Seasonal Tips for April and May - Roses & Shrubs
Garden shrubs and roses are getting ready to perform for the season. Roses flower on new shoots that form from the structure of old stems from previous years. It’s important to encourage plenty of new growth and to protect these fresh, vulnerable shoots from pests.
- Feed new and established rose bushes and flowering shrubs with Rose Tree and Shrub Granular Plant Food. It’s designed to support healthy roses, encouraging plenty of rich green foliage and masses of wonderful flowers. It can also be used to feed trees.
- Finish pruning your roses as soon as possible by removing any dead and diseased stems. Open up the centre of the bush by removing any overgrown stems and any that are rubbing together. Always prune just above an outward facing bud, as this encourages the plant to grow out rather than in and creates a much better shape overall. An overcrowded bush is much more susceptible to pest and disease problems. Remember that roses respond well to pruning and will grow and flower better producing new growth that will produce lots of flowers. Feed after pruning with Rose Tree and Shrub Granular Plant Food.
Many shrubs can be pruned in late spring. Dogwoods (Cornus) respond particularly well to hard pruning, as this encourages plenty of fresh coloured stems to develop. Spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia, flowering currants, Weigela, Deutzia and early Clematis should all be pruned after flowering as they all actually flower on stems made last year. If you remove these mature stems before the flowers have opened you will stop the plants from flowering this season. - Toughen up existing roses and shrubs and help them to become more resistant to adverse weather and plant diseases by treating them to a tonic of Sulphate of Potash. This traditional formula is well known by experienced gardeners to encourage stems to ripen and mature and also to promote healthy growth and flower production.
- Keep a watch on early shoots for the first signs of pests. Many pests such as aphids coincide their lifecycles with the growth pattern of your plants, so as your roses and shrubs burst into growth this provides vital food for the first generations of this year’s pests. Be vigilant and deal with them as soon as you see them with your preferred method of attack. Westland has two bug control formulations. The new Westland Bug Attack Ready to Use offers long-term protection to your container plants with its systemic action that will persist for long lasting control/protection. It controls existing pest problems and also stays effective for new pests and tackles any hidden pests. Bug Attack Ready to Use contains an added foliage feed that boosts the health of your plants while the pests are being dealt with. Westland Bug Killer is a ready-to-use, fast-acting insecticide that works on contact with the pest. It is suitable for use on greenfly, blackfly, caterpillars and many other garden pests. It can be used to treat the pests on all fruit, flower and vegetable plants and can be used on roses.
- If you want to garden organically be sure to feed the birds to encourage them into the garden, order some ladybird and lacewing larvae ready to release them next month and plant plenty of brightly flowered annuals to attract beneficial insects into the garden.
- Plants that flower on this year’s stems should be pruned in early spring to encourage plenty of new growth and flowers this season, these include Roses, the butterfly bush (Buddleia), Hydrangea paniculata, and Caryopteris. Feed after pruning with Rose Tree and Shrub Granular Plant Food.
- After heavy rainfall or when the ground is still wet from the winter rain, mulch around garden shrubs and roses. Smaller areas and ornamental beds such as rose borders look better with a finer mulch such as Decorative Mini Bark. Large shrub borders merit a larger mulch such as Bed and Border Chipped Bark or Golden Pine Bark.
Other useful tips for April and May:
