Gardener says now is the best time to feed popular flower in garden

A gardener has said now is the best time to feed a flower that many people like to grow in their gardens.

Michael Griffiths, known as the Mediterranean gardener on social media, shares gardening tips and tutorials. He is also a brand ambassador for Dobbies Garden Centres.

He recently posted a video on TikTok where he claimed that now, in early spring, is the best time to fertilise roses. The gardening expert recommends feeding them now to get lots of flowers that bloom for months to come.

Michael, sitting in his garden and holding a bag of David Austin Controlled Release Rose Food, said: “If you want loads of flowers on your roses this year now, in early spring, prior to flowering is the perfect time to feed them. There are loads of feeds out there but I like to go with the controlled release food like this one which with one application will feed your rose all summer long.”

The gardener says to start by clearing any weeds or debris from around your roses and then open your packet of feed, measuring it out “to make sure you’re giving your plants the right amount of food.” Michael’s next instruction is to pour the feed all around the base of your roses and then lightly “agitate the soil.”

He concluded: “Finally, if you’re not expecting rain soon, lightly water it in.” The English Garden seconds Michael’s advice to feed roses in spring. It suggests giving bush roses their first feed of the year in early spring, ideally in March.

The gardening magazine states that roses, which are “probably the most popular of all garden plants” have a lot to offer as newer selections are “highly disease resistant and will flower – often continuously – from early summer well into autumn.” As roses are heat and drought resistant, once established, they can stand “increasingly hot summers”, according to The English Garden.

There is a variety of roses you can grow, including climbers and ramblers or shrub roses. The gardening resource adds: “Roses are hungry plants in that they need plenty of feeding if they are to give a great performance in the garden. Giving roses additional feed pays off in terms of their flowering performance and also their health, and a strong plant is much more likely to resist disease.”

To feed roses in spring, The English Garden recommends choosing a dry, sunny day “and methodically visit each of your roses in turn.” After this, it says to “apply a generous handful of granular plant feed (such as Growmore, or fish, blood and bone), a specially formulated rose fertiliser (such as Westland Rose Liquid Plant Food, Toprose or MiracleGro Rose & Shrub) or pelleted chicken manure (such as Westland Organic Chicken Manure Pellets) on the soil around the roots, just as your rose plants begin to grow.“ Then gently dig it into the soil using a hand fork and water in.

Next The English Garden says to “apply over the top of the disturbed ground a mulch of well-rotted farmyard manure or home-made garden compost – this wants to be around 5cm deep.” The gardening magazine also gave a tip: “It is worth watering the mulch as well; this will help it settle and stop the material blowing about. You will find that roses respond quickly, putting on plenty of new growth.”