Rose Gardening

October 2006

This month we officially begin our dry season so don’t expect those frequent showers like we had last month. The only exception would be if we have a tropical depression or hurricane move close to us that might drop a lot of heavy moisture.

This is also the time of year for doing fall cutbacks of your roses and also making sure that everything is fertilized for the upcoming winter season.

Many people this time of year add new plants to the landscape and many retail garden centers have good inventories of roses as well as the rose nurseries in the area.

Look for an increase in spider mites and other problems as we start getting drier conditions. You will though see less disease problems such as black spot unless you’re guilty of frequent irrigation and wetting the foliage too much.

If you have questions about rose care going into the fall season, check with fellow members at monthly meetings or you can call the Palm Beach County Extension office for helpful advice.

By Gene Joyner, Extension Agent
Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service