Essential tips to deadhead roses

Roses require specific care in order to ensure that they thrive and produce beautiful blooms year after year. One of the essential steps in rose care is called deadheading. When you deadhead roses, it’s important to remember that different roses have different needs.

Hybrid Tea Roses

When you want to deadhead roses of this variety, you need to look for the top set of five leaflets. Cut the stem below this set, at the second set of five leaflets. During the later weeks of summer or early in the autumn season, you can cut the bloom. This promotes plant and foliage growth which is important before the dormant winter period. If you trim the plant early in the season, it will promote the production of flowers on shorter stems. Since hybrid tea roses are loved for their long stems, doing this will defeat the purpose.

Spray Roses

When trimming these types of roses, you can cut anywhere below the cluster of spent roses. Look for the place where the rose cane (main stem) is big enough before you deadhead roses of this variety.

Shrub Roses

Many people think of shrub roses as self-cleaning plants. In other words, they are bred to shed their spent blooms. This means that it is not necessary to deadhead roses of this variety. You will, however, like to clean these plants up so that they look their best. Since the shrub only produces flowers from new growth, you should only deadhead the flower and the short stem. Cutting off the leafy growth will not hurt the plant but it will take longer for the bush to regrow and bloom again.

If you are planning on pruning your roses, make sure that you examine the rose and remove dried or dead canes as close to the ground as you can. It is best to do any trimming in the spring if you are trying to get y our plant back in shape. You should only deadhead roses up to a few weeks before the first frost. When the temperatures drop, the plant will become dormant and they move food reserves into their roots.