Expert William Mitchell from Sutton Manor Nursery shares the crucial February gardening job that helps roses bloom beautifully and stay healthier throughout the growing season.
February represents a critical period for rose enthusiasts. Following months of winter rest, your roses require care to awaken and flourish magnificently come spring. Neglect them at this stage, and they may falter, produce feeble blooms, or struggle to prosper.
Numerous gardeners believe roses will manage independently once winter passes, but this isn’t accurate. Correct pruning, watering, and pest management in February guarantees your roses bounce back with abundant, striking blooms.
Yet there’s one additional element these garden favourites depend upon, according to William Mitchell of Sutton Manor Nursery.
On his gardening website, Sutton Manor Nursery, William has outlined a list of gardening tasks that “must” be tackled in February, with feeding roses being crucial. Roses demand substantial nourishment, and following winter, they require a lift with this straightforward 10-second job.
He explained: “February is the ideal time to prepare your flowering shrubs for spring growth. The rose needs a continuous supply of nutrients throughout the growing season in order to perform at its best.”
William maintained that not only do “healthy roses bloom better”, but they’re also “more resistant to disease and insects”.
He recommended that maintaining a gardening diary close by, where you can record when and how you fertilise, will assist you in remaining organised.
William revealed that roses typically emerge from their winter dormancy in late March or early April and should be fed when the first buds begin to appear at the latest.
He observed: “Fertilising them with a slow-release fertiliser in February allows for early growth and protection before the first growth appears.”
Subsequently, in late June or early July, a second feeding is advised for “repeat-flowering rose varieties”.
When nourishing your roses, ensure you apply it at the base, steering clear of the foliage to avoid scorching.