How to Save Wilted Roses in Your Garden

Rose bushes have long been a popular base plant , often placed in front of windows for the people inside to enjoy the flowers that often appear in spring and stay until early fall. While hardy plants require care and attention, taking the time to remove dead or dying blooms—a process known as blooming —allows new flowers to grow.

Unfortunately, the flowering cycle does not always work this way, and in some cases the flowers begin to wither in early spring, even before they are fully open. As annoying as it is, it’s not uncommon. Here are some ways to save roses that have withered prematurely.

How to revive wilted roses

To save the withering roses, you first need to figure out what went wrong. Here are some of the most common causes of premature wilting and ways to bring roses back to life:

transplant shock

If you recently bought and planted your rose bush and now the flowers are withering, chances are good that it is transplant shock . This condition occurs when the roots of the plant are not yet able to supply the rose bush with the water and nutrients it needs.

Solution: To help your rose bush deal with shock, observe the plant and work on maintaining a consistent temperature and humidity level . You can also try trimming the stems (canes) of the bush to reduce stress on the plant.

Not enough water

If your area is experiencing a prolonged spring drought, or you simply haven’t given your shrub the proper amount of water, your flowers may begin to drop.

Solution : Water newly planted roses every two to three days, and more established bushes once or twice a week. The idea is to keep the topsoil around the roses moist at all times .

Too much water

When roses are overwatered , the soil they are planted in can become oversaturated or even waterlogged, which can deprive the plant’s roots of the oxygen they need, and in some cases, lead to root rot.

Solution : First, carefully dig out the root of the plant to make sure it is dark and soft (signs of root rot). If so, cut off the rotten parts from this and other roots , treat with a fungicide, then transplant the bush into a fresh soil mixture. If the roots are still intact, improve the bush’s soil by using plenty of compost, leaf mold, and well-rotted manure.

Other factors

While the conditions described above tend to be the most common causes of early wilting of rose bushes, it can also be one of the following:

• Extreme temperature fluctuations
• Too much fertilizer
• Not enough fertilizer
• Soil with poor drainage
• Pests
• Mushrooms and diseases

You can read more about these issues and how to fix them in this article from Plants Craze .