Rose bushes are absolute stunners at this time of the summer, filled with loads of colorful blooms and lush green growth. But, even easy-care shrub roses need a bit of attention to stay healthy and keep flowering on into autumn.

Take care of your rose bushes, and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful growth and an abundance of eye-catching blooms in your northern Utah garden. Read on for expert advice on how to maintain shrub roses in the summer.

Caring for Rose Bushes During the Northern Utah Summer

Lightly Prune

Giving rose bushes a light pruning can help encourage further growth. Deadhead the shrubs first to remove the spent blooms. Then, use your pruners to cut the flowering stems back, leaving just two or three sets of leaves. A few weeks after pruning, you should see your roses back in full bloom. Keep an eye on the frost date, however – you don’t want to prune too close to the first hard frost, as new growth could be damaged by the cold.

Keep it Clean

Stopping troubles before they start is half the battle in maintaining healthy and beautiful rose bushes. The areas under and around shrubs can be breeding grounds for fungal diseases, and cleaning up can help prevent problems. To care for your roses, take time to clean up debris, including dead leaves, spent blooms and trimmings. Also, keep your pruners sanitary, giving them a cleaning before use and when moving from plant to plant.

Minimize Stress

Summertime heat and drought conditions can stress rose bushes. And, since pruning encourages growth, the practice draws on the shrubs’ energy reserves – which adds to the stress. To minimize the effects, water regularly, giving the bushes a deep soak at least once each week while the roses are flowering. Applying an organic fertilizer around the base of the plants and topping with a layer of mulch or compost can also be beneficial.

Look Out for Pests

Pruning, cleaning up and minimizing stress can reduce problems with rose bushes, but it doesn’t prevent pests from infiltrating the garden. Keep a close eye out for insect infestations, and treat any you find as soon as possible. Start with the least harmful method of pest control, then look for other options if you don’t get good results. For help identifying insects and choosing appropriate treatments, visit a local garden center.

With the right gardening advice, anyone can grow gorgeous shrub roses. For more expert tips suited to the climate and growing conditions in northern Utah, head to Millcreek Gardens.

As the region’s favorite garden center since 1955, Millcreek Gardens is one of the best local resources for information on caring for shrub roses and other outdoor plants. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff is more than willing to offer advice. If you have questions about taking care of rose bushes, stop by our Salt Lake City plant nursery today.