Rose buds

To bud or to disbud, that is the question…

Some rose lovers want to have lots of buds on their rose bushes because lots of buds means lots of blossoms and lots of blossoms means the potential to have a beautiful looking bush until they start to die. And that is when deadheading roses is important when caring for your roses.

When it comes to caring for your roses, I have been asked in the past to remove all the buds because when you do that, you can expect a full bush of buds to arrive shortly after. I personally like to keep as many buds as I can on the bush so that the roses will look and smell incredible for as long as possible.

However, if you do want me to remove all the buds when it is time to deadhead your roses, please remember that buds will not come back that quickly. It will take approximately 6 – 8 weeks for the buds to come back. And even then, there are a lot of determining factors that may prevent this from happening and that includes the health of your roses and soil.

There are no guarantees.

Some things to remember with roses: Each rosebud is different, unique in their own special way. The size of the bud not only reflects how healthy and vigour of the plant, but it can also hint to what is to come when it blooms. Bigger and well-formed buds are not only stunning to look at but they also show how much care and attention has been given.

The blooming process of your roses can be a fascinating journey as you watch it unfold.

• The bud stage – this Is the initial stage of the blooming process, and you will see that the rose forms a bud at the end of the stem. It starts of quite small and eventually grows and changes colour as it prepares to bloom.
• The opening stage – you will see as the bud matures the outer petals begin to open and unfurl and it is this stage that most rose lovers believe they are the most beautiful. It’s when the inner petals of the rose are slowly revealed.
• The blooming stage – that’s it… the rose is in full bloom with all it’s petals open and the rose is fragrant and beautifully coloured.
• And finally, the wilting stage – this stage may take a few days up to a week and you will see the rose slowly wilting. The petals lose their vibrant colour and start to fall off. It’s at this stage that deadheading happens and then the rose is ready to start the cycle all over again.

It is up to you if you cut all the buds of your rose bush. If you keep some of the buds on, blooming will continue and if you continually deadhead the roses, it will help encourage roses to thrive and bloom.

Some roses such as hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras have been bred to have an extended blooming period. This means that they will continue to produce flowers beyond the normal blooming period.

For those who like to remove all buds to encourage bloom, I say to you, this can be done and yes it will encourage and may contribute to a beautiful display of rose blooms but there is no guarantee that this is a 3 – 4 week occurrence. I have researched this and most rose carers or rose pruners advise that this process or turn around is closer to 6 – 8 weeks.