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Today we are sharing with you six tips for making your rose blooms big, beautiful, and healthy all season long! These are some of my favorite chemist hacks I have collected over the years.
I started out growing roses in 2007 in a pot on my balcony in California. It grew about three or four foot tall and made the biggest, most beautiful blooms. I was so proud of that plant! When we moved back to Texas, it made it through one winter, then died. Our weather is way more harsh than it was in California. Since then, I have grown them in all types of pots and I have them all over my yard.
I have found some really great chemist tips over the years that really keep your roses looking healthy, vivid, and continually blooming all season. I was lucky enough to study horticulture in college which really helped me pick up some tips. Growing flowers is definitely a science!
P.S – Don’t have a yard? No problem, these work for potted plants too! Be sure to check out my patio/container tab for more inspiration!
Six Tips for Making Your Rose Blooms Big, Beautiful, and Healthy All Season Long
Trim Often
Pruning is something that should be done in early spring. If you missed that, don’t worry! Trimming is still key to get them to continue to produce flowers all season. Trimming sparks new growth in a rose bush, but make sure you do it correctly. Read this post for all the details to make sure you do it properly. It won’t hurt your rose bush if you don’t do it 100% correct, but it will hinder it from producing healthy, new growth!
In my fall garden checklist, I mentioned my thoughts on winter pruning. Depending on your location, many experts recommend NOT to prune in the fall because it does cause the rose to grow and that isn’t what you want before winter. In Texas, I always prune lightly in early spring. Some years, I will do a heavy prune, but I really concentrate on trimming properly every few weeks during the blooming season. That is the best, surefire way to keep them blooming!
Egg Shells
Yes! This is one of the best, totally free fertilizers available which works wonders for roses! Among other things, egg shells are full of calcium which is such a good nutrient for roses. In horticulture, we learned that calcium really strengthened the tissue of a rose which keeps it sturdy and strong. This allows it to grow bigger healthier blooms!
I use egg shells a few different ways. I will mix in some crushed shells into potting soil and add that to potted roses (other plants too!), but the easiest way is to crush up the shells really fine, then simple sprinkle to the top soil layer around the rose. The finer the egg shell is crushed, the faster it will release calcium into the soil.
This tip is something I have always used more for potted plants, but last month I decided to really test it out on my hybrid tea roses (see picture below). It made a HUGE difference in the size and quality of this bloom. This is the healthiest it has been since I planted it!
Coffee Grounds
Another amazing chemical for your roses is coffee. Coffee grounds are full of nitrogen which is very important for the soil. Roses love neutral or acidic soil, so the addition of nitrogen is perfect. I save my grounds, let them dry a bit, then sprinkle them on the base of the rose.
You can also add it to a compost pile you have which will further enrich the soil. I just keep it simple though and sprinkle a bit on after I use my french press 🙂
Be careful not to add too much though! It can backfire and hurt the roses!
Keep Off Black Spots
Black spotting isn’t a huge deal usually in Texas, but the last few years we have had so much rain, it keeps the soil moist for long periods of time. This produces that dreaded fungal disease, black spots. I have been using these black spot tips for over a year, and it has kept the spotting down to just a few leaves occasionally. Always remove leaves that show any sign of black spots!
Control Insects
The only insects I struggle with, and usually only potted roses, are aphids. Over the years, the only treatment I have found helpful for this is to immediately power wash the aphids off the minute I see any sign. Then, I spray the area with an insecticide immediately. I have tried the three below over the years and have had success with all of them
The Garden Safe brand is organic, which I typically prefer, so I always keep this on hand! I know many areas in the United States have more insect problems, so definitely check out this article from the UC Agriculture department which has some common insect problems and how to manage them!
Just remember to keep up with it and always treat the roses at the first sign of insects!
Always Use Mulch
I swear by mulch! I mulch about twice a year. I do it in the fall after I clean up the roses. This protects the flower bed soil and will protect roots from cold weather. I also mulch again in the very early spring after I prune. Mulching at this time is important because it will protect the bud from dehydration.
Mulch has also helped my flower beds from getting too wet when we have heavy rainfall. Without it, the roses just stand in water which leads to black spots!
What about fertilizing roses?
Many have asked about fertilizing their roses. I do occasionally use a store bought fertilizer to feed my roses, but the tips above I have shared are what have truly helped my roses flourish. I try to keep the chemicals to a minimum. Watering is something that will really depend on your weather. I only start watering my roses in the deep part of Summer when we don’t get rain and temperatures are over 100 degrees. Usually the rain keeps them healthy, and they are so established, the roots are very deep.
If your roses are new, you will definitely want to pay them extra attention on these matters. Refer to this guide on watering.
Just for fun, I wanted to show you some quick iphone pictures of how my climbing roses have grown like crazy since I planted them in March 2014. I made my own rose trellis, and these pictures just don’t do them justice! Each time I walk in the backyard, I am blown away by the many red roses that just cover this area!
Do you have any flowers you enjoy growing?
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Alexis is an investigative chemist sharing her expertise in cleaning, skincare, gardening, and home hacks. She personally tests out products like the best skincare products or home products then shares not only the science behind how it works, but also her personal results. She is the mom of two living in Texas with her husband. Find her on Instagram for fantastic videos, tips, and behind the scenes.
I can’t keep a plant alive to save my life. Whatever is the opposite of a green thumb, I have it. I even tried to keep basil in my window at my office and it died like a week later. <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes
I do have problems with herbs oddly enough! Especially inside, they always die. I have had much better luck with them outside 🙂
Roses are just so pretty, I’m always afraid at growing them myself. But I love a new use for coffee grounds <3
Green Fashionista
They really are so pretty! I love these tips because they don’t take much effort! I like things super easy lol
Beautiful roses! Great tips! I’m working on my roses almost every week – dead heading, cutting off black spot and rust. I think the massive March growth spurt is slowing down a bit. Love the idea of using (rinsed) egg shells and coffee grounds – after sprinkling one either of these, do I water the bush to get the nutrients released? I use cedar bark around my rose bushes – does this count as mulch? I used to use a fish meal based food/fertilizer, but not lately. Ann also spent a lot of time sniffing around the bushes…:) Have a great day!
The nutrients will start degrading into the soil on their own. You can definitely water it also, but even if you don’t, it will eventually work it’s way in 🙂 Cedar bark is really good for mulch! I use a cedar as well and I like it a lot. Oh, Ruger would totally love a fish based fertilizer lol, he would probably smell around there all day!!
Such great tips! This will be so helpful for my rose bushes!
Thanks Cara!!! I hope it can help you with your roses 🙂
I love roses too – thanks for sharing your tips with Pin worthy Wednesday
They are so beautiful!!
I am a true blue gardener and always looking for tips:) Thanks so much for sharing these natural tips with us at TOHOT!
Jemma
Thank you!! I love having easy, natural ways to take care of flowers. Have a great day!
Alexis, I didn’t realize you live in Texas too until this post! So glad to understand that. You and I both share a love of gardening. You have great ideas for taking care of roses. They are my very favorite! Luckily I’ve had to use very few over the counter insecticides by just staying on top of things. It’s amazing what you can accomplish controlling insects just by plucking infected areas of the plant as needed. The only thing I would say is that when you use
an insecticide like the Ortho product you have in this post, you are killing beneficial insects too – like caterpillars….butterflies. Please don’t take that as a criticism I just hope people are aware of that.
It is amazing how staying on top of things makes such a difference! I have really been able to keep things at bay with that.
I like this ortho product in particular because the active ingredient is Acetamiprid which is one of the only things that got rid of the grasshoppers that plagued our area a few years ago. We used it in horticulture too for some of the other insects. It doesn’t harm butterflies luckily, but I still prefer natural methods when I can. Definitely a chemically safer option when you can.You are definitely right, there are many beneficial insects to keep around! Thanks Stacey, have a great day!!
I had forgotten about eggshells Alexis! My mother used to use coffee grounds, banana peels and eggshells. I have been doing the first but had forgotten about the last. Thank you SO much!
I too favor the organic solution to pests as other brands can harm our precious pollinators.
I’m off to read your post on black spots. Have a happy gardening day.
That is so neat Laura! My grandmother had so many natural remedies for gardening, that worked!!! I hope you like my black spot post, it has helped me so much!
I’m impressed by the change of the rose bush from year to year! I planted a rose bush a few years back, but it just doesn’t get enough sun, so I kind of gave up on it. I’m sticking with shade plants, like the heuchera coral bells I recently posted about here: http://gingerwroot.com/heuchera-is-a-fab-shade-perennial/ Thanks for these tips, though–your flowers are sooo gorgeous!
–G
http://gingerwroot.com
I love looking at the progress! So neat! Mine actually don’t get much sun either. My roses in the front don’t get any, but with our summer heat, they do best that way. I had one rose bush die a few years ago because of the sun, it just dried it out too much! I will head over and check out your pretty flowers!!
Alexis- I am so glad you shared this at TOHOT.
Especially since my roses are going through a ‘puny’ stage right now.
I hope you saw that I selected you as one of our features this week.
And I’d like to invite you to join our Garden Party Monday with this great post.
Just come by my blog Monday and join in.
Thank you Laura!! I would love to join your garden party today! I will make sure to swing by and link up, thanks so much!
Good Morning and welcome to the Garden Party! So glad that you joined in today.
I love your roses:)
Jemma
Thank you Jemma! Thank you for the wonderful party!
Thanks for these great tips Alexis! I have heard of egg shells and coffee grinds, but have not tried either. I must admit, my roses have struggled at this home. Had no problem at my previous one. We put a rose garden in 3 or 4 years ago and I lose at least one every winter. Pruned them a couple weeks ago, fertilized them, and added mulch last week. Hoping for the best. Will definitely try the egg shells. Not a coffee drinker, so no grounds here. lol! Unless I can get some from my older sis. Thanks for sharing with the garden party!
hugs,
Jann
I hope some of these tips help you! I know roses do so great in certain soils, and others they really struggle with. Adding in these nutrients really helped mine start growing much better! Thanks so much and have a great day!
Beautiful! We have been so lucky to have great weather this year. I live in Rockwall just east of Dallas…are you nearby? We’ve gotten the perfect amount of rain, sun, and great temps.
Thank you for joining the garden party. We’ll be doing this again next month. 🙂
The weather has been so much nicer this year (minus our tornadoes and hail we keep having!) We live just south of Fort Worth! We sure are hoping for a nice summer this year. Hopefully no extreme temperatures 🙂 Thanks Stacey!
Thanks so much for your tips. I have many rose bushes in my garden, but they don’t produce prolific blooms. I’m going to start using the coffee grounds right away. We rarely eat eggs so that one is a bit harder to implement.
Hi Carol! I hope adding in some other nutrients will help your blooms grow better! Just adding coffee grounds and trimming regularly should spark some growth! Have a great day!
I saw a post somewhere recently (specifically about tomato plants) but it should work for roses as well. Grind up calcium tablets using a importer & pedestal (I used my nutriti bullet) let sit in hot water until water cools to warm or cool. Add water to make a gallon and water tomato plants with that (soil, not leaves) allowing 2 600 mg tablets per plant. I have 3 tomato plants in containers, but we have had so much rain in central MS (Jackson) for the past 2 months I have not had a chance to try it. Should work on roses, too, for those like me who don’t eat many eggs. Temps here have been in the high 90’s with heat indices of 103-104 every day and no less than a tenth of an inch of rain every evening/night with as much as 1″+ more days than not. Tomatoes are dying from heat and excess water.
Hi Paula! Yes, tomatoes love calcium. Roses enjoy some too, so I am sure they would respond well to that mixture you mentioned. It is very hot here too. Usually 105, heat index 110 or more. We don’t get any rain at all, so it makes it tough for growing. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I am going to try your tips. Your roses are beautiful.
Thanks so much Bonnie! I hope it helps you 🙂 If anything, trimming is really the best tip to use!! Have a great day!
Great advice! Your roses look wonderful!
Thanks so much Liz!!
Just beautiful! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!
Thanks Sherry!!
Thanks so much for these great tips! I have roses in front of my new house, and I’ve never cared for roses before. I had to google how to prune them in February when I trimmed them down, and now I’m glad to have more information here on how to care for them better. You’re the best!
Awesome!! I hope this helps you out with your roses 🙂 These tips make it really easy to keep them looking beautiful!
I need help. I have 2 rose “bushes” that are struggling. They look like skelator and I’m not sure what to do with them. We inherited them when we moved into our house a month ago, and I’m at a loss for how to fix them to make them more like bushes. Do you have any advice? Or is it time to let them go? I haven’t pruned them or done anything with them, but they are producing new growth. I’m not sure how to make them more bush like, though. And how did you make them grow around the trellis? I have a small fence that I could do that too. I like that idea.
Thoughts – I’m hopeless with plants, but these need some serious help.
If they are a bush like rose, not a hybrid or climbing rose, I would definitely trim the back. If they haven’t been taken care of, they need a good trim. Roses actually respond really good to trimming this time of year, even if you don’t do anything else. Roses can live almost forever really as long as they get cut back.
Can you send me a picture of them? They can help me tell what type they are and watch exactly you can do! As far as the trellis, they are climbing roses and they are the only ones that will bend like this, but you have to train them a little at a time by tying them to the trellis in small angles.
Definitely email me a photo if you can so I can figure out what you can do to bring them back to life. I’d love to help you save them!!!
WONDERFUL article. I have wanted a rose bush all my life, and finally, this year, I bought one. 54 years is w a y t o o l o n g to wait for your first rose bush. I do have a question for you. I bought a Knock-out Rose bush at Lowe’s and asked the employee if it would survive ok in a pot. She said that I needed to bring it inside in the winter (Western North Carolina); is that the case? I also hadn’t trimmed it, until last week, and I was pleasantly surprised that it bloomed like crazy. How often should I be trimming it? First time rose bush owner, and I don’t want to kill it! I think it’s needing trimmed again. Do I trim the blooms as often as I dead head the petunias – which has turned into a daily ritual? Thank you for your help!!!
Hi Elaine! So happy you stopped by! I would definitely recommend bringing roses in for freezes if they are in pots. I have had them die more in the winter when the temperatures are too low. The ones that are in the ground will have a good enough root system to survive the winter. I always add a nice layer of mulch before it freezes for added protection too. Trimming roses is awesome for growth. I do it every few weeks in the growing seasons. Anytime it looks like the blooms are dead I will trim it. Be sure to read my how to trim a rose article so you can get the most out of it. I recommend to stop trimming before winter since it does promote growth and you don’t want it to grow that time of year. Feel free to email me anytime with questions 🙂
I did read your “how to trim a rose” article – such great information. I am so glad I found you. Thank you for sharing your wealth of information! 🙂
Oh good!! I am so happy you did too, and feel free to ask me questions anytime!
My grandmother always added a bit of milk to the water she used on her plants. My mother would soak egg shells in water for a day then use the water in her garden. Both had beautiful flowers inside and out. Thank you for your tips, I am hoping for bigger and better in the flower beds around the house next year!
Thanks Lisa! Sounds like your grandmother and mother were smart ladies 🙂 Milk is a great source of calcium which roses really love! Egg shells have about the same amount of calcium which is why they really do so well with roses. I am working on another homemade food that is a littler more in depth and all from organic sources too. I am almost done testing it, so it should be up soon! I look forward to working on my roses again next year too 🙂 I hope you can grow some beautiful ones this coming year!
I like.
Thank you!
Thanks you so much for sharing your great tips. I have my roses too and I love to look at the flowers every morning but your tips are great help to keep them looking more beautiful. God bless!
They are so wonderful to see every morning! Thanks so much Sarah!
I am a plant lover, and I like gardening. I make a window garden backyard at home. I am using eggshells to blooming organically, and buttermilk for curry leaves plants. But I can’t manage rose plants. Anyone suggest me, how to blooming my rose plant and how to make it healthy? I provide them limited water and fertilizer, but rose doesn’t stay healthy.
These are all the tips I have for getting roses to bloom for both container and in the ground.
Just came across your website as I was searching about rose fertilizer
Thank you for your wonderful tips and helpful suggestions
Last year I planted 6 rose bushes
I was doing everything wrong which prompted me to read online for proper care
I transplanted them in early spring and although they became a little unhappy with the move (all stems were wilting) I cut off the wilted stems and applied a “rose fertilizer” and of course amended soil as clay would have been a tougher adjustment for them and they are doing amazing.
I too like the garden safe spray. I had black spot this spring. They look much better now.
On one last note, for those of you choosing to use all natural resources to combat disease on plants studies done at Washington State University have found that spraying 1 part whole milk to 2 parts of water on leaves of rose Bush changes the PH of fungus and kills it. Of course, as with any spray this should be applied in the early morning hours so leaves don’t burn. This mixture will work for Black Spot as well as Powdery Mildew.
Thank you! Glad your roses are doing well. That spray is so good for fungal issues 🙂
Thanks Alexis
Love your informative website
Many homeowners such as myself appreciate the time you take to post your knowledge and helpful gardening tips and advice
God bless wish you a very Happy Memorial Day
Thanks Debbie! I am so happy to share with others 🙂 Have a great day!
Hi, I live in Ohio. So far we have gotten more rain and the the rust began. So thanks I didn’t know what to do. We have what I’ve always called cutter bugs, who can cover any plant and eat right down to the grown. I have used a home made solution when I had a large garden. Now I only have a little spot. But my “puppet chow” always doubled whatever I grew. It is a 3lbs bag of cheap dog food (I gave my kids hammers and would have them go at it to crush it to little bits) 1 cup powder lye, 1 bag sugar, and 1 box of old fashion rolled oats. Mix all together and after I tilled the ground ,would sprinkle on to and mix into top of dirt b4 planting. Idk why it works, I’ve done this over 40yrs and have forgotten where I got the resipe. but I proved to my neighbor who planted the same things in his garden and my plants was always double in size and yielded double the amount of anything I planted. Especially tomatoes. With great taste. I also dumped coffee grounds and egg shells along the way. Now I’m in a apartment and for some reason everything dies after I plant it. Those bugs destroy everything and even engulfed a hummingbird feeder So I’ve been afraid of using it due to the sugar drawls them. Any suggestions. I thought of making a raised garden with black cloth then dirt. I’d like to put 2 tea roses in. Any suggestion to what bags of dirt would be best? Also any natural way to get rid of those bugs? Thanks Sandy Kay
I am not sure about those bugs, I haven’t dealt with them before. The insecticide in this post should help with anything that will bother your plants especially roses. Even potted ones. For my potted roses, I always buy the potting mix formulated for roses. Miracle Gro has a bag of soil for that. It is great for raised beds or pots. I usually just add regular dirt to the bottom, then the rest of it I fill with the special dirt.
Your Roses are simply gorgeous, Alexis!! Thank you so much for posting these invaluable tips, mainly for gardener beginners like myself! 🙂 🙂
Thanks so much!! These tips are really great 🙂
Great tips! Alexis- I like your post. You have great ideas for taking care of roses. Thanks for informative and useful suggestions.
Thank you!
i am only getting one rose at a time.this has never happened to me in other states,but i live at the gates of death valley
It sounds like it isn’t getting enough nutrients. I would definitely try out some fertilizers or homemade options!
I am in North Dallas in a suburbanized rural area. We are on an acre of land and have many neighbors who leave their yards to grow as we have rural feed field rules allowing yards to be grown tall to feed animals, mostly horses and sheep. This has led to many field glasses, weeds, and the biggest problem vines. I’m disabled and my brother helps with my gardening now, at least some of it. When he was trimming the edge of my garden and yard he didn’t see the poison ivy. It is killing my roses. They are being starved and illness are occurring. I no longer have the ability to pull the ivy everyday or even every other day and we must have some genetic super ivy because in 10 days it can sprout and cover half of a large rose bush. I have tried gently removing the vines from my roses and spraying them with all kinds of natural mixes said to kill various ivies like salt, soap, and vinegar, and boiling water poured on the roots. The chemical poisons cause rose rosette disease or something which mimics it no matter how much protection we give the roses. We lost a couple rose bushes and a self grafted rose tree when a neighbor sprayed their yard. The same year someone burned a large amount of poison ivy on their property and several people including me were taken to the hospital with ivy rash in the lungs. Since then I have had severe reactions to poison ivy. I get a rash and have swelling of my lips and face just by breathing the oil released in the air. Luckily on burning the fire department now sends out a notice to everyone saying to bag and throw away poison ivy and burning it can hurt or kill you, hopefully it will keep anyone from trying to burn it again.
Any advice or suggestions on how to get rid of the poison ivy (also possibly wild blackberry) or if you know what is going on with the rose bushes, ivy killer, rose rosette disease (or whatever it might be) I would greatly appreciate it.
Poison ivy is tough. There is only a few products we have tried that worked. Here is our big post on poison ivy you can check out. There is no homemade remedy that kills poison ivy due to the intricate root structure. We go into detail on the post for killing it. I hope this helps!
I love Roses i have them all over my years. I have some that are 70 years old I live in my Grandma’s house that’s why I know how old the bush are. Thank you for the tips on Roses
Wow how cool to have a 70 year old rose bush!
I have read that there is a better place to prune rose canes than above a five leaf stem to increase blooms. Do you know where it is?Thank you.
I was taught it was above the five leaf stem, that is all I see in my books too. I would have to look into that! My grandmother always does it above the five leaf stem, but that is all I have seen her do.
When will too much coffee grounds be too much?
I wouldn’t apply coffee grounds more than every 2-3 weeks
Earlier this spring I bought some bare-root roses for fun. Now it’s October and a fabulous Rose Farm not too far from us ran a 40% off sale. I bought thirty 5 gallon roses. Two weeks later I bought another seven and now I’m hooked.
Love any and all Rose tips.
Roses are the best! They are one of my favorites to grow 🙂
Oh for here in North Dallas I like to infuse my yard in spring and/or fall with ladybugs ? to prevent and kill aphids and any other insects. They are less expensive than the pesticides at my local farmers market. They might be cheaper than pesticide online too IDK. They also catch and find everything my eyes would likely miss. I introduced a handful of male and female praying mantis only once and they adjust their population without my help. They deal with insects too big for the ladybugs like the giant green crickets that can turn into locust. The ladybugs and praying mantis seem to get along too so it works great. For if you or anyone wants a low effort, effective, and pesticide free way to deal with insects. They will expand to the neighborhood as food becomes scarce but it’s great for everyone and a higher concentration stays there.
Please anyone who gets praying mantis don’t get the cheaper Chinese or European non native species because they eat and kill hummingbirds, baby birds, and insect size mammals which are good pollinators or insect eaters themselves. In the US Carolina mantis here in Texas the southern Texas mantis are native.
Thanks for sharing!