Rose Care Through the Seasons on the Mornington Peninsula
Roses are the most rewarding plants in a Peninsula garden — and the most asked-about. People worry they’re difficult, but they’re really not. They just need the right thing at the right time. Here’s your month-by-month guide.
Winter (June–August): Rest and Reset
June — roses are going dormant. Stop feeding, clean up fallen leaves around the base, and let them drop their foliage naturally.
July — pruning time. This is the big annual job. Cut out dead, diseased, and crossing wood first. Then reduce remaining canes by one-third to one-half, cutting to an outward-facing bud. Aim for an open vase shape. After pruning, spray with lime sulphur to kill overwintering fungal spores.
August — apply a thick layer of aged manure and compost around each bush (not touching the trunk). This is also bare-root planting season if you’re adding new roses.
Spring (September–November): Growth and Feeding
September — new growth appears fast. Give roses their first feed of the season with a complete organic fertiliser. Start watching for aphids on soft new growth — a blast with the hose usually sorts them out.
October — the first flush of flowers. Keep feeding monthly. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage repeat flowering — cut back to the first five-leaflet leaf below the flower. Watch for black spot; pick off affected leaves and bin them.
November — roses are in full swing. Continue monthly feeding. Water deeply in dry spells. Mulch should be topped up to conserve moisture heading into summer.
Summer (December–February): Maintenance Mode
December — keep deadheading and watering. Don’t feed in extreme heat. If a heatwave is coming, give roses a deep soak the evening before.
January — the tough month. Roses may look tired and growth slows. This is normal. Keep watering deeply but don’t push them with fertiliser. Some varieties get a summer rest — let them.
February — give a light feed to fuel the autumn flush. Roses often produce their best-coloured blooms in autumn, so it’s worth keeping them going. Prune off any dead or twiggy growth.
Autumn (March–May): The Second Act
March — the autumn flush arrives, often with richer colours than spring. Give a final feed for the year. Enjoy the blooms.
April — stop deadheading late in the month. Allowing the last flowers to form hips signals to the plant that it’s time to start winding down for winter.
May — stop feeding. Let leaves drop naturally. Clean up fallen foliage to remove disease sources. A light tidy of long canes is fine, but save the real prune for July.
Peninsula-Specific Rose Tips
Soil — our sandy soil needs heavy composting for roses. Dig in as much organic matter as you can. Roses are hungry plants and sand alone won’t sustain them.
Salt — if you’re close to the water, choose tougher varieties. Rugosa roses handle salt best. Behind a good windbreak, most modern roses cope fine.
Disease — black spot is the main issue in our climate. Good air circulation (open pruning), cleaning up fallen leaves, and a winter lime sulphur spray prevent most problems. If it gets bad, a fortnightly spray with a baking soda and oil mix (3 teaspoons baking soda, half a teaspoon of dish soap, one litre of water) helps.
Varieties that love the Peninsula — Iceberg (the bullet-proof white), Mr Lincoln (deep red, incredible fragrance), Gold Bunny (cheerful yellow), Double Delight (red and cream, heavenly scent), and any of the David Austin English roses for a cottage garden feel.