Roses In The Springtime

At this time of year in the Hilltops region, we have the joy of seeing all the roses budding up and bursting into flower. If you are thinking of planting out some roses in your garden, now is a great time to select a rose for your garden because you can see its true flower colour in the flesh and you can also experience its fragrance.

Roses are always fabulous plants to grow in your garden and very rewarding when you can pick their flowers to enjoy inside. These beautiful plants can be attacked by aphids. The warmer spring time conditions which are producing the buds and new growth on the roses plus the rain will be promoting aphids to be out in full force.

Aphids can be green, clear in colour or black in colour, they are sap sucking insects. They tend to attack the new growth and flower buds. They are capable of extremely rapid increase in numbers by asexual reproduction. They do seem to come and go with the weather – especially if we have had some rain and it’s little humid.

Sometimes you can just hose the plants down with cold water and the aphids will fall off or fly away. They don’t always find their way back to your plant. You can often get rid of aphids by spraying the leaves of the plant with a mild solution of water and a few drops of a biodegradable dish soap. This soapy water should be reapplied every 2-3 days.

If your roses are affected by these critters on mass, then you will need to treat them with something stronger like a suitable insecticide as they will eventually damage the foliage and flowers of the roses. With the use of any detergents and or insecticides, make sure the plants are well watered and do not apply when the plants are in full sun.

– By Glenice Buck

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• Gardening