Accordingly, it was during July and August that I: (1) Weeded thoroughly once more, digging with a shovel and turning the earth. To get air and sunshine to the base of the rosebushes, I removed and tossed out over-grown companion plants; like chives, blue hyssop, and columbine. In a few places in various rosebeds, I sometimes found a surface-layer tangle of grassy weed roots. I do not know from which weed or grass they arise, but in small sections of a rosebed, they almost form a mat, at about one to three inches deep. I ripped these out.

(2) Pruned to remove dead and crossing branches, and spindly and twiggy growth that would not amount to much. I deadheaded, cutting back to the first five-leafed leaflet or deeper, cutting the stem back to be even with the cane. For those bushes that were not hard-pruned in spring, I performed more serious cutting, looking to accentuate good growth on major, important canes and cutting away minor growth that crowded the rosebush.

(3) Checked soil around each bush in three to four places with a pH meter, and fertilized accordingly. For a few bushes that were well-fertilized over the years, pH in one corner may drop to 5.5 or 6, which is very acidic. That soil needs to be limed to raise pH to about 6.5, the level at which the rosebush can take up nutrients well and grow and flourish. For fertilizer, I tended to apply fertilizer as: ¾ cup of lime, ¾ cup of gypsum (calcium and sulfur), and a good pinch of Epsom Salts (magnesium and sulfur). Note that the lime and the sulfur tend to cancel each other out, but sulfur is a necessary growth element. Use more lime if soil is acidic and less if not. I then apply: 1 to 2 cups of Osmocote and 2-3 cups of Mills Magic Mix, prorating as less for smaller bushes and more for larger, including climbers.

(4) Reset stakes and netting against deer. Deer are a major problem in Gaithersburg and each rosebed is netted against them. This year, they are growing bolder (or hungrier), and a deer will but his head against the netting to find a hole or make a larger hole. Deer broke down the netting on Rosa Roxburghii, a species rose with pink, very double blooms, also called The Cherokee Rose. My bush is about six feet tall and the deer ate two back branches and canes down to about one foot. Two front canes remain. Ironically, the deer apparently did not like taste of what he ripped off, as some branches were thrown to the ground. I repaired the netting and tied it tighter. So far this year, my other rosebeds are OK.

Against this background, for September and October, the careful rosarian will perform key tasks as:

1) Water. When they are blooming and growing, ensure that roses are watered long and deep once per week (by slow, steady, long rainfall or by hand with the garden hose). For roses in pots or young, one- to two-year old rosebushes that do not have deep roots, water more often. If it is very hot and the ground is dry, water more often.

By mid- to late-October, rosebushes will need less water. But if it is dry, water once every couple or three weeks.

2) Fertilize as desired during the first about three weeks in September, then stop. I may spray Miracle Grow at some point in September. Exhibitor friends will apply organic meal mix (e.g., Mills Magic Mix or hand-mixed) and alfalfa tea the first and third weeks of September, in preparation for Rose Shows.

Water well before spraying liquid inorganics. Several years ago I sprayed Miracle Grow on six-foot Baronne Prevost and formerly upright canes bent nearly to the ground; salt from Miracle Grow drained water out of the bush. I watered hard late that afternoon and the bush recovered. So water the day or morning before spraying liquid fertilizer.

Further, STOP fertilizing by late-September, so the plant will wind down production of new growth. Rosebushes need to go dormant for winter.

3) Trim lightly on canes and branches as needed through mid- to late-September. Then stop, because pruning encourages new growth and the rosebush needs to stop growing, shut down, and go dormant for winter. Stop deadheading spent blooms by the start of October, so the rosebush will set hips, which aids in going dormant.

4) If you spray, spray against fungus and insect pests till there is a hard frost. Every two weeks, one may spray a mixture of systemic and contact fungicide mixed with a tiny amount of systemic insecticide Merit, with imidacloprid. Systemics include Banner Maxx (with propiconazole), funginex (Ortho® RosePride® Disease Control Concentrate with triforine), and Immunox (with myclobutanil). Contact fungicides include Dithane M-45 (with mancozeb, bought at the Country Store) and Daconil (with chlorothalonil, only spraying when the temperature is under 80 degrees F or it damages leaves). Wear protective clothing, including goggles for the eyes. Stop spraying after the first hard frost, which will probably take place in October or November. For the past two years, I have not sprayed, so the rosarian then should try to hand-pick bad leaves off the bush.

5) Stock up on mulch, such as thoroughly oxidized wood chip nuggets, to be applied as part of your winterization program, by about late November.

In addition, the reader is encouraged to read The Capital Rose, the award-winning bimonthly membership newsletter published jointly by the Potomac Rose Society and The Arlington Rose Foundation. It describes current rose care problems and how to solve them, among other topics. Click on “Upcoming Events” on this web-site, to see our calendar, come to a meeting, and hear that month’s speaker. Click on “Join the Potomac Rose Society,” for a membership form to join the Potomac Rose Society. We welcome new members and would be glad to talk roses with you!

Kathy George, PRS Secretary