Tools for Rose Care

Tools for tending roses last for years if cleaned after each use and sharpened regularly.

1. Stock your garden shed with a long-handled spade, garden fork, and cultivator. Keep plant markers, a dethorner, and a sprayer handy. Have buckets for fertilizer and cut flowers. Wear boots, gloves, and a hat for protection.

2. Protect your skin with heavy-duty gloves. Gauntlet-style gloves extend past the wrist and cover part of the arm. Leather or impenetrable material allows you to dethorn cut roses by sliding gloved fingers down stems.

3. Use twine to tie rose canes as you train them on fences, arbors, and obelisks. In late fall, wrap twine around long canes to prevent wind damage. Also use it to secure burlap wraps on tree roses. Twine deteriorates and needs replacement.