Roses: Tea bags and bark mulch boost summer bloom

Professional gardener Mark, founder of The Garden Path, recommends reusing used tea bags as a natural supplement for roses. The dried tea leaves provide nitrogen and potassium, helping buds develop larger, more colorful flowers when applied to the soil once a month in spring. He cautions not to place the bags themselves in the ground because of non‑degradable fibers, and advises spreading the opened leaves around the base of each plant.

Separate advice from Serbian horticultural experts stresses the importance of mulching rose beds with shredded bark. A five‑centimetre layer of bark from pine, cedar, spruce or fir conserves soil moisture, suppresses weeds and gradually enriches the soil as it decomposes. The mulch should be kept a few centimetres away from the stem to prevent rot. Together, these low‑cost, organic techniques aim to improve rose health and promote abundant summer flowering.