I’m Marci Martin, your rosarian blogger here at Planters Place.  I am an American Rose Society Master Consulting Rosarian and the region I serve is the Northeast.  There are Consulting Rosarians (CRs) all across these great United States, and we are here to make your rose growing experience a satisfying one.  If you need to find a CR in your vicinity, contact the American Rose Society at rose.org and they will be able to let you know about a rose society with Consulting Rosarians in your area.  Growing roses here in north central Connecticut is lightyears different from growing roses in Arizona.  Or Florida.  Or North Dakota.  We have many different climates and growing conditions in our country, so you should check in with CRs near you who are your local rose experts.  There are many of us, and we are all here to help you and your roses.

September and October in the Rose Garden

By the time September rolls around here in northern Connecticut, the days have become much shorter.  Fall has almost arrived, and in our part of the country, it is time to stop deadheading our roses.  We have kept it up all summer to encourage our roses to continue blooming, but now is the time for the roses to make some hips (seed pods) if they are able, or for the top of the cane to die back if the rosebush is sterile and doesn’t make seeds.  This is a clear signal to our plants that winter is not too far away and it’s time to pull the energy of the plant down into the root system.  It is also the time to withhold extra water unless there is a drought.  This is not the time of year to fertilize your rose garden, either!!  We don’t want to do anything to encourage any new growth.  Cutting back will come later.  Your roses will still produce some bloom, so cut a few for the house or to share with a friend.  We continue this through the month of October, when the leaves on the trees here are becoming more brilliant with each cooler night and sunny day.

Enjoy the Change of Seasons

Now, in Mid-October, the sun is much lower in the sky that there is more clarity to every sunny day.  The sun rises much later and sets much earlier.  The skies here are cobalt blue and the forests are more colorful with each passing day.  You will find that your Fall roses are larger and more fragrant because it takes the roses longer to develop during shorter days.  These are the days to relax in the garden.  It’s my season for harvest decorations, washing windows, and planning for the holiday season to come.

Garden Chores Return for November

Next month, we will have some work to do to get the gardens ready for winter.  Here, the weather should turn sharply colder and we will put our rose gardens to bed.  Meanwhile, enjoy this special transition time that only comes once a year!