A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Rose question

Ok, all you green thumbers out there...Ms Black thumb newbie needs some advise. My husband has this gorgeous rose bush that he has had for at least 13 years...(had it when I first started dating him) I have basically never touched it except for pruning the dead limbs off at the start of spring. The bush is a beautiful green, relatively healthy (on a scale of 1-10 I give it a 9) The problem is this..This gorgeous bush only blooms once a year..The blooms will last for about 1-2 weeks..They are gorgeous and very fragrant. My question is, is there something I can do to help with longer lasting blooms? Due to the fact that I haven't really tried anything with flowers until this year, I don't know what to do...I have been feeding it so far this year with just some All Purpose Food (name brand, that I won't mention...forgot if I can or not from the rules)... Any suggestions? It hasn't got any type of bugs or mites or anything..So I don't know..Is it normal to just bloom like it does? Any help would be SO GREATLY APPRECIATED.

MooChelle

I am no expert, but I have taken care of several types of rose bushes over the years. Many flower longer than others...depends on which type you are growing. I have always been sure to feed my roses a good rose food as directed on the packaging. I am a firm believer in the importance of composting too. I keep my roses feet cool by mulching around them. And last but not least I deadhead all shriveled & dying blooms to push the plant into producing more flowers. I am sure someone else will come through here & give you better information...but I hope this helps you some:) Good luck

Good advise Chrissy.
Also, some roses are simply "once bloomers" and that's it.

Thanks so much for your input. I will try the mulching at the base...Also am going to go ahead and invest in some good rose food. It is very important to me that I succeed at turning black thumb to green..lol Thanks again for your replies.

Michelle,
If you do a FORUM SEARCH and type in the
word rose, I'm pretty sure you'll find alot
of previous posts on roses, and taking care
of them and tips and tricks to keeping them
healthy and happy and blooming!!!

Let us know if you need help finding the info!

Weezie