Roses, whether grown in the garden or received as a bouquet, will eventually fade, leaving behind spent blooms or withered petals. Handling these remnants depends on whether the rose is a living plant needing continued care or a cut flower nearing the end of its life. This distinction allows the gardener to encourage future growth or to transform the remnants of a bouquet into lasting keepsakes.
Handling Spent Blooms on Living Plants
The practice of removing spent rose blossoms, known as deadheading, is a form of light pruning that redirects the plant’s energy away from seed production. Preventing the formation of rose hips signals the plant to focus on creating new vegetative growth and subsequent flowers. This action is particularly important for modern, repeat-blooming varieties to ensure continuous flowering throughout the growing season.
To properly deadhead a garden rose, the cut must be made strategically to encourage a strong, outward-facing new stem. Locate the stem beneath the spent flower and trace it downward until you find the first set of leaves composed of five leaflets. This five-leaflet juncture is preferred for structural strength, as cutting back to only three leaflets often results in a weaker stem.
The cut should be made just above a five-leaflet set, approximately a quarter-inch above an outward-facing bud eye. Making the cut at a 45-degree angle, sloping away from the bud, helps shed water and prevents moisture accumulation. For roses that bloom in clusters, such as Floribundas, first remove individual faded flowers, and then cut the entire cluster back to a five-leaflet set once all the blooms have finished.
Creative Ways to Repurpose Dying Cut Flowers
Before a cut rose completely disintegrates, its petals can be salvaged and transformed into various aromatic household items. Petals should be carefully removed from the flower head just as they begin to wilt but before they turn brown or moldy.
Drying Petals and Potpourri
One of the simplest uses is to air dry the petals by spreading them in a single layer on a screen or baking sheet. Place them in a warm, dark, and well-ventilated area for two to three days. Once the petals are dry and crisp, they can be blended with other dried botanicals and spices to create potpourri. Adding an aromatic fixative, such as crushed orris root, helps to preserve and prolong the fragrance. For a more intense scent, a few drops of rose essential oil or rose water can be incorporated into the mixture.
Other Preservation Methods
Another method for preserving the rose’s structure and color involves using silica gel, which absorbs moisture from the petals over one to two weeks. This preserves their shape for display in shadow boxes or crafts. Alternatively, dried rose petals can be easily added to bath salts or infused into a carrier oil like jojoba or sweet almond to create a fragrant, skin-softening body oil.
Safe Disposal and Composting Methods
Once roses have served their purpose and cannot be repurposed, they must be disposed of safely. For non-diseased rose material, including stems, leaves, and spent flowers, composting is an environmentally sound option. Thorns on the canes should be handled carefully, but they will eventually break down in a compost pile.
A significant exception to composting involves any rose material showing signs of disease, such as black spot or powdery mildew. These fungal pathogens produce resilient spores that can survive the lower temperatures of a typical backyard compost bin. Introducing diseased material into compost risks re-contaminating the garden soil when the finished compost is applied later.
To prevent the spread of plant diseases, any rose parts exhibiting black lesions, yellowing, or white fungal growth should be sealed in a bag and placed in municipal waste collection. This ensures the pathogens are destroyed or contained outside of the home gardening system. Proper disposal of infected material is an important hygiene step to maintain the health of other roses and plants in the surrounding landscape.