Kelly's Cottage
Garden Roses
Culture and Care
of Old Garden Roses
Many old garden roses differ in their needs from the more commonly grown
modern roses. Tea roses, Chinas and Nosiettes care will be discussed below.
There are as many opinions on how to grow roses as there are people who grow them.
I discuss what I have found to work well in my garden.
Pruning
One of the many advantages of Tea roses is that they require very little if any pruning!
Many of these roses are large, allowing adequate space when planting can
alleviate the need to prune. Pruning should be kept to a minimum,
only to keep the shape of the plant attractive and to remove dead wood.
A light trim with hedge clippers is appropriate to reshape or to reduce size.
Dead wood should be removed. Do not remove twiggy growth, do not reduce
to a few large canes. Hard pruning will severely weaken Tea roses, vastly
reduce the amount of blooms and will distory their natural beauty.
Dead Heading
Deadheading is the removal of spent blooms. The flower should be snapped off just
below the hip. Do not clip back to lower leaf buds. The roses will branch out from just
below the last flower, usually sending out 2 or more twiggy branches which will bloom.
Mildew and Blackspot
These roses all tend to be resistive to blackspot. Local conditions, micro climate and culture
will affect this. Healthy roses are less likely to be infected. Bushes that are allowed to grow
to their potential size will be stronger. Plants in full sun and with air circulation will be less
likely to become infected. Plants that are fed well and have good soil conditions
will also be stronger.
Some teas are prone to mildew in spring. Mildew can be controlled easily with a mixture
of 1 part whole milk to 9 parts water, sprayed on to the plant.
Bicarbonate of soda can also be added at 1 Tbls to 4 liters of water.
A safe organic product for the control of blackspot and mildew is Eco Carb for Roses.
Eco Carb for Roses
Fertilizers
I prefer to improve the soil rather than adding chemicals to the soil. Worms and
microorganisms are vital to soil and plant health. Many chemical fertilizers kill
these organisms. Organic compost is an excellent way to improve soil.
Kitchen vegetable waists and green garden waists can be composted and used.
Banana skins can also be collected, chopped up and scatter round your roses.
Livestock manures are inexpensive and wonderful for the soil and your roses!
| Manure | Chicken | Diary cow | Horse | Steer | Rabbit | Sheep |
| N-P-K | 1.1 .80 .50 | .25 .15 .25 | .70 .30 .60 | .70 .30 .40 | 2.4 1.4 .60 | .70.30 .90 |
I apply it twice a year as a top dressing, about 3" deep covering the root zone.
Mulching
Lucerne hay is one of the most effective mulches. Worms love it and it feeds the roses
as it breaks down. I cover the sheep manure top dressing with a thick mulch of lucerne.
Mulching not only feeds your roses, but it helps to retain moisture, keeps the root zone
cool and helps to prevent weeds.
Soil preparation
My soil is a very poor decomposed granite which requires amending,
other soils may require a different preparation.
When I am preparing a rose bed I try to start about 3 months prior to planting.
I dig an area about 4 feet wide and 1.5 feet deep. I mix in aged sheep manure,
chipped up lucerne and compost. I then cover with 2" mulch of lucerne.
Water in and let stand for a couple of weeks.
I then remove the lucerne mulch and dig the area again. I let my eyes and
nose tell me if the soil seems healthy and rich in humus. Worms are also a
good sign. If I think it needs more amendments I add them and repeat as
above. If it looks good I return the lucerne mulch and water again.
I leave to mature for another 6-8 weeks and then plant my rose.
I do not add anything to the soil when I plant.
Insects
Most insects will do little damage to a well grown and mature old rose. My
practice is to encourage natural predators to my garden. They are the
most effective way to control unwanted insects.
Ladybirds are my best friends! The devour aphids and many other sucking insects.
They like ground hugging perennials like Lambs Ears to take shelter under on wet
and cold days. Once established in your garden they will appear in mass
about 10-15 days after the aphids appear in spring.
Ladybird and Mummified Aphids
Parasitic aphid wasps are also easy to invite to your rose garden. They lay eggs
inside aphids, causing the aphid to die. I have never seen the tiny wasps,
but when you find mummified aphid corpses on your roses you will know they
have moved in! (as seen in above photo). The adults need flowers to feed on.
Feverfew, Erigeron, Daisies, Queen Ann's Lace are all excellent choices
to encourage parasitic wasps to your garden.
Praying Mantis and large garden wasps will do battle against larger insects like
caterpillars and beetles. I leave the mud nests made by wasps in place until
the young have hatched.
Small garden birds are wonderful to have in the garden. Not only do they
clean up the insects but they also add great beauty and song to your garden.
Birds need water, a birdbath or pond will make them feel at home. You will also
find the small birds will nest in the dense cover provided by your old roses.
A climber or large rose planted near the house or wall will provide
extra protection for them on cold and windy days.
Chemical Fungicides and Pesticides
I use neither in my garden. If I used them I would kill not only the "bad" bugs,
but also all of the good insects that can do the battle for me. I would
also pollute my soil, my garden and my home. I can find no benefit and
only negatives in the home use of chemical fungicides and pesticides.
Garden Tour
Cottage Perennials
List of Roses
Rose Photos
Available Roses
The Rose Review
Tea Roses
Links and Things
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