We are starting a new month (can you believe it?) I am happy to report that the autumnal equinox begins at 5:05 PDT on Sept. 22. Even though this summer hasn’t been particularly bad by recent Fresno standards, I am ready for fall to begin at any time.
Things to do in the rose garden this month
Check your irrigation system and may sure your roses are getting thoroughly hydrated on the days we can water. If you have a drip system, check to see if any of them are clogged. If one emitter is delivering more or less water than the others, it is time to change it out for a new one.
If the soil has pulled away from the edges of your roses grown in pots, put it on your to-do list, to swap out the soil in the spring when your roses are dormant. You should repot roses about every 2-3 years. The longer the soil is in a pot, the less porous it becomes at the root zone.
Around the middle of September, you can do mid-season pruning. This is light pruning, not the main pruning you will do in the late winter/early spring. Sanitize your pruners with an alcohol wipe between lightly pruning each rose bush so you don’t spread any diseases. Wipes containing bleach will corrode the blades on your pruners, so don’t use it. A light pruning will be pruning each cane to a 5 leaf “leaflet” facing the outside of the bush. Prune about a quarter to half inch above that outward facing leaflet. Leave the leaves on the bush. You will take them off in the big spring pruning, not now. Make sure you clean up any debris under the rose bush, so it won’t harbor diseases. Put the debris in the green bin. Most compost piles will not get hot enough to kill any diseases that roses may carry.
You can then use good organic fertilizer for the plant. You can also spray the leaves of the plants with good seaweed fertilizer or fish emulsion. As always, follow the instructions on the package. More is NOT better! Water the day before and just after you fertilize and never fertilize a dry or stressed plant.
It is also spider mite season. Check the underside of the leaves for those little buggers. You can spray them with insecticidal soap. Don’t use horticultural oil. It can burn your plants if it is too hot outside.
New roses for 2027
I am so excited! We have some new roses coming this fall/winter. Will Radler (who developed the Knock Out rose series), has a new one called Triple Knock Out. It is a red to deep pink rose with 30-35 petals on each flower. It has a sweet floral scent, compact habit and exceptional disease resistance. P
Last year, the Martha Stewart rose was in limited release, mostly in Europe (and under a different name, believe it or not!). This year, it is being launched through Star Roses and is to become widely available. It is a hybrid tea rose with over 100 petals in shades of “ballet” pink and apricot. It is scented and smells like citrus and honeysuckle.
Another new rose that caught my attention is the Enchanted Meadow rose. This rose too was bred by Will Radler. The flowers are cream with a deep pink edge. Each flower has 15-18 petals, so pollinators should be able to get in there and enjoy the nectar and pollen.
Until next time . . . “It’s ok to feel delicate sometimes. Real beauty is in the fragility of your petals. A rose that never wilts isn’t a rose at all.” - Crystal Woods
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Written by UC Master Gardener Debbie D.