Fairy Roses

Lois St Peter
by Lois St Peter
I have fairy roses planted (2) in my garden that used to be in pots. The first couple of years they did well - but now they don't produce many blooms and the foliage is going wild. (I cut these back before I took the picture). A local nursery recommended a fertilizer that feeds the plant for more blooms and less foliage. I've used that 2 years now and it hasn't made a difference. I'm wondering if fairy roses like to be root bound in a pot? When should we give up on roses? I have 2 other rose bushes that I'm ready to axe - but the fairy roses were a gift from my son - so they have special meaning for me! Any suggestions?
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  • Lois St Peter Lois St Peter on Aug 20, 2013
    Thank you all for your input and suggestions. I'll back off on the fertilizer for a year and see what happens. I do prune back the roses every winter - way back. How do I test to see how much nitrogen is n my soil?
    • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Aug 21, 2013
      @Lois St Peter You can probably get a soil test through your state extension service for very little money.
  • Catherine Smith Catherine Smith on Aug 21, 2013
    @Lois St Peter here's a website with advice on both the timing and pruning for rose bushes. You can also surf the web as there are multiple advice sites available. http://www.rose.org/pruning-roses/ And Douglas is right, your county extension office can provide you with a soil testing kit or there are inexpensive commercial ones available at most nursery. Those are not a "detailed" with results as one done by the state, but it should give you at least an idea of what the balance of the soil might be.
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