9 Common Mistakes That Are Destroying Your Rose Bushes—and How to Avoid Them

Achieving beautiful, healthy roses is a dream many gardeners have. These iconic flowers add beauty and color anywhere in the landscape, whether you want to boost curb appeal or punch up your backyard garden. The only downside is that roses have a reputation for being challenging to grow. While it’s true that roses need the right growing conditions in order to thrive, knowing their needs will ensure vibrant bushes. To help, we tapped gardening experts who shared the most common mistakes people make when growing roses, and how to avoid them for prolific blooms. 

Planting in the Wrong Spot

Just because roses may look beautiful in a specific area of your landscape, doesn't mean they'll be healthy there. "Planting roses too close to buildings, fences, trees, or even other roses can limit the sunlight and airflow they receive," says Wes Harvell, rosarian for Jackson & Perkins. "This overcrowding creates ideal conditions for foliar diseases to develop and spread."

Choose a sunny, open location that gets at least six hours of sunlight per day. Space your roses apart to allow for good air circulation and reduce the risk of disease. Prune nearby plants as needed and remove anything that's blocking your roses from getting enough light or airflow.

Not Researching Your Variety

Roses are one of the world’s largest plant groups with hundreds of species, thousands of cultivars and varieties, and countless relatives, says Adrienne Roethling, head gardener for a private estate. "There are hybrid teas, floribundas, climbers, miniature, old-fashioned, and species roses, just to name a few," she says. "For one to have a successful rose garden or roses in the garden, it is worth the time to research the varieties and devise a monthly to-do list." Even roses that claim to be low-maintenance or disease-resistant should be thoroughly researched, as one mistake can lead to years of problems.

Overhead Watering

Spraying water over your entire rose bush is quick and easy, but doing so creates moist conditions that promote fungal diseases. "Always water at the base of the plant so that moisture reaches the roots and leaves stay dry," says Harvell. "If overhead watering is unavoidable, do it in the morning so leaves can dry quickly in the sun."

Over or Underwatering

Roses need consistently moist soil, but will not survive in conditions that are too dry or too wet. "Giving too much water can lead to root rot, while not giving enough causes stress and poor growth," says Harvell. Water roses deeply once or twice per week, letting the top few inches of soil dry out between waterings. You may need to water more often during periods of drought or in hot weather, and less during late fall and winter, says Roethling.

Pruning Incorrectly

Pruning is essential for the overall health of your roses, but doing so incorrectly can cause issues. "Neglecting pruning—or pruning too aggressively—can leave your rose bush crowded, weak, or misshapen, which increases vulnerability to disease," says Harvell. "Prune once a year, reducing the plant’s height by about 1/3 to /1/2. Focus on removing dead, weak, or diseased canes. Open up the center of the plant to improve airflow and cut away any growth from below the graft union."

Spreading Disease

Rose petals that have fallen on the ground can spread diseases to your plants. "Petals left to rot, especially if the ground is wet, could lead to botrytis," Roethling says. "Botrytis appears as a grey mold on flowers and fruit. The mold could infect nearby plants or fully mature and release spores in the ground." Putting diseased plant material in your compost pile and using unclean or dull pruning tools also increases the risk of transmitting issues from plant to plant.

To avoid this, clean up any fallen or infected leaves around your roses and use sharp, clean pruning shears, disinfecting them with rubbing alcohol between plants, says Harvell. "This minimizes disease spread and ensures clean, healthy cuts," he adds.

Eliminating All Insects

Not all insects are bad; some are even essential for a healthy garden. "Using broad-spectrum insecticides to eliminate pests can also kill beneficial insects like pollinators and natural predators, throwing your garden’s ecosystem out of balance," says Harvell. Instead, choose natural pest control methods, like hand-picking bad pests off your roses and growing plants that attract beneficial bugs. If spraying is necessary, use selective products like neem oil.

Over-Fertilizing

Roses need fertilizer in order to stay prolific, but too much can hurt the plant. "Yellowing leaves or stunted growth can make gardeners think the rose needs more food," says Harvell. "However, too much synthetic fertilizer can damage roots, harm soil life, and burn the plant. The gardener often continues to feed the struggling plant, worsening the problem."

Instead of going overboard with synthetic fertilizers, amend your soil with compost. Roethling recommends adding compost to every planting hole or top dressing existing roses. Then you can add a slow-release organic fertilizer in spring once the plant has started to leaf out. "If your plant looks off, check for pests or diseases before adding nutrients. Yellow leaves aren’t always a sign of nutrient deficiency," Harvell notes.

Not Deadheading

Not deadheading your roses throughout the growing season will cause the plants to put more energy into seed production than new growth and flower development, reducing flower output. "Once flowers have finished blooming, cut the flower stem to allow more growth," Roethling says. Stop deadheading a few weeks before the first frost so the plant can prepare for dormancy.