Gardening tips | Maintenance

Rosebushes with bare roots : removing the protective mound

From March onwards, remove the protective mounds from the base of newly planted rosebushes but keep the mounds in place for bushes planted in March/April.

Regular maintenance

Every year, treat the rosebushes to some total fertiliser (see above) just after pruning them and again in July to encourage them to flower.

Hoe round the plants to air the earth and remove weeds and do not forget to water them abundantly every fortnight.

Remove any "wild" stalks which exhaust the rosebush. These are pale green and grow next to or below the graft on the trunk of stem roses and trailing roses and even on roots.
Cut them off level with the stalk (scraping the earth away from the roots if necessary).

Cut off any wilted blooms along with one or more leaves to encourage the bush to flower.

Meillandina ®

If this variety has been planted in the earth

Once they have been planted, they require frequent and abundant watering and additional total fertiliser in the first few weeks
Do not remove the young shoots which grow from the base; these are not wild stalks but branches that will bear flowers
Apart from this, their maintenance is the same as that of rosebushes planted with bare roots

If they have been planted in garden boxes or tubs

Water regularly; it is very important not to let the earth dry out
Occasionally add soluble fertiliser. Never exceed the dose prescribed on the packaging
During the growing period, treat them regularly against diseases and parasites (roughly every fortnight)
In winter, do not water too often and shelter plant pots and tubs from severe frost by placing them in a very cool place but where the termperature does not drop below -5°C
Remove wilted blooms to encourage flowering

How to prune rosebushes ?

Rosebushes should be pruned from their second year onwards, just before they begin to grow. This will be in February or March, depending on regions.

Types of rosebushes	Our tips
- Rosebushes with large blooms - Rosebushes with clustered blooms Stem rosebushes	- Remove any dead wood and any weak, ill-positioned or very old branches - Remove between 2/3 and 3/4 of the branches' length, leaving 2 or 3 buds on weak branches and 5 or 6 on stronger ones (diagram 1)
Meillandécor® landscape rosebushes	These hardly need any pruning, unless they become too invasive.
Meillandina®	Simply remove the flowering tips and tidy up the twigs. This pruning can be done using large scissors.
Climbing roses	- Remove any dead or very old branches - Train the other branches along the trellis. - Attach them to the trellis, bending them horizontal and trim the ends
Trailing roses	Leave these to grow free to obtain the desired "cascade" effect. You may want to trim any branches you find too long. Remove any dead wood.