Question
Hi, I live in n Colorado and just purchased 2 canadian shrub roses in pots which have been planted in the backyard..  They are in sun for about9 - 10 hrs.  The beautiful pink blossoms do not last long and seem to curl around the edges. Is that because they are getting used to the new home? How can I tell if they are getting enough water?  Do I cut the blooms off?  I did already. :) Do I leave the dead blooms on?  What do I do to keep the lovely flowers coming?  Fertilizer?  How often, what kind?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Deformed flowers are often a signal that the Aphid's back in town.  Aphids -- the most common insect pest to affect Roses everywhere -- can be cured with a state of the art Aphid Killer: The Ladybug.

Buy yourself a box of Ladybugs, and put them in the refrigerator until night.  Then go outside with a flashlight and sprinkle them around the base of each Rose you have, as well as any other plants you are growing that are having trouble.  Vegetables for instance are another favorite gourmet treat for Aphids.

Just sprinkle them around the soil, at the base of the plant.  They'll crawl up as they thaw out.

In about 3 days the Aphids will vanish, your Rose flowers will stop curling up, the whole Garden will look better.  Of course, you must not spray insecticide, as this will kill the Ladybugs, along with all kinds of other collateral damage you never intended to inflict.

When the blooms are beginning to fade, cut them off and discard them in the garbage.  Leaving them on makes the remaining flowers fade faster.

Any Rose Fertilizer sold at Lowes or Home Depot or the local garden center will build up the power for more blooms on your Roses all summer long.

Water deep when you water, rather than daily and light.  Deep is critical.  It gets the roots to grow DOWN, where they are safer and stronger.

These are high maintenance shrubs.  But there is nothing like them, is there?

Thanks for writing.  Keep me posted.