if we get a really cold snap, that will affect the spores that will be in the ground.”
“But, the truth is, if you live with roses, you live with it to a certain extent.”
Looking ahead to the winter, Monty said there’s one crucial task that needs immediate attention to prevent enduring damage during the colder months.
He advised: “Prune climbing roses. Climbing roses bloom on shoots grown the same spring so they can be pruned hard now.”
Pruning is vital if you want your roses to truly flourish. It serves to eliminate dead and dying branches and stubs, making way for new growth. This can be achieved by simply removing parts of the plant during the non-flowering season.
“Always use really sharp tools for pruning,” he explained.
“Not only does it make life much easier but it also makes for much cleaner cuts and therefore causes less damage to the plant, sharp tools are also much safer.”
Additionally, he suggested: “Always use a tool that is operating within its capacity, so never strain. Use loppers for stems too thick for easy cutting with secateurs and a sharp saw for anything that strains loppers.”
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