A year in the life of a rose
Rose enthusiast Melanie Trimper has spent the past year in her garden tending to a much-loved rose bush to provide this remarkable month-by-month guide to caring for your own roses at home.
Why plant roses?
According to legend, around 600BCE the Greek poet Sappho gave the rose name, Queen of Flowers. Since then, the rose remains the world’s favourite flower, with no other bloom more cultivated, admired or loved.
There are more than 30,000 differently named rose varieties in cultivation derived through centuries of breeding, with the species continuing to be fashionable as new roses are introduced every year worldwide.
Key considerations for the modern rose breeds are fine-quality blooms, a delightful fragrance, vigour, good disease tolerance and strong repeat flowering all season long and sometimes up to 12 months in our temperate climate. Modern roses also offer a wide colour range, providing a palette of unsurpassed beauty and adaptability, to fit easily into any garden design, many varieties promoted as hardy and low maintenance. Once planted, these roses last for many years.
The most influential rose breeder of the 20th century
David C.H. Austin OBE (1926 – 2018) began breeding roses as a hobby when he was a teenager. He was a farmer in Shropshire, England in the 1940s when he commenced crossing modern roses, such as Hybrid Teas and Floribundas, with Old Garden Roses, such as Damasks, Bourbons and Gallicas, to create an entirely new kind of rose with the look, charm, beauty and fragrance of old roses, combined with the qualities of modern roses with their repeat flowering, wide colour range and good disease resistance.
It was an admirable idea, but not easily achieved, and it took many years of hybridising and experimentation, to slowly realise his goal. David Austin called his creations “English Shrub Roses”, releasing around 250 cultivars that made a tangible impact on the evolution of roses, making him now considered the most influential rose breeder of the 20th century.
In 2016, David said, “If I had to choose just one, I think pink Olivia Rose Austin, named after my granddaughter, has to be one of the best I’ve ever bred”.
David believed that the quest for the perfect rose was a never-ending task, and he always insisted that there was much work yet to be done. In Australia, David Austin Roses became popular in the 1980s. Many of them thrived in our climate and they also mixed well with other plants in cottage gardens which were fashionable at the time.
I have been passionate about Austin English Shrub Roses since the early 1990s and have had great satisfaction trialling and growing many of them, eventually collecting more than 100 of the best varieties.
The study of a year in the life of a rose
Here is an analysis examining a year in the life of one extraordinary, award-winning rose named Olivia Rose Austin (Ausmixture), an English Shrub Rose bred by David C.H. Austin and introduced in 2014.
This rose has been highly acclaimed worldwide. In 2020, it was the most outstanding rose at the National Rose Trial Garden Awards winning Best Rose of the Trial, Best Shrub Rose, a gold medal and was named “Australia’s Rose of the Year”.
Olivia Rose Austin is a vigorous and hardy rose featuring clusters of beautiful, large, cupped, rosette shaped pink blooms with a fruity fragrance. It is a well branched bush with healthy foliage, good repeat flowering in flushes and can easily reach 1.5m tall by 1m wide. It is suitable as a cut flower.
This month-by-month guide, follows a year of its life in our garden. Not only did this rose change and grow from when I started this story (in August 2023), but it saw much change in my family, too, including the passing of my dear husband, Kelvin, in January 2024. As a former president of the World Federation of Rose Societies, Kelvin also loved his roses.
I start this guide in the same month as the magazine is released, February, so you, too, can now start to care for your own rose following this outline.
February
Olivia Rose Austin has had a summer trim to encourage a beautiful autumn flush. This is the month to fertilise with Neutrog Sudden Impact for Roses, a product endorsed by the Rose Society of SA (RSSA). Apply when the ground is damp. Regular watering is still required. Roses can be trimmed in summer, one to two weeks after fertilising, to achieve a strong and vibrant autumn flush. When completing a summer trim, the spent blooms are removed with a cut down the stem to the top of the second five-leaf leaflet.
March
Healthy, new autumn growth is evident. Strong “water shoots” may need staking to protect them from wind damage. Olivia Rose Austin is particularly resistant to black spot and mildew but other rose varieties may require a preventative fungicide spray. Again, maintain watering regime, particularly if Adelaide has a late-season heatwave!
April
The bush has produced high quality blooms with more on the way. If preparing new rose beds, start by deep digging and applying compost, animal manure and gypsum, if the ground is heavy with a high clay content. To encourage good microbial activity in the soil, the Rose Society recommends applications of Neutrog GOGO Juice or Popul8 at this time.
Contact specialist rose nurseries such as Knight’s Roses and Wagner’s Rose Nursery, in SA, or good garden centres to place orders for new roses, especially new releases.
Visit the Autumn Rose Show to see many varieties on display and speak to the experts.
May
Olivia Rose Austin continues to flower well into late autumn. Some less disease resistant roses may start showing early signs of fungal disease, which is normal at this time. Following the autumn flush, spent blooms can be tip-pruned prior to full pruning in July.
May is the time to remove non-performing roses to make space for new plants. Remove the old plant and half a wheelbarrow of depleted soil which can be transferred elsewhere. Replace it with the same amount of good soil from an area of the garden which has not grown roses. Add compost and GOGO Juice or Popul8, or a seaweed-based product to make the area ready for new plantings. Rose plants prefer full sun or at least six hours of sunshine each day.
June
The rose is still covered in foliage and is starting to enter its dormant stage with leaves beginning to deteriorate and drop. It’s too early for pruning, but the planting season has begun.
Ensure roses are removed from plastic, soaked in a bucket of water (with a capful of Neutrog Seamungus liquid or seaweed product) for 12 hours (or overnight) prior to planting. Neatly cut off damaged or broken roots. Use a handful of Seamungus pellets when planting, mixed into the bottom of the hole to act as a root stimulant. Avoid the use of fertilisers, particularly inorganic ones, when planting as these may burn the roots.
July
It’s rose pruning time! Focus on the bottom half of the plant. Ideally, you want to retain strong, healthy, young canes. Remove all dead wood and weak twiggy branches. If sufficient new canes have grown from the base (water shoots), then you can remove old canes from the base.
Olivia Rose Austin has been pruned to resemble a vase shape. The outer canes were reduced by between one-third to half of their original height and cut to 1cm above an outward facing bud (eye). Any remaining leaves were removed from the plant and collected from around the base of the rose. Apply Seamungus pellets to your roses at the end of July.
Use leather gloves, sharp bi-pass secateurs, loppers and a pruning saw. It is always recommended to use a quality brand, such as Felco or Bahco. Keep all equipment clean, oiled and most importantly, sharp! The purpose of pruning is to rejuvenate the plant for the next 12 months. For pruning advice, demonstrations are conducted during winter by the RSSA.
August
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The rose is covered in healthy new shoots about 4cm in length. Finish your post-pruning clean-up. Ensure rose prunings and as many fallen leaves as possible are removed. They can go into green waste. Now give your roses a thorough spray with Winter Oil (or Pest Oil at twice the recommended application rate).
Start applying mulch before the new season’s shoots get too long, as they can break off easily. Prior to mulching, ensure that all leaf litter has been picked up and garden beds are thoroughly weeded. When applying mulch take care not to cover the bud union of the rose or have the mulch within 15cm of newly planted roses as they may be smothered and suffer as a result. The RSSA recommends Neutrog’s Whoflungdung, which is a certified organic mulch, biologically activated, nutrient rich and weed free. Finish planting by the end of the month.
September
The rose displays disease-free, new leaves and bronze coloured shoots. Fertilise with Sudden Impact for Roses. As the soil should be damp from winter and spring rains, try and apply prior to forecast rain, then no “watering-in” will be necessary.
As shoots reach 15cm in length, apply preventative fungicides to avoid bad infestations of black spot, rust and mildew. This preventative spraying regime will ensure healthy foliage well into summer. A couple of sprays, a fortnight apart, mid to late September and early October may be required. Organic oils (such as Eco-Oil, Eco-Neem or pyrethroid) can be used to control aphids and grubs but should only be used if these pests are present. Horticultural oils should not be used when temperatures are above 32C.
Also, standard roses and climbers should be securely tied to their supports.
October
The bush is displaying bountiful spring flowering, usually the most generous of the entire year. The beautiful, large, soft pink blooms have a cupped rosette shape and light to medium fruity fragrance.
Early morning is the best time to water and pick blooms. Be aware of the weather, as an early heatwave can ruin blooms if the soil isn’t moist. October is the best time of year for a daily walk around your garden to enjoy the blooms!
In October, visit rose gardens and attend the Spring Rose Show. A trip to Adelaide’s Veale Gardens, Rymill Park and the Adelaide International Rose Garden, within the Adelaide Botanic Garden, is highly recommended.
November
The spring flush is continuing! The bush is flowering well and has produced several strong, sappy “water shoots” which will need to be protected from the wind. Also, it’s time to remove any spent blooms by taking the dead flower and around 15cm of stem down to the second five-leaf leaflet to encourage new growth and flowers.
As the weather warms up, roses will now require supplementary irrigation to maintain peak condition. Option to apply a liquid fertiliser or soil conditioner in the middle of the month.
December
The strong new “water shoots” rising from the base of the plant are supported by bamboo stakes until they mature and harden. Don’t confuse these new shoots with nuisance “suckers” coming from under the bud union, as understock has a different leaf and should be removed. Maintain a dead-heading removal program to maximise repeat flowering.
Continue regular irrigation if there is a lack of rainfall. Remove weeds as they appear. Sit back and enjoy your second flush of roses during the Christmas period.
January
Benefitting from regular watering, the bush continues to flower and look good. “Water shoots” are now maturing with some dead-heads ready to be removed. The foliage is still in good condition despite the hot weather.
Mature roses require an average of 20 to 30 litres of water for each rose per week. Make sure a rose is well hydrated prior to heatwaves, where the temperature is above 35C on average. If severe heat is forecasted in the week ahead, you should increase the rate of watering to 30 to 40 litres per plant. If a rose dries out, it is difficult to get it to recover quickly. It is recommended to apply the water in one weekly application or, at most, twice per week preferably early in the morning.
Deep watering weekly is far better than multiple smaller or daily applications. These watering recommendations assume you have a substantial covering of mulch. Without mulch, you will need twice the volume of water per plant. Check the thickness of your mulch and top up if needed. Although the bush will be flowering, the heat reduces bloom size, scent and depth of colour.
For roses in pots, a good watering (until it flows through the bottom) will be required every two days. Try to place your pots under partial shade during heatwaves.
Contact the Rose Society of S.A. Inc for further information sarose.org.au.
Melanie Trimper is a member of the Rose Society of SA Inc and a member of the Horticultural Media Association of Aust Inc (SA).
This article first appeared in the Autumn 2025 issue of SALIFE Gardens & Outdoor Living magazine.
