My roses only last a few days on the bush

[itascakae]

We have a 5-6 yr old rose bush (don't know what variety) that is blooming like wild the last few years. I do NOT do anything for it outside of watering & admiring glances. There's no fertilizer, no cones in the winter, no pruning unless the thorns stick you when walking by ... so you see this must be a hardy plant. My concern, however, is the flowers on the plant are at full bloom only a few days and then they start to wilt. Is there anything I can do to prolong their bloom time?

[cynthia_h]

Do you dead-head your roses? That is, do you clip the stem of a just-past-bloom to a five-leaflet growth? This will encourage the formation of new flowers.

I'm sure there are photos here at THG; please use the Search function on the upper left-hand corner of each page and look for phrases like "dead-head roses" or "dead-heading roses."

Happy gardening!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9