Roses are some of the nation’s most cherished flowers, as they produce big showy blooms with the right care.
To help the plants reach their full potential in the coming months, key tasks like pruning and deadwooding may be beneficial.
Michael, who posts under the username @themeditteraneangardener on TikTok, named some of the jobs to complete now for an abundance of growth come spring.
“If you want more blooms on your roses this year it’s time to give it a prune now,” Michael told viewers.
Some roses benefit from pruning at the end of winter
GETTY“The number one job is to prune the deadwood. Generally speaking, brown or black is dead and green is living.”
Not only will this encourage new growth and blooms, but it will also extend the flowering period, according to the Royal Horticultural Society.
“Cut any deadwood back to the base,” Michael continued. “Then cut out any crossing branches that can rub, causing damage and encouraging disease.
“Thirdly, remove thin or weak growth, remove any canes thinner than a pencil. These will grow gangly and produce a few blossoms.”
While crossing branches may seem harmless, problems can occur when they die back and make climbing roses susceptible to fungal infections.
The fourth task on Michael's list involves pruning the remaining canes.
“Take overall height down by one-third, cutting just above an outward-facing bud on a 45-degree angle, sloping away from the bud,” the gardener explained.
“New stems grow in the direction of the bud, and the goal is to encourage them to grow outwards.”
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Some roses benefit from pruning at the end of winter
GETTYThe fifth task Michael recommends is fertilisation. He noted: “Roses are big eaters so give them a good fertiliser and mulch in the spring.”
The RHS's advice is to “feed all pruned roses with general rose fertiliser”.
Mulch, a layer of material applied to the soil surface, is used to provide frost protection and improve plant growth.
“Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings,” explained the RHS.
