What to do with roses in October – 5 ways to set them up now for their best blooms next year

Autumn signals the end of a rose’s growing season, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect your plant. In fact, knowing what to do with roses is crucial if you want to conserve their health and strength.

Roses need a number of things in autumn to help them wind down for the year. It’s the perfect time to crack down on diseases, for example, and even train climbers and ramblers. The simple tasks you complete now can determine how healthy a plant you take into 2027.

Here’s a list of things to do with roses in October to give your plant all the care it needs ahead of winter.

What you'll need

1. Target diseases

When I spoke to Harkness Roses’ founder, Philip Harkness, he told me that one of the main tasks for roses in October is tackling plant diseases. Culprits like rust and black spot are among the most common rose problems, but they won’t always spell doom for the plant - especially if you nip them in the bud.

‘It is a good time of year to collect the diseased leaves from the ground and from the plants and dispose of them,’ Philip said.

You can also buy treatments that control fungus and even aphids, like RoseClear from Amazon.

2. Give them a light trim

Hard pruning is well, a hard no for roses in October, since the ideal time to prune roses is during the colder months, but you can give some types a light tidy this month.

‘If the roses have no more flower buds coming, then give the plants a light autumn trim,’ says Philip.

Dead, damaged or diseased growth should be the targets, but you can be a little more strategic with climbing roses.

‘Avoid the main framework of stems altogether, only cutting side shoots that are crossing or sticking out to just above a bud,’ advises Paul Parker from plants and bulbs specialist J. Parker’s. ‘In the early autumn months, you should focus on only pruning the long shoots that may be susceptible to wind damage.’

Use a sharp pair of bypass secateurs like the Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Advantage Bypass Secateurs from Amazon to make clean cuts on the plant.

3. Train climbers and ramblers

Speaking of climbing roses, October is the perfect time to train any rambling or climbing varieties. Many gardeners grow climbing roses for privacy, but they’ll need a bit of guidance to create the framework you’re looking for.

‘October is a good time to train climbers and ramblers,’ says Philip Harkness. ‘Where there are new long shoots, tie them in. During October, these stems are usually still pliable, so you can bend them to the shape and position you require.’

Bendy garden twine like this Biostretch Garden Twine from Amazon can make the task easier. You can also buy a climbing plant training kit from B&Q, if you’re training your climbing rose from scratch.

4. Stop feeding them

Since growth is winding down for the winter, you’ll need to stop fertilising your roses in October.

‘If you continue to feed in October, the plant will be more likely to continue to produce young growth,’ explains Philip. ‘In October, the plant is wanting to prepare for winter, not be pushed into producing more growth and flowers. The growth will remain soft with a high moisture content and will be damaged by frost.’

5. Plant new roses

October is the perfect time to plant new roses, too. Container-grown plants like Rose 'Palace Kailani' from Gardening Express give you a little bit more of a head start in terms of growth, but bare-root roses are generally cheaper, and sometimes even more rewarding (since you’re growing them almost from scratch).

‘Planting in autumn is an excellent idea,’ says Philip. ‘October through to Christmas is the traditional time for planting roses. During autumn and winter, the newly planted rose will begin to get roots established, ready to burst into growth in the spring.’

Keep these October rose tasks at the top of your weekend to-do list!