You will get beautiful summer blooms if you make one change now.
Roses will bloom better if you make the change(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Roses are a beloved flower in many gardens thanks to their beautiful blooms. They flower throughout summer through to autumn and until the first frosts return.
As they can create hedging, rose shrubs are ideal in wild gardens and at the back of borders. The shrubs have an open and spreading shape with flowers along the branches.
They come in many shades of white, cream, yellow, pink, red, crimson, purple, peach and orange. But, garden expert Alan Titchmarsh has urged gardeners to do a simple task ahead of summer for “maximum” blooms.
He explained that rose shrubs should be pruned in order for them to be at their best. It is important to be aware of the difference between dead stems and old stems when it comes to pruning.
Alan said: “Dead has no living wood on it at all. A lot of older stems have green, young ones coming out the top.”
Carefully prune the rose shrub(Image: shared content unit)
In a video for his social media channel, Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh, Alan demonstrated cutting back a rose shrub that had too many stems.
He decided to cut both dead and old stems off his rose shrub. Alan said, when old stems are cluttered and barely growing new shoots, they can be cut.
However, he warned that cutting shrub roses come with different rules. Alan instructed you should not cut them down to knee height, which you would do for bush roses.
He said: “These [shrub roses] tend to be taller, so you tip them back and thin the framework out.” Alan cut off flimsy branches and areas of his rose shrub that were too overcrowded.
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Alan explained: “I have created a well-spaced branch framework, which allows a through flow of air. Mildew and blackspot will be less likely because of the air circulation.”
Once cut, your shrub rose should have strong stems left. Alan recommends feeding the plant with blood, fish and bone then the shrub will be “set up for the summer”.
In his caption, Alan added an extra tip as he urged gardeners to be cautious when pruning and take their time.
He said: “Step back every few cuts and look at the overall shape your eye will tell you where it’s still too crowded before your brain does.”
According to the RHS, shrub roses thrive in fertile soil in full sun. Make sure they have space around them so they can “achieve their full potential”. Certain varieties will cope in other conditions as Rosa rugosa and wild roses are usually happy in poor, dry soil and a little shade.
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