How to Grow Roses

• Hybrid Tea Roses
• Floribunda Roses
• Miniflora Roses
• Shrub Roses
• Standard Roses
• Weeping standards
• Climbing, rambling and pillar Roses
• Carpet Roses
• Old Garden and heritage Roses

See Types of Roses for more in-depth info.

Bare rooted Roses (Roses which are packed into plastic bags filled with sawdust) are available for planting in winter, whereas potted Roses can be planted at other times of the year.

You don’t need a large space to have your very own Rose garden. Many Roses are perfectly suited to growing in pots, where they can be beautifully displayed on a veranda, courtyard or balcony. One of the many benefits of growing Roses in pots is that they can be moved into the spotlight while they’re in full bloom. If you missed out on planting a bare rooted Rose during winter, many gorgeous Rose varieties are available in pots from garden centres during spring.

Roses can be propagated and grown from cuttings. You can take softwood cuttings in late spring or semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer (wood is relatively firm but still fairly flexible). It may be a few or many years before they flower, so if you’re patient and keen to try, here’s how:

Growing Roses from seeds is more difficult than from cuttings. Seeds form in Rose hips – small berry-like structures which may appear after flowering, if pollination is successful. The seeds may not be true to type (the same as the mother plant), especially if the plant is grafted or a hybrid. Still, if you wish to try, here’s how: 

Plant Roses in a spot that receives 6-8 hours of full sun.

Roses love rich, well-draining soils. Prior to planting, enrich the soil with plenty of organic matter, like Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.

Roses prefer a mostly very slightly acidic soil pH (around 6.5), check the soil pH using a kit or a pH probe. If the soil pH is lower than 6 apply garden lime. If the soil pH is higher than 7 apply Yates Soil Acidifier Liquid Sulfur (see The Importance of Soil pH).

Once new growth appears in early spring, feed potted plants weekly throughout the growing season with a complete fertiliser like Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food. It’s high in potassium to encourage flowering.

For garden-grown Roses feed every 6 weeks with Yates Thrive Natural for Roses & Flowers Organic Based Pelletised Plant Food.

Roses are moderately drought tolerant but look their best when watered regularly, especially during periods of hot weather. Water when the soil starts to dry out slightly, and water deeply.

To help keep the soil moist use an organic mulch, such as sugarcane or lucerne. Apply 5-8 cm deep, keeping away from the base of the trunk.

If you find the soil doesn't absorb or hold onto water very well, apply a soil wetter such as Yates Waterwise Soil Wetter Concentrate as the soil may be water repellent.

Remove spent flowers regularly to help encourage more blooms. In summer, lightly prune Roses to encourage a second flush of blooms in autumn. Trim off around one-third of the overall growth and feed well with Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food.

Prune Roses in the depths of winter cutting them back to around knee height. After pruning, spray with Yates Lime Sulphur to help clean up common pests and diseases of Roses and give them a fresh start to the new season.

Plant bare-rooted Roses in winter, and potted roses at other times of the year. Spring and autumn are the best time of year for planting potted Roses. Avoid planting in the peak heat of summer when plants are likely to stress.

The best time of year to transplant a Rose is in winter. Dig as much of the root-ball out as possible and keep the existing soil with it. Move the plant to the new position at the time of transplanting.

You can buy potted Rose plants from the nursery almost all year round, except for winter, when they’re sold as bare-rooted Roses. Bare-rooted Roses can also be bought online, direct from the growers and breeders – browse and order through their catalogues in late autumn or early winter. And if you have family or friends who grow Roses, see How to Grow Roses from Cuttings & Seeds.

When buying bare-rooted Roses, check that the stems, which may be bright green or reddish brown in colour, are smooth and free from wrinkling.

Prior to planting bare-rooted Roses, soak the roots in a bucket of water to hydrate them and remove any soil. 

Don’t buy Rose plants until you are ready to plant.

Mulch is great for Roses - it keeps their roots cool, maintains soil moisture, and breaks down and adds to the organic matter in the soil. Maintain a layer of organic mulch, such as sugarcane, at the base of the plant to help conserve moisture keeping the mulch a few centimetres away from the stem.

Remove spent flowers from Roses regularly to keep the bush tidy and promote more flowers.

For established plants, dress the soil every season (except winter) with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.

Remove Rose hips (fruits) from the plant as they drain energy from the plant and inhibit the growth of more flowers.

Spray early in the season with Yates Rose Gun Black Spot & Insect Killer or Yates Rose Shield Concentrate. These products contain a systemic fungicide that can help protect your Roses from diseases Rose Black Spot, Powdery Mildew and Rust; and pests including Aphids, Caterpillars, Thrips, Two-Spotted Mite, and Whitefly.

Roses are susceptible to a range of different pests, including sap-sucking pests such as Aphids, Thrips, Mealybugs, and Scales; chewing pests such as Caterpillars, Sawfly Larvae, Snails and Slugs, and Borers; and large pests such as Possums, Birds, Rats and Mice.

To help prevent Rose pests keep plants well watered and fed, and control weeds.

Causes of Rose leaves and stems curling includes sap-sucking pests, herbicide-spray drift, and drought.

Squishable bumps and lumps on Rose stems and branches are usually Scale - these are insect pests that suck out plant juices and harm plant health and growth.

Roses are prone to White Louse Scale which looks a bit like the stems and trunk are covered in snow. This is best treated in winter with Yates Lime Sulfur.

During the growing season spray plants with Yates PestOil, and during the dormant stage (winter) spray with Yates Lime Sulfur.

There are various leaf-eating pests that cause holes in Rose leaves including Caterpillars, Sawfly Larvae (Rose-slug), and Snails and Slugs.

Borers are insect pests that cause holes in the trunks of plants.

You can try bird-predator-statues (e.g. owls) and shiny objects (e.g. hanging CDs), but if these measure fail, netting will be a sure-fire way to stop birds destroying your plants.

Common diseases of Roses include Rose Black Spot, Sooty Mould, Rust, Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew, Grey Mould, Rose Canker (Rose Dieback), Root Rot, viruses such as Rose Mosaic Virus.

To reduce the risk of fungal infection, water around the base of the plant rather than over the foliage, water only in the morning, and treat at the first sign of the disease.

Prune and remove any disease-affected leaves from the plant and on the ground and place into the rubbish bin.

Roses are highly susceptible to the fungal disease Rose Black Spot which causes black spots to form on the foliage, and, if not treated can spread and cause leaves to die.

Powdery Mildew is a white and powdery fungal disease that covers the surface of plant leaves, stems and flowers. Roses are susceptible to this diseases.

Rust is an orange and powdery/dusty fungal disease of plants that is usually found on the underside of leaves.

There are few reasons why the bark (stem epidermis) is falling off including poor drainage, Root Rot diseases, and White Louse Scale.

Downy Mildew looks similar to the signs and symptoms of Rose Black Spot, however, the spots are less pronounced, and there is a grey fluffy growth on the underside of the leaf opposite to the spotting on the upper side.

To treat, spray with Yates Liquid Copper and see How to Prevent Rose Diseases.

This is usually caused by the fungal disease Grey Mould (Botrytis cinerea) and occurs mostly in humid and wet weather. See How to Prevent Rose Diseases.

Rose Canker or Rose Dieback is a fungal disease that is spread by pruning, rain and water splash.

When pruning, always use sharp and clean secateurs. If you are pruning a plant known to have Rose Canker, disinfect the secateurs in between each cut with a 9:1 mixture of water (9 parts) and bleach (1 part).

Keep plants well fed to help promote disease resistance and resiliency.

There is no chemical control for the treatment of viral diseases in Roses, including Rose Mosaic Virus.

If the plant is generally healthy and there are no signs of pests and diseases, then the cause for lack of flowers might include lack of sun, lack of nutrients, high nitrogen and low potassium fertiliser.

Make sure the plant is getting at least 5 hours of direct sun and is well fed. Feed with a fertiliser suitable for flowering plants such as Yates Thrive Natural for Roses & Flower Organic Based Pelletised Plant Food.

Rose leaves naturally go yellow in winter. However, for other times of the year yellowing Rose leaves may be an indication of a pest, disease, virus, or environmental condition.

Look for other signs and symptoms of pests, and make sure the plant is well cared for.