It begins quietly. You’re walking the garden in the early morning, coffee in hand, admiring the swell of buds after a warm spell. Everything looks as it should, until your eye catches one that seems reluctant to open. The petals are puckered, almost as if they’ve been pinched, and their edges are tinged with a strange brown. A day or two later, another bud does the same. Then a third.

Summers no longer behave as they once did. The balance of sun and rain that shaped our gardens for generations is slipping, replaced by longer dry spells and more intense heat. The soil hardens, moisture disappears quickly, and even the most established plants begin to show signs of stress. Roses, for all their grace and vigour, are no exception. But while the weather is changing, so too can we adapt our approach, caring for our plants with greater awareness and intention.

Suckers are one of those quirks of rose growing that tend to invite a good deal of confusion. They appear out of nowhere, usually low down on the plant or even from the soil nearby, and it’s not always easy to know what to do about them. Are they a sign of strength or something to worry about?

Deadheading is the removal of finished blooms to encourage further blooms and improve the appearance and shape of the rose. You should deadhead repeat-flowering shrub roses and once-flowering shrub roses that don’t produce hips.

When the warm weather arrives it is important to keep your roses well hydrated. Our article on watering roses is a guide to keeping your roses healthy and blooming over the summer months.

As the days grow longer and the warmth of spring fills the air, your roses begin to come back to life. But with the change in season, you might notice some tiny visitors on your plants – aphids.

With the spring sunshine finally reaching the garden, now is the perfect time to check in on your newly planted bare root roses. They're just beginning to settle in, and the care you give them over the next few weeks will make all the difference to how well they grow and bloom this summer.

In any well-loved garden, the thoughtful tasks often have the most impact. Among them, mulching stands out as a simple yet powerful way to care for both your plants and the soil beneath them. Beyond its practical benefits, mulching reflects the gardener’s instinct to nurture, protect, and encourage healthy growth with every passing season.

Feeding your English roses is one of the simplest yet most rewarding tasks to encourage strong, healthy growth and abundant flowering. Understanding the right type of feed and how to use it will ensure that your roses are at their most vibrant and floriferous when summer arrives. By choosing and using the right feed for your roses, you can help them thrive, filling your garden with lush foliage and exquisite blooms.

Moving an English Rose is straightforward, and with the right care, it will quickly adapt and thrive in its new home. Let our rose experts guide you through each step for a smooth and successful transition.

Pruning your roses is more than just tidying up the garden, it’s a chance to shape them into beautiful forms and encourage blooms from top to bottom. With the right approach, pruning helps your roses to not only stay healthy but also bloom in stunning, well-balanced shapes.

Pruning is arguably the most important job you can do for your roses. It gives your rose shape, structure and encourages new blooms for the season ahead.

As winter settles in, it's important to think about how to care for your roses during the colder months. While roses are hardy plants, they will perform better with a little extra attention,  helping them to flourish when spring arrives. Roses should be pruned in winter, ideally  in January or February, when the plant is most dormant, but there are other steps you can  take now to ensure your roses remain healthy and strong throughout the chillier months.