Aging roses

It’s my experience that there comes a time when your roses may need to be replaced. And I know that that suggestion can cause distress or upset but there are several reasons why your roses may need to be taken out and replaced.

Before I give those reasons the lifespan of a rose bush can depend on the variety and how well they are cared for. Whilst pruning roses for several years I have discovered some roses that are 35 – 50 years and more in age and some that are a lot younger. A rose bush can live relatively well for 15 – 20 years.

However, once again it depends on the variety and the care that the rose receives.

There does come a time when you may need to remove them and put newer and younger roses in to take their place. The reason you may need to do this is because:

• They have aged and there is no more deadwood that can be removed
• They have a disease that is killing it and it doesn’t look like it can be cured even by cutting it right back
• The soil around it causing it grief and because it has been left too long, it needs to be removed.
• The roses were planted in a bad spot to start with, and they haven’t received the full amount of sun they require, and the soil hasn’t contained the right amount of nutrients, and they haven’t received the right amount of water.

There could be various reasons why they need to be removed and replaced.

Please remember that roses do not last forever and when pruning there is no guarantees that they will come back especially if there are various factors against them.

When roses are too older and there is no more deadwood that can be removed, or diseased roses have been left too long, then this is a sign that they should be replaced.