Don’t neglect roses in summer

In mid-July the spring riot of blooms is laid low by the heat. Most of us wander away from the garden lured by parties and languid days at the shore. But midsummer is high time for roses, and those who really know these plants are hard at work. If your roses tend to wane, perhaps it's not the heat, but lack of attention, nourishment and pruning.

The hybrid tea roses and their ever-blooming kin require more attention than the modern carpet roses, which completely take care of themselves. Bred for large, fabulous flowers, these hybrid-cutting roses are hard at work producing new canes and buds. Naturally they need quality nutrition and restorative pruning to keep their summer flowers as big and bold as that first spring flush.

Most roses thrive under heavy pruning of the flowering twigs. Flower producing twigs grow smaller with each successive branching. Small twigs caused by insufficient pruning produce ever-smaller flowers. Pruning deep into the plant to twigs that are at least the diameter of a pencil will stimulate strong new branching. Removing spindly growth also forces the plants to produce more substantial canes at the base, which renew the plants.

Spent flowers should be cut daily to prevent slowing of production. To fill your home with vases of fresh blooms, cut them before the buds open instead.

Roses are heavy feeders. They need a lot of energy to produce large, luscious blooms. Nutrition is also vital to their ability to naturally fight pests and diseases.

When temperatures rise the plants grow faster, demanding supplemental fertilization. This can be provided through traditional synthetic products and organic fertilizers. Consider synthetic rose food akin to rocket fuel, while organics are better for a slow burn.

Synthetics become instantly available to the plants so you'll see fast results. However, they move through the root zone just as quickly, forcing you to reapply in just a few weeks to keep nutrient levels consistent. Waiting until plants slow down before you reapply will cause significant interruption in bloom. Feeding on a strict calendar schedule will ensure nonstop blooms for garden or cutting.

Organic fertilizers are lower in nutrient content, but they hang around a lot longer. Use concentrated pellets that are easy to apply to meet roses' high demands.

Cultivate the pellets into the soil to encourage more rapid disintegration and uptake. You'll have to use a greater volume of organic product, but experts believe that the wider range of nutrients increases overall health of the plant.

To be sure your feeding is well utilized, it's important to water your roses deeply. Many people fail because they do not saturate the soil any deeper than the top few inches. This forces roses to root in the top layer where it's hot and soil dries out quickly.

To make roses really perform and to help them take up fertilizer, you must deep water the plants. If your soil is heavy, then drip water them with a trickle from the garden hose every week as needed depending on the weather.

Where possible, create generous watering basins around the base of each plant to hold a good volume while it slowly percolates downward into the earth. These techniques saturate soil many feet underground where it remains available to roots long after the surface dries out.

It's important to avoid spraying the foliage when you water because this can foster fungal diseases. However, to discourage spider mites that thrive on dusty leaves, wash the foliage, top and bottom early in the morning once a month.

While roses take a bit more attention, no plant rivals the rose for sheer grandeur. They are hard working and give us significant returns for our effort. And when a passerby stops and says "Nice roses," you'll feel the pride of every gardener who shares the love of this timeless queen of flowers.

Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist and host of "Weekend Gardening" on DIY Network. Contact her at www.moplants.com.