This week in the rose garden I discovered some black spot on the leaves of a couple of the rose plants. Part of rose care is managing rose diseases as soon as they appear on the plant. We’ve just had 3 days of rain here so there’s a lot of humidity in the air. The perfect condition for black spot to make its appearance. Black spot is the scourge of rose gardeners who grow roses in humid coastal climates like Sydney. Read more »

Roses need an open sunny position to grow best. A minimum of 5-6 hours a day of full sun is required for their optimum growth. Roses produce a prolific amount of flowers which take a great deal of energy from the rose plant. In order to keep replenishing this energy the rose needs Read more »

Soil preparation is important if you want healthy robust rose plants that bloom prolifically.
There are two ways to go about improving your soil for planting roses and they depend on the amount of time you’ve got before you plant them.

If you are planting roses right away.

If you are planting your rose bush right away, the only thing you want to add to the soil at planting time is Read more »

Before planting roses, it’s a good idea to check the pH and drainage of the area you are going to plant in. If you want healthy robust rose plants that bloom prolifically you’ll want to make sure these two areas are part of your pre-planting preparation. A sickly rose plant is a beacon to pests and disease. They just seem to know when a plant is doing poorly and zoom straight in for the kill! What goes on above soil level is a reflection of what’s going on beneath soil level, so it’s the smart rose gardener that takes the time to check the soil pH and drainage Read more »

There were lots of aphids on the rose tips and buds this week in the rose garden. The soft, sappy new spring growth on the roses brings them out in droves. 

Aphids on roses can cause Read more »

Roses are probably one of the most widely grown plants in the home garden – whether planted in a bed of their own or planted in amongst other shrubs. They are also one of the best loved flowers throughout the world – they are certainly my favourite – their beauty, form and fragrance is hard to beat.

There is a myth going around that roses Read more »