Of course, you can give Mom cut roses for Mother’s Day. She’ll certainly love them. But they’ll only last… as long as a rose lasts. This year, why not give her a rose bush? With a little basic care, the plant will bloom all summer long—and maybe even for many years to come!
The situation
The roses most commonly given as gifts on Mother’s Day are small-flowered varieties. They fall into two categories: polyanthas, which can grow to a height of 45 cm (18 in) or more, and dwarf roses, which rarely exceed 30 cm (12 in) in height.
The result
The rose bush you’re giving as a gift will usually have plenty of buds, enough to ensure a long blooming season. The problem is that roses don’t thrive indoors due to low humidity and insufficient light, yet it’s still too early to move them outside. As a result, after 2 or 3 weeks of blooming, the plant begins to wilt. But all is not lost yet. In fact, while it may still be too cold to move fully blooming roses outdoors in mid-May, there’s no problem by the end of May. So, suggest that Mom keep her rose bush indoors for two weeks, then move it outside for the rest of the summer.
Inside
While the rose bush is indoors, place it in a well-lit, even sunny spot, but make sure it doesn’t get too hot. Monitor watering closely, watering the soil thoroughly as soon as the surface dries out. It is neither necessary nor advisable to fertilize the rose bush while it is indoors.
Outside
In late May or early June, place the rose bush outdoors, first in the shade for 2 or 3 days, then in partial shade for 2 or 3 days, and finally in full sun. Mom now has two options. She can plant her rose bush in the ground in rich, fairly heavy soil, or she can keep it in a pot. If she chooses the latter, it would be wise to repot it into a larger container.
Mom can now start fertilizing her rose bush. A rose-specific fertilizer isn’t necessary: an all-purpose fertilizer will work just as well. And you need to keep an eye on watering. While the rose bush can’t tolerate drought, it also can’t stand constantly waterlogged soil. Don’t water until the soil is dry on the surface, but when you do, water thoroughly, making sure to moisten the entire root ball.
To encourage more blooms, Mom can use pruning shears to remove wilted flowers. However, even if she doesn’t, a healthy rose bush will bloom all summer long—and even well into the fall.
Winter
It is unrealistic to expect to keep a potted rose bush alive through the winter in our climate. When the autumn frosts arrive, it is time to compost the plant. On the other hand, roses planted in the ground can survive the winter and bloom again for many winters to come.
Miniature roses are usually perfectly hardy in the ground, provided they are covered with a good layer of snow. No special treatment is necessary. Polyantha roses are less hardy and will require all the usual winter protection measures. So, you’ll need to prune the plant, mound it up, cover it with a rose cone or breathable geotextile, etc. But doesn’t such a lovely Mother’s Day gift deserve a little special care in the fall?
Happy Mother’s Day!
Larry Hodgson has published thousands of articles and 65 books throughout his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in the newspaper Le Soleil on May 10, 2008.