How to Keep Your Roses Blooming and Healthy All Summer Long

If you are looking for a sure fire way of guaranteeing your perennials bloom all summer long then dead-heading is a must. Dead-heading means to pick off spent flowers to encourage more growth and flowering. One of the most successful examples of this is dead-heading roses. Roses can have as many as 4 repeat blooming sessions in a season if you are faithful in this endeavor. The trick is knowing where to cut back. Find the first little branch that has 5 leaves and cut just above that point at a 45 degree angle away from the stem. You can also look for a new bud eye that will be forming just above a leaf bracket and cut at an angle above that. It's also a good idea to fertilize your roses at least once a month with an all in one rose fertilizer that not only feeds your roses but helps control insect infestation too. Roses aren't the only flowers that benefit from dead heading lots of perennials and some annuals also respond well to deadheading. Petunias are a good example. When petunias start to get leggy and the flowers smaller, a hard prune will rejuvenate the plant and give you many more blossoms. Just cut back when the plant looks over the hill and you will be duly rewarded.