Hey Friends! I hope you're having a great week so far. I wanted to pop on here and share a little bit about our experience growing bare root roses from David Austin for the first time this year.
For a few years now I've been admiring David Austin varieties that I see on Instagram, growing in the gardens of those I follow. I used to think I wasn't a big fan of roses, since I am not really into the types commonly seen in people's yards or for sale at garden centers-- but wow. David Austin roses are nothing short of enchanting! Layer upon layer of dainty petals in the most stunning colors, shapes and sizes. I particularly love climbers, and hope to one day have climbing roses established on every structure on our property!
Roses are not complicated to care for, but they do require time and attention. For me, they are a relaxing and interesting part of my weekly, if not daily, routine. I'm no expert as this is our first year growing them, but we have definitely learned a few important things so far! Bare root roses don't look very promising when they arrive in the mail, but with a bit of TLC they are a delight to watch come to life and they grow very quickly!
The single most important thing we've learned is that roses need LOTS of water, especially when they are getting established. I starved some of mine for water unintentionally at the beginning, and they are so far behind the roses that were watered often. Since the weather has been super hot they have really wanted a long, deep drink every single day, but at least every couple days.
Another thing we've learned is that it's better to routinely spray roses with a fungicide (we use copper) BEFORE they develop any issues. We have quite a bit of trouble with black spot, and it can eat a rose up very quickly. The roses do seem to bounce back easily after being sprayed, but black spot makes them look so ugly for a while.
Roses are heavy feeders, and we've seen they need consistent fertilizing to maintain constant growth and blooms. Once we see new growth halt we fertilize again, and this has seemed to work very well for us. We've been using an all purpose plant food, but we have seen rave reviews of this fertilizer and plan to switch to it soon!
Have you ever grown David Austin roses? Leave a comment and let me know! Drop any questions into the comments section you have for me and I'll answer them!
xx, Loran
