Jul 23, 2025

How to Care for Roses in the Summer: 7 Tips for Healthy Blooms

Seeing our roses in full summertime bloom is always a joy. But as the temperatures rise, it’s important to give them extra love and care to mitigate the challenges that come with the intense heat. This post will equip you with the knowledge you need to prevent heat stress and stop the spread of pests and disease all throughout the summer.

Preparing for Rose Care in the Summer

The arrival of the summer heat brings challenges that both rose gardening beginners and experts should be aware of. With the right knowledge, you’ll be able to adequately prepare your rose garden and keep the blooms coming all throughout the season.

High Temperatures & Intense Sunlight

While roses love basking in the sun, there is such a thing as too much. In hot, dry climates, prolonged heat can increase the risk of sunburn on the stems and foliage. Symptoms include crispy, burnt petals, smaller blooms, and wilting. To combat sunburn on your roses, place them in a location that receives afternoon shade to protect them in the hottest parts of the day.

Water Stress & Soil Conditions

It’s true that roses need more water in the summer months, but it’s important to maintain optimal soil conditions to avoid excess moisture retention. Keep the soil consistently moist and well-drained to prevent stress to the roots.

Container-grown roses dry out faster than ones planted in the ground. Keep an eye on the soil moisture and water as necessary.

Increased Pest & Disease Pressure

Hot, humid conditions can accelerate the spread of pests and diseases on our roses. Unsightly critters – such as aphids – make themselves at home on the buds and foliage. Not only that, but common fungal infections – such as black spot and powdery mildew – are likely to make an appearance.

Deadheading Roses in Summer

Deadheading is the process of removing spent blooms from your roses to maintain their shape, size, and structure. In the summertime, frequent deadheading will help produce beautiful, healthy blooms by redirecting energy towards developing new growth.

Technique & Tools

To deadhead your roses, all you need is a pair of clean pruning shears (or hand pruners) and a pair of gloves. Then follow these simple steps:

Find an outward-facing five-leaflet leaf on the stem of your rose.
Make sure you’re leaving at least 12-18 inches of healthy growth above the base of the rose.
Cut about ¼ of an inch above the five-leaflet leaf at a 45-degree angle.

Frequency

While deadheading is an important practice all throughout the growing season, you may need to do it a bit more in the summer. Go for a walk in your garden every 7-10 days and remove any spent flowers. This will encourage your roses to continually bloom throughout the hottest months of the year.

Pruning Rose Bushes in Summer

Pruning is one of the most essential gardening tasks to keep your roses growing happily and healthily. It’s typically done in late winter or early spring, but a light pruning during the summer can be beneficial.

Light vs. Heavy Pruning

In the intense summer heat, a light pruning is best. Cut back no more than a third of the plant to maintain health and beauty without causing any stress to your roses.

Heavy pruning is best carried out when your roses are still dormant (in late winter or early spring). This encourages new blooms in the spring without disturbing active growth.

Pruning Best Practices

There are a few basic rules to keep in mind when performing your summer pruning:

Always use clean, sharp tools to prevent the spread of disease and avoid damage.
Remove any dead, damaged, or diseased canes. Look for discoloration, cankers, or purple/black lesions to identify them.
Remove any crossing canes. This prevents them from rubbing against each other and causing further damage.
Cut above an outward-facing bud at a 45-degree angle. This encourages growth away from the center of the rose and prevents the pooling of moisture on the stem.

Risks of Over-Pruning

While roses generally love a thorough pruning, it’s important to take it easy in the summer months. Over-pruning in high temperatures can lead to heat stress, wilting, or increased susceptibility to disease.

Optimal Pruning Timing

The best time to prune your roses really depends on your hardiness zone. But here are some general guidelines to follow for productive summer pruning:

Perform any major pruning immediately after the first flush of blooms—often in late June or early July, depending on your region.
Avoid pruning past mid-July in hotter climates to prevent encouraging new shoots that won’t harden off before fall.
Use summer cuts for deadheading and minor shaping, and save the heavier pruning for early spring or late winter.

If you’re unsure which hardiness zone you’re located in, read our Guide to Rose Hardiness Zones & What They Mean.

Keeping Roses Healthy in Extreme Heat

It’s inevitable that your roses will face a heatwave or two in their lifetime. Rest assured – with a little extra water, mulch and nutrition, they’ll easily withstand the high temperatures of the summer.

Watering Tips

Roses typically require 3-5 gallons of water per week. When the temperatures soar, they’ll get thirsty faster. Here are our top tips for combatting dehydration in the extreme heat:

Water deeply & infrequently: Allow time for the roots to dry out a little between waterings.
Water at the base of the plant: Overhead watering can cause excess moisture on the foliage of your roses – increasing the risk of disease.
Water in the early mornings: Cooler morning temperatures allow the roots to absorb water before the intense midday heat.
Consider efficient watering methods: Techniques like drip irrigation and soaker hoses help to save time, water, and reduce the risk of disease.

Mulching & Soil Moisture Retention

Mulch is one of the best lines of defense against the summer heat. It helps your roses stay cool and hydrated by reducing water evaporation, insulating the soil and suppressing weeds. Here are a few tips to get the most out of your mulch:

Clear the area surrounding your rose of any fallen leaves, weeds or other debris.
Add a 1-2 inch layer of mulch around the base of the plant.
Leave a 2-3 inch gap between your mulch and the canes of your rose to allow for proper airflow.
Use organic matter such as shredded bark, well-rotted manure, and garden compost.

Soil & Nutrient Management

Roses are hungry plants and require regular fertilization to provide them with the nutrients they need to thrive. Here are our top tips for fertilizing your roses in the summer:

Lightly feed your roses in early summer – after the first major bloom flush.
Stop fertilization in late summer or early fall. This will prevent new growth that could be damaged by the winter cold.
Always choose organic fertilizers over synthetic when possible.
Use a fertilizer labeled for flowering plants or roses.

Encouraging Continuous Summer Bloom

Many of the common rose gardening tasks are carried out in the spring. But let’s not forget – our roses still need attention in the summertime to keep them flourishing and blooming. Continue to check in on your roses and keep these practices in the back of your mind.

Regular deadheading: Consistently check for and remove spent blooms on your roses. They’ll return the favor with new and improved bud formation.
Supplemental feeding: Offer a light feeding after each major bloom flush – using organic fertilizer for roses and flowering plants.
Light pruning: Maintain good air circulation by thinning out crowded canes and removing any dead, diseased or damaged wood.
Select reblooming varieties: Consider rose varieties known for repeat blooms to maintain a vibrant garden display throughout the summer – such as April & Ashley’s very own Marc Chagall, Sirius, or Camille Pissarro.

Identifying & Treating Heat Stress

In high summer temperatures, your roses may become susceptible to heat stress. Luckily, it’s easy to spot the signs and mitigate them before it’s too late.

Symptoms of Heat Stress

There are a few telltale signs that your roses are suffering from heat stress. These include:

Wilting: Droopy, soft, or limp petals with browned edges.
Scorched or bleached leaves: Browning/yellowing or paling along the leaf edges. Leaves also may become dry and brittle.
Stunted bud development: Small or deformed buds that may fail to open completely or at all.
Flower drop: Premature falling of leaves and flowers.

Immediate Remedies

If you see signs of heat stress on your roses, don’t panic. Here are a few measures you can take to reinvigorate them and prevent further damage:

Temporary afternoon shade: Use a shade cloth or garden umbrella to shield your roses from the sun in the hottest part of the day.
Increased mulch depth: If temperatures exceed 95F, add an extra inch or two to your mulch to keep your roses cool.
Consistent soil moisture: Check the soil moisture and adjust watering accordingly. Ensure it stays moist, but not soaked.

Long-Term Prevention

Most rose gardeners will experience a heatwave at some point or another. For those living in extremely warm climates, plan ahead with these heat stress prevention tips:

Provide partial shade: Plant in a location with afternoon shade or behind taller shrub roses to avoid overexposure to the sun.
Select heat-tolerant cultivars: Some rose varieties withstand high temperatures better than others. All of April & Ashley’s rose bushes are bred to thrive under the hottest conditions.
Water deeply & infrequently: This will encourage deep root growth and boost resiliency to hot, dry conditions.

Prevent the Most Common Rose Diseases

High summer temperatures can accelerate the spread of pests and disease. But with the right prevention methods, these unwanted critters and common fungal infections are nothing us rose gardeners can’t handle.

Preventing Black Spot & Other Diseases

Roses are resilient plants, but can be susceptible to disease. A few ways to prevent the most common rose diseases are:

Maintain spacing: Plant your roses 24-36 inches apart to promote proper airflow.
Prune interior canes: Thinning out crowded canes reduces humidity around the foliage.
Remove infected leaves: Immediately dispose of any foliage on or around your roses that show signs of infection to prevent it from spreading.
Use organic fungicides: If needed, apply organic fungicides or neem oil to the plant.

Deterring Common Pests

High heat and humidity attracts pesky critters that feed on the buds and foliage of your roses – such as aphids, Japanese beetles, spider mites and more. Inspect your garden weekly to catch them before they get out of control.

Companion planting is the best way to naturally deter pests while attracting beneficial insects. For ideas on companions for your roses, read our blog What to Grow with Roses: Best Companion Plants.

If you need to resort to pesticides to fight off pests, go organic whenever possible. To learn more about the common rose pests and pest control methods, check out our blog What Kinds of Pesticides to Use for Roses.

Conclusion

This summer, show your roses a little extra love and care to ensure they’re staying cool and in the intense heat. They’ll reward you with healthy, beautiful blooms all year long. Ashley to explore our collection of heat-tolerant rose bushes – delivered straight from our farm to your doorstep.