Spring has passed and the summer heat is on...Your roses are past their first bloom but that doesn't mean they're done. Summer is a great time of year for roses to be in their prime. The warm dry heat deters the mildew that plagued them all spring and encourages bloom production. Here are a few simple steps to take to be sure your garden is bursting with the sweet scent and color of roses...

1. MOST IMPORTANT!! WATER WATER WATER!! Roses are very thirsty plants. Be sure you adjust your sprinkler systems and increase either the duration or the frequency of your water cycle in the rose garden. If you hand water, soak them well at least three times a week...more if the heat really goes up.

2. Add a nice mulchy soil additive around your roses such as Gardener & Bloome Soil Building Compost.

3. Deadhead and fertilize with Dr. Earth Rose & Flower Fertilizer.

4. Spray with a good organic fungicide and insecticide combination such as Greenlight Rose Defense or Bayer All in One Rose & Flower Care to fight summer rose pests such as rose slug and summer plagues such as rust and black spot.

Last, but not least, enjoy your roses! Cut single stems and place them in bud vases all throughout the house or arrange them in huge Renaissance bouquets for your hall table. Dry the petals and scent with rose oil then place them in baskets and crystal bowls. Decorate summer cakes with a ring of rose buds and ferns. There is no other flower that blooms so profusely and often...and summer is the season to savor them!