Rose Plants
Rose flowers are arguably the most romantic, elegant and classically beautiful members of the gardening world. At Flower Power, our love for roses knows no bounds. That’s why you’ll find a mindboggling range of varieties to choose from, including, rose bush, hybrid teas, floribunda, shrubs, climbers, modern, old fashioned, ground covers, David Austins, miniature, standards and more roses. Whether rambling over a fence, lining a path or potted up proudly to greet guests at your front door, we have a rose to suit every spot in your garden.
Roses
Shop the biggest range of roses at Flower Power
The rose flower is probably the most recognisable, romantic bloom in the world, and gardeners around the world adore them. They are the ultimate symbol of love as well as of traditional, classic and elegant gardens.
At Flower Power, we are crazy about roses, which is why you’ll find the biggest assortment of roses in Sydney and the Hunter in our stores. Shop the range, which includes rose bush, hybrid teas, floribunda, shrubs, climbers, modern, old fashioned, ground covers, David Austins, miniature, standards and more.
Whether rambling over a fence, lining a path or potted at your front door, we have a rose to suit every spot in your garden, as well as all the pots, potting mix, fertiliser and advice you need to go with them.
Roses grow well in Australia, as long as they have wind protection, several hours of sun a day and rich soil that is full of nutrients.
While most people automatically think of shrub roses, there are a number of gorgeous climbing rose varieties and groundcover varieties available too.
How to plant roses in the garden
Dig a planting hole at least 50 centimetres wide to give the roots space to spread and 50 centimetres deep to give the plant stability. Fill the hole with water to totally saturate the soil and let it mostly drain away.
Create a small mound in the base of the hole and spread the roots out over the mound. At this stage, make sure the graft union (the little knotty bit at the bottom of the stem) is sitting a little below the soil level to ensure stability.
Mix the soil from the hole with high-quality potting mix, compost or manure and use the mixture to fill in the hole. Firm the soil then water again, with a seaweed nutrient solution (not fertiliser) if you have it. While the rose is establishing, water it every day – this can take a few months.
How to plant roses in pots
You can buy a rose already potted and leave it in that pot for a while as it adjusts to its new location, but you don’t want to leave it in its temporary pot for too long or it will become root bound. When choosing a permanent pot for roses, it is better to choose one that is too large than one that is too small. Roses have large root systems and will be less stable if their roots are constricted. It is important that the pot drains well to prevent root rot.
Fill the pot with a rich potting mix and dig a hole large enough for the root ball. Slide the plant out of the nursery pot – be very careful not to over handle the roots – and gently put it in the hole. Cover with more soil and water well, making sure that the soil is not getting soggy.
When to prune roses
Pruning roses is important for reducing disease, encouraging air circulation, and letting light into the interior of the plant. Also, getting rid of dead parts of the plant lets it focus its energy on producing fresh new growth and blooms for the next season.
Roses need pruning at least twice a year. When to prune roses in summer is simply a matter of looking for a few dead or dying flowers and snipping them off a few centimetres below the rose flower, in a process called dead heading.
The main pruning happens in winter, when a rose bush needs a strong prune back to encourage new growth for summer. The best time to prune in Sydney is around June or July, unless it is a particularly cold winter, in which case you might want to wait until early August to be sure frost does not take out any new buds.
How to prune roses
- Remove spindly stems down where they start to thicken up again.
- Completely remove totally dead branches at stump level.
- Prune back and dead or dying parts that are slowing air circulating at the centre of the bush.
- Be careful of water shoots, which are the young growth where the rose flower will come from.
- Don’t be afraid to take big chunks off the rose bush. Remove all old, extra woody branches. It is totally okay to take a third to a half off the bush, mostly from the top.
- Cut at the outward facing buds so the new growth will produce flowers outwards where you can see them, rather than on the inside of the bush.
- Cut at a 45 degree angle sloping away from the bud so rain and dew don’t collect where the bud forms, to help avoid rot and fungal disease.
- Heritage roses don’t need a lot of pruning, just enough to shape them slightly and tip prune.
- Climbing roses can be deadheaded, but the focus should be on training rather than pruning.
- Ground cover roses are easy to prune. Just cut them back almost to ground level and apply fertiliser and mulch. They should be as good as new by spring.
- Fertilise the rose bush about three weeks after pruning.
- Put clippings into the rubbish bin to stop diseases spreading, and spray plants with lime sulphur to get rid of fungal diseases.
If you're ready to start your rose journey or you're still unsure about when and how to prune roses, come into Flower Power for advice, tools and the finest range of roses.