Roses in Early September

September is one of the most glorious months on Cape Cod. The days tend to be clear and warm, the nights cool and the annuals flower gardens in full flower. Also in bloom in Cape gardens in the fall are the roses. Any repeat flowering rose usually produces a large encore performance at this time of year.

If you don’t see your roses beginning to create new buds, here’s how you can help revive them so that they’ll bloom well into the fall.

1. Clip. Snip off any old flowers or developing seed pods from earlier in the summer. (This is called deadheading.) If you did that in July or early August, you’re already ahead of the game.

2. Water. Roses do best when given a deep soaking every 3 to 4 days in the hot summer and once a week in the cooler fall. Deep soaking is the important term here…don’t water by hand because the area you soak won’t be deep or large enough. Use a sprinkler or soaker hoses, or be sure that any automatic watering is long enough to dampen the soil at least 10″ down.

3. Fertilize. If you applied Flower-tone in July or early August you’re all set for fertilization. Consider having your soil tested at the UMass soil lab to see if you need any additional nutrients.

4. Spray. Blackspot hasn’t been a huge problem on roses this summer unless the plants were frequently hit with water from an automatic irrigation system. Nevertheless, spraying with an organic fungicide will help protect your plants into the fall and next season. Come into the store to explore your options.