Show Notes
Bullet Points from the Podcast, “The Best Roses for Cut Flowers” * Always cut long stems, not just the spent bloom. Snipping only 1-2 inches when deadheading causes the plant to push out short, crooked replacement growth; cutting deep into the cane produces another long stem. * Make cuts just above a five-leaflet leaf (not a three-leaflet one), and choose a node pointing outward from the bush’s center. This improves air circulation and keeps stems growing straight. * Recut stems underwater every couple of days, trimming about an inch off the bottom to remove air bubbles and keep water moving up the stem so buds continue to open. * Strip off any foliage that will sit below the waterline submerged leaves decay and foul the water. * Use flower food, or a sugar-water substitute like regular (non-diet) Sprite or 7Up, to keep water cleaner and nourish cut stems; tap water is otherwise fine. * For low-thorn, long-stemmed cutting roses, favor hybrid teas and grandifloras like Ring of Fire, Hot Princess, Olympiad, Veteran’s Honor, Gold Medal, and Strike It Rich. Many grandifloras have notably fewer prickles. * For reliably long-lasting vase life (opening slowly over about a week), pick Olympiad or Veteran’s Honor rather than Mr. Lincoln, which opens quickly once cut. * For fragrance, choose Mr. Lincoln, Double Delight, or Olivia (an Austin/English shrub rose). But note high-petal-count “cabbage” roses like Olivia and Tamora can shatter petals suddenly (”explode”) on the table. * For multi-bloom stems that fill a vase in one cut, use sprays/floribundas such as Sally Holmes, Julia Child, Betty Boop, and Daybreaker, or miniatures like Joy and Rainbow Sunblaze. * Build arrangements with the “thrill, fill, spill” formula: big roses as the focal thrill, small polyanthus/miniature blooms as fill, and trailing foliage (ferns, ivy, nandina) as the spill to soften the vase edge. * Add a sprig of citrus leaf or rose geranium to boost scent in bouquets from lower-fragrance roses. * To time blooms for a specific event (wedding, show), prune roses about 6-8 weeks in advance. That’s the typical bloom cycle after a hard cut. * Fertilize roughly monthly, especially after a deadheading push, and mulch to help with drought tolerance; if cutting back on water, cut back on fertilizer to avoid burning the plant. * Deadhead regularly and thoroughly; leaving spent blooms on the plant signals it to stop flowering and start forming rose hips instead. * Roses generally suit USDA zones 6-9, with best performance in low-humidity, low-rain, full-sun-but-not-scorching conditions (east-facing exposure helps colors last longer in hot climates). Beyond The Garden Basics is a reader-supported publication. To receive exclusive, new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank You!
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More from Beyond the Garden Basics
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Redwood Barn Nursery owner Don Shor of Davis, California and myself finally got around to putting the 2026 Tomato season to bed…except for the ones that are hanging on for dear life. In today’s podcast, we sing the high notes and low notes of our tomato growing efforts this year, with lots of gardening advice thrown in for good measure. How was your tomato season? Any favorites? Any failures? Any surprises? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to mention where you were doing your gardening this summer. One of the first to comment was Keith, located in the eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay area. He actually commented before the tomato season was ending: “When you two get together to talk about the 2026 tomato season, I'd like to put in a good word for my San Marzano tomato harvest in Contra Costa County. I had a good crop, mostly because the weather wasn't too hot. Tomorrow is sauce-making day! I have a set-up that lets me cook outside.” There’s a complete, human-edited transcript of the podcast near the bottom of this newsletter. Here are the main points of our podcast conversation:
In today’s podcast, I tell a long, drawn out story about what happened the night before my wedding in 1980. Yes, it is a garden story, about the Cecile Bruner rose. But, we quickly turn to a chat with Ben Hanna of heirloomroses.com, who describes how he and his wife came to own the company after leaving corporate life over a decade ago. He says their shared love of gardening and roses, plus the chance to work closer to family, made the business a good fit. He also notes that all five of his children have worked at the nursery in different roles. In the newsletter, it's a list of the best roses for fall blooming color!
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