An Ever-Blooming Summer for Mother’s Day: Basic Rose Care
May 3, 2022
Flowers for Mother’s Day are a staple for a reason—they’re beautiful, fragrant, and a hallmark of May!
A bouquet of roses is a classic go-to Mother’s Day gift, but they don’t exactly last a long time. A fantastic alternative: a potted rose bush for her patio! That way, she can enjoy that beautiful color and irresistible fragrance from May until September. We have so many fantastic varieties of roses for sale in Pennsylvania, a fabulous spectrum of colors. There’s bound to be some that Mom will love!
The Best Mother’s Day Gift: Potted Roses and a Card with Basic Care Instructions
Copy and paste the following care instructions into a Word document, print them out, doodle some cute flowers around the border (the personal touches go a long way!), and fold it up to tuck into your Mother’s Day card. If you would like, you can purchase some fertilizer and insecticide to go along with it—they’ll help Mom grow the most beautiful roses possible! Our top product recommendations are listed below.
Growing Roses in Pots: Basic Care
Happy Mother’s Day and congratulations on your beautiful new rose bush! Here’s everything you need to know to keep your beautiful flowering shrub blooming all summer long.
Light Requirements
These sun-loving plants need direct sunlight for 6–8 hours per day. Placing them near a South or West-facing wall is best—that way, they can get lots of bright afternoon sun, but with more wind protection than simply placing them in the center of the yard.
How Often to Water Roses in Pots
Potted roses are terrific because you can easily move them around and don’t have to commit them to a permanent home in the ground. However, you need to water container-grown plants more frequently because the summer heat evaporates the soil moisture quickly. These flowering shrubs like consistently moist soil, so your best bet is to water them early each morning while the soil is still cool; it will insulate them from the midday heat. Make it a part of your daily routine when you check the mailbox in the morning!
Fertilizer
To keep your plant blooming all summer, you’ll need to provide them with some fertilizer! This is especially true for roses in pots—there’s less soil in the container than in a garden bed, so the available nutrient supply is smaller. We recommend Espoma Organic Rose-tone, a 4–3–2 flower food containing all the necessary nutrients for strong foliage and roots and beautiful, healthy blooms. Apply it once per month from May to August, following the application instructions on the package.
Pest Control
Sometimes bugs like to go after roses—and who can blame them? After all, they smell pretty incredible. Luckily, there are plenty of options for dealing with pests fast, so your plants can bounce back from damage quickly.
If you’d like to keep things all-natural, neem oil kills harmful pests while sparing beneficial bugs like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs.
If you want to use a more heavy-duty solution, we recommend BioAdvanced Rose & Flower Insect Killer. It comes ready to use in a spray bottle, so application is a breeze.
If you’re dealing with pests or fungus, Bonide Rose Shield has the combined effects of an insecticide and systemic fungicide. It comes in a concentrated formula—just add water!
Pruning Roses
To maintain a tidy shape and remove dead or diseased branches:
- Prune your shrub every March with sterilized shears.
- Make diagonal cuts that face outward, directly above a node on the branch; this will encourage more lush, full growth in the summer.
- Don’t prune any later than March, or you may end up removing the flower buds and will end up with a bloomless bush!
Enjoy your beautiful new rose plant, Mom! We hope it serves as a reminder of how grateful your family is for all you do. If you have any questions about basic care, pruning, or pest and disease control, don’t hesitate to call Primex Garden Center and speak with one of our experts—we’re always happy to help!