Question
I started with roses last year, Knock-out, Carefree Wonder and Delight. All survived the Chicago winter but with the exception of "Delight" all look quite shabby. Should I cut them back to encourage bushiness or wait and see what happens?

Also, I have heard that banana peels are good for roses. Just how does one go about applying the banana peels? I know they go in or on the soil but where? ( I just had an image of a rose bush with banana peels hanging off the branches. Thank you.

Answer
Roses usually look ratty after a winter so that is why gardeners prune their roses in the spring. It also gives the rose more vigour to get started growing again. The idea being that cutting the canes off makes the rose mad! Because they are all hybrid teas, I would cut the canes back until they look neat. That will mean cutting off any dead or diseased growth and then pruning the whole bush back by a half. Sprinkle a handful of any rose fertilizer all around the base and water it in.
To make flowers roses need the middle number on a fertilizer package and bananas have a lot of potassium in them. You can either bury the peels under the rose bush or mix them up in a blender with water and pour it around the base of the plant. Hope this helps. Lynnette