My house has some rose bushes that the previous owners planted. What do I do? I started dead-heading them and that's about it.

I am glad you asked this I am in the same situation.

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Funny....I have the same issue, except I am trying to get rid of them. I thought I had dug them all up, and they have surprisingly come back Not that they aren't pretty - I just don't want them ~ Roses aren't my thing

I don't know too much about Roses, to help you out...but I did find a couple sites that may be helpful. I know there are LOTS out there, these just looked like the easiest and most informative.

Care for Roses

Rose Magazine

Good Luck! If they are as hearty as mine is...I don't think you can hurt it, so you shouldn't have any issues

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The few tips I have learned from my sister on taking care of roses (she has a great green thumb and is teaching me)

1) Cut them back annually and they will grow back much fuller and stronger each year. Every year I am afraid I cut them back too far but each year they grow back very nicely

2) When you cut off blooms, cut at an angle at the next set of leaves

When I moved into my place we had some large rose bushes from the old owners that had never been properly pruned. They were really messy and would only bloom way up high. We cut them back really far each year since and they have been coming back much nicer now.

Good luck!

What time of the year do you cut them way back fall or spring? I have a rose bush in front that needs help. It is so big and I get so many flowers on it. I wish it had a bigger base. It is very small at the bottom and then huge on the top. And it is shading all my plants around it, so nothing else grows as good.
It is about 4 years old. And if you seent the start it came from you would be surprise it even lived. It was a $4 rose bush from Walmart. I had 2 others and neither of them survived.

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Austin
Mom to 3 beautiful girls

We usually cut them back in the spring, in mid-April after we are sure that the last frost is gone. I think I cut them back to about 18-24 inches.

I have had some barely live one season and then go crazy the next. Maybe sometimes they are just trying to grow their roots and get established?

I live in a manufactured home park in Portland Oregon.. ie: Rose City. There are roses everywhere.. in our park they are in varying states of care. The funny thing is that it is the habit of the park manager to mow over roses in the lots with an abandoned home, or no house at all. Because of this, the previous owner of our house didn't even know that 2 of the rose bushes even existed before he moved in. When we bought the house last year these 2 plants were just little sprigs. They looked like babies compared to the rest of the roses (I had 13 when we moved in.. now have 17). One of them is just now starting to get extra sprigs to come up, the other, I think is a climber (with no support) but is doing well this year.

Because most of the people around here don't care for their roses (probably because they just do not know how), we have a lot of problems with aphids & black spot. I have learned that I can blast of the aphids with a spray of water (only in the morning though.. to allow the plants to dry before night time). Then I use a 2in1 product that fertalizes and treats for bugs on my roses. I put it down every 6 weeks during the growing season.. and by doing so I have not had much of an aphid problem this year..

I have also learned that when watering it is just best to take the hose to each individual plant, and set it on the ground at a low speed for 5-10 minutes per plant. This way you can give them a good soak, and you don't need to water quite so often, it also helps to prevent black spot.. which is an airborn spore that lands in the water droplets on the leaves of the rose plant. The only way to get rid of this is to pinch off (or cut) the affected leaves, and dispose of them in the garbage. Do not leave them at the base of the plant as they will still carry the disease and can reinfect the plant.

During the growing season you can cut the plant back as much as 1/3rd without doing much damage to it. Just remember to cut down to 1/4" (or so) above either a 5 leaf stem or a node (looks kinda like a little brown bump on the stem). When I first learned about this I thought... yeah right.. but as it turns out, this is where the plant will make a new stem.

Also, if your plant is just to diseased, or out of control, or about to be run over by an incoming single wide feel free to wack it down as low as you feel necessary. Yep, the lot next to mine was vacant for several years, and a new home was placed at the end of May. They had to run the house over my lot in order to put it into it's proper place. We were given $300 for the value of my bushes in the front yard, and we dug up 4 of the 6 roses.. but the last two were not doing so well, so my dh in his frustration from doing all the digging and running into lots of baseball sized rocks, just sniped off the last two! One of these was the "baby" which now has sprouts for 3 or 4 stems. The other is actually over a foot tall now with 4 rose buds on it!

My goal? To get my roses looking better over the next year or two, and then I plan on selling my services in the park with Rose care. I figure when my dd who just turned 3 is ready for kindergarden, my roses should be looking great. Then while she is in school I can have all the time I need to work on the project. The only thing I haven't decided upon is what to charge.

Prune them in early spring after last frost. besure to allow for air circulation (cut some from center out). Cut on an angle with curved pruning shears (prevents damage to cane). Cut at 5 leaf part. seal with glue to prevent stem borers. I fertilize with the granular before a rainstorm (not a down pour though) hope this helps good luck

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