Rose care in late summer

There is still time to get more flowers

- Ruth Hayes

IF the conditions are right, your roses still have weeks of flowering left, so it is important that they get some simple late-summer care.

Many roses will continue blooming until well into November, though maybe not as well as in the summer,so deadhead them regularly to keep the colour coming.

The exception are rambling roses that only have one burst of blooms in midsummer, then produce their glowing hips for winter colour and interest.

Ramblers can be given a light prune now, to remove spent flowers (unless you want the hips) and reduce wayward stems that are growing out of place.

Cut back the flowered stems and tie them horizontally to their supports, as this will encourage tidy growth and generous flowering next summer.

If your rambler is very old and woody and overgrown, wait until winter to prune it, removing the oldest stems from the base to make room for new growth.