It‘s not always easy to attain beauty and accomplish perfection, but by following basic guidelines you can ensure a beautiful show of roses. One of the basic tips is to learn how and when to water your roses and keep in mind there are good times and bad times. So to encourage your roses and reward yourself with the best display ever, all year round, just follow these simple steps:

Morning Dew

We all know how wonderful it is first thing in the morning, when the fresh due has settled and everything is coming alive before the sun becomes too warm. This is the best time to water your roses, so they are fresh and prepared for the heat of the day. If you leave it until later, the sun will evaporate most of the water, leaving little chance for it to reach the roots. If you water in the evening the coolness will keep your plant damp, the leaves will stay wet which can cause mildew. However, not all of us are awake with the lark and able begin our watering regime that early. If you can’t water early, do it as soon as you can. If it’s early evening, try not to get the leaves too wet, just concentrate on the roots of the roses. The leaves will take care of themselves by taking in natural moisture from the evening air, keeping them free from mildew, insects, pets and fungal diseases, which can all damage roses.

Hazy Heat

Roses are well known for being thirsty and it’s only a dedicated gardener who can keep up with the constant routine, but gardeners will be the first to tell you, that all the hard work and perseverance really does pay off. Roses on the whole require between 1 and 2 inches of water each week, one simple way of measuring rainfall is to invest in a rainwater gauge. You can then add the extra amount of water as needed to make up the 1 to 2 inches. The type of climate and soil that you have will determine the amount of water your roses consume. This is where your previous hard work pays off, by watering your plants well in spring you will have made your plants hardy and held them in good stead for the hot dry days of summer. You do need to be aware of the warning signs that not all is well and to keep these in mind when observing your roses. If the leaves are beginning to wilt then they probably just need their thirst quenching. If they are turning yellow and starting to drop off then that’s a sign you are over watering and the plant is unable to breathe the oxygen because of water saturation.

It is also important you check for adequate drainage or ground that is not level, roses like a lot of water, but they don’t like standing in puddles, so be mindful not to get carried away with the water hose.

Start at the bottom

The golden rule to remember is to always start watering at base of the plant where most of the energy and development takes place. The roots need to be healthy and strong to help the roses grow. The plants will take moisture from the air and draw from the roots. One way to ensure a constant water supply is to set up a drip feed or hose to irrigate the soil. Rose plants could receive approximately 1 to 2 gallons of water per foot per hour, according to the type of hose and pressure of your water supply. You could set up a timer to turn the water on and off at intervals during the day, very useful when you haven’t the time to water or have to be somewhere else.

No Pests Allowed

To prevent pests from destroying your roses it’s a good idea to spray every two or three days with just a fine mist of water, check your hose for a fine setting. A good quick wash will keep insects at bay but not enough to encourage mildew. Take care to flush the inside of the foliage where pests can collect. If you can do this early in the day it will give the leaves time to dry before the sun goes down and the temperature cools.