General Care
The little things, done consistently, are what keep roses healthy — deadheading, feeding, watering, mulching. None of it is complicated. Here's how I handle the everyday care of Garden Roses.
Guides
Growing Roses
Everything I’ve learned about growing Garden Roses, organised by topic. Start anywhere.
Planting Roses
Get a rose in the ground well and you've won half the battle. Soil prep, spacing, bareroot versus container — these are the fundamentals that set a rose up to thrive for decades.
Pruning
Pruning scares more gardeners than any other rose task, and it really shouldn't. Roses are forgiving. These guides walk through shrub, climbing, and seasonal pruning the simple way.
Spring Care
Spring is when the garden wakes up and the year's growth begins. Here's how to get your roses off to a strong, healthy start.
Summer Care
Heat, drought, and the mid-season slump — summer asks a few specific things of your roses. These tips keep them healthy and blooming through the hottest months.
Fall Care
As the season winds down, a little attention now pays off next spring. Fall care is about winding down gracefully, not fussing. A few related guides worth reading as the weather cools:
Winter Care
In most climates Garden Roses are far tougher than people think. Here's how to help them through winter — and what to do after a hard freeze.
Climbing Roses
Climbers turn a fence, an arbor, or a bare wall into something spectacular. Training, pruning, and choosing the right climbing roses — it's all easier than it looks.
Designing with Roses
Roses are at their best as flowering shrubs among other plants, not isolated in beds of their own. A few ideas for weaving roses into a real garden.
Disease
Most rose “diseases” are far less scary than the sprays sold to fight them. Here's a clear-eyed look at the few that actually matter.