How to Care for Roses in Summer

Make the most of your watering regimen by keeping roses mulched. Organic mulch reduces evaporation and keeps plant roots cool during hot summer days. 

Use a square-point shovel to add mulch to beds and create a layer about 3 to 4 inches thick.

Pick up dead and diseased leaves that have fallen to the ground. Good housekeeping practices significantly reduce disease in the garden, Van Cleave says.

"The key to keeping disease out of your garden is being proactive," Van Cleave says. "Like my grandmother used to say, 'It's better to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent.'"

The most prevalent rose disease, black spot mold, increases as the humidity in the air increases. When you pick up and dispose of diseased foliage, you help control the spread of black spots.

Cleaning fallen leaves also enhances airflow to the roots and base of the bush to support healthy growth.

Tip: When working around rose bushes, wear gardening gloves to protect your hands from thorns.

In humid climates, removing dead leaves may not prevent black spots. Check leaves regularly for signs of the disease. Infected plants will have yellowed leaves with noticeable black spots.

Treat black spots with anti-fungal spray. Follow the directions on the packaging to use the treatment correctly. For most products, plan to reapply every seven days to fight black spots throughout the summer.

Japanese beetles are a major threat to rose bushes. These insects are easy to spot by their metallic brown wings and shiny heads.

If left unchecked, the pests can chew leaves down to their veins. Japanese beetles often feed overnight, so look for signs of damage first thing in the morning.

When you spot the insects, remove them manually. Slip on gloves and handpick the beetles from the leaves. Throw them into a bucket filled with warm, soapy water.

Van Cleave recommends spraying for pests only if they become a problem over time. Try Japanese beetle traps before applying pesticides. Planting companions that attract beneficial insects like irises, bee balm and daylilies may also help keep pests at bay.

Prune roses in late summer. Cut back repeat blooming roses by half in late July to early August. Doing this shapes up the plant and signals the bush to bloom again. In about six weeks, this late-summer pruning will bring a final flush of blooms.

Use sharp pruning shears to make cuts about 0.25 inches from an outward-facing bud. Keep the shears at a 45-degree angle to allow for water runoff. After pruning each bush, wipe down pruning shears with a disinfectant spray to prevent the spread of disease from plant to plant.

To encourage a final flush of blooms, give roses a boost with an organic fertilizer in July and August. Avoid applying fertilizer after August ends. Read the labels before use, and be careful not to over-apply.

Tip: Growing roses organically is possible. It’s all about the variety you grow. Choose roses for disease resistance and place them in the sunniest part of your garden. Roses need a minimum of six to eight hours of sunlight daily to thrive.

Gardeners should enjoy the fruit of their labors and share them with others, Van Cleave says. He estimates he cuts about 50 percent of the roses in his garden to give away. "I’ve never met a person who didn’t want a rose," he says.

For best results, cut roses early in the morning when the blooms have the most water. Bring along a bucket of water and sharp pruners or scissors.

Cut rose stems as long as possible and plunge them immediately into water. You have only a 2-minute window to hydrate the stem.

Once inside, put a clean cut on each stem and place in a vase filled with the Redneck Rosarian's recipe for cut rose success: equal parts lemon-lime soda and water, to which he adds a copper penny.

Continue to trim the stem every two to three days. Your cut roses can last up to 10 days with this treatment.

The heat tolerance of rose varieties varies. Select roses based on your region to get plants that are ready for the weather in your area.

The following are a few regional rose favorites.

Pacific Northwest:

• Icecap™
• Drift® Roses
• Veranda® Roses
• Sunblaze® Miniature Roses

Midwest:  

• Drift® Roses
• Knock Out® Roses (some are only hardy to zone 5)
• Cherry Frost™
• Sunblaze® Miniature Roses

Southeast:

• Tahitian Treasure™
• Drift® Roses
• Knock Out® Roses
• Sunblaze® Miniature Roses

Northeast:

• Icecap™
• Drift® Roses
• Knock Out® Roses (some are only hardy to zone 5)
• Sunblaze® Miniature Roses

Southwest:

• Icecap™
• Veranda® Roses
• Sunblaze® Miniature Roses
• Preference™

Check the hardiness zones listed on plant tags as you shop to set yourself up for successful summer rose growing.