How to Grow and Care for Black Magic Rose

Black magic rose (Rosa 'Black Magic') is a hybrid tea rose known for its large, deep red blooms with velvety petals. This variety was created in the '90s by German company Rosen Tantau and has become very popular thanks to its striking color, disease resistance, and repeat blooming. Black magic roses grow best outdoors with full sun, well-drained soil that's rich in nutrients, and at least one to two inches of water per week. With one sizeable flower at the tip of each stem, black magic roses make excellent cut flowers.

Black Magic Rose Care

• Put black magic roses in a spot with full sun.
• Plant black magic roses in loamy, well-drained soil.
• Water black magic roses so they receive at least one inch of water per week.
  
• Fertilize black magic roses three times during the growing season.

Light

Plant black magic roses in a spot in your garden that gets full sun—at least six hours of bright, direct sunlight per day. While hybrid tea roses like these can tolerate part sun, insufficient light can affect their flowering and ability to resist disease.

Soil

Choose a site with rich, loamy, well-drained soil that's slightly acidic to plant black magic roses. Prepare the bed by working organic compost into the soil a few weeks before planting. Make sure the site is free of roots from competing trees or shrubs. In spring, spread organic mulch around the base of the shrub to help keep the roots cool and conserve moisture.

Temperature and Humidity

Black magic roses bloom best in warm, humid conditions around 80 degrees. Plants are hardy in USDA growing zones 7 through 10.

Fertilizer

Like other hybrid tea roses, black magic roses are heavy feeders. Fertilize plantings in late winter or early spring, then again when the shrub sets buds. Feed once more in midsummer, then stop fertilizing until the following spring.

Pruning

Prune black magic roses in early spring to encourage new growth. Cut back the top thirds of each healthy stem to strengthen stems and encourage more blooms. Remove any dead or diseased stems, making sure to sanitize pruners or shears afterward to avoid spreading disease.

Propagating Black Magic Rose

Hybrid roses like black magic rose are propagated from cuttings. You can propagate your own black magic roses the same way. You can propagate roses any time of year, but you may have the best success on a summer day when the temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees.

Before beginning, gather sterilized pruners, gardening gloves, a small plant pot, a soilless potting mix, rooting hormone, a few small sticks, and a clear plastic bag large enough to contain your cutting. Here's how to propagate black magic roses:

1. The day before propagating, water the mother plant well.
2. Choose a strong, healthy cane on the mother plant that has at least three or four sets of leaves. Make an angled cut just below a flower that's begun to fade. Cuttings should be 6 to 8 inches long. Remove the lowest set of leaves on the cutting.
3. Fill a plant pot with a soilless mix and water it well to moisten. Use a stick or your finger to make a hole a few inches deep in the potting mix.
4. Dip the cut end of the stem in rooting hormone, then plant the cutting in the hole.
5. Poke a few sticks into the soil so that the tops of the sticks are taller than the cutting. Place the plastic bag around the cutting and arrange it so the sticks keep the plastic from touching the cutting. Use string or a rubber band to attach the plastic around the container.
6. Keep the cutting in a shady spot. Check the soil to make sure it's evenly moist.
7. When you see new growth, remove the plastic bag. Active growth is a sign that the cutting has rooted and you can pot it up or plant it outdoors.

How to Grow Black Magic Rose From Seed

While it's possible to harvest and plant black magic rose seeds, hybrid roses like this one don't grow true from seed. This means you may get a different result than what you see on the parent plant.

1. You can try growing black magic roses from seed by allowing flowers to grow into rose hips on the plant, then scraping the seeds out of the hips before they dry out.
2. Soak seeds in water for about an hour, then put them between layers of damp paper towel and place that in a plastic baggie.
3. Refrigerate the seeds to stratify them.
4. In early spring, remove the seeds from the fridge and plant them in moist seed starting mix.
5. Keep the plantings in a warm place with bright light, and make sure the potting mix stays moist. When seedlings have grown two leaves, they can be transplanted into small pots.
   

Overwintering

Winter care is essential for helping black magic roses stay healthy the following season. During winter, remove any diseased canes or leaves, bag the material, and throw it away in the trash. Be sure to sterilize pruners afterward. Mulch the base of the shrub with 6 to 8 inches of garden soil poured over the center of the plant to protect its roots. Remove excess dirt in late winter. Around the same time, while the plant is still dormant, cut back canes to around two feet tall.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases 

Black magic roses have strong disease resistance, which is a bonus for gardeners. They're also resistant to powdery mildew except in very humid conditions. However, black magic roses can be susceptible to everyday pests like aphids. Remove aphids by spraying plants with a strong jet of water or by treating foliage with insecticidal soap.

How to Get Black Magic Rose to Bloom

With sufficient light, enough water, routine pruning, and proper care, black magic roses should bloom in the summer months.

How Long Does Black Magic Rose Bloom?

These roses are known for their long-lasting blooms, which make excellent cut flowers. Flowering can last for up to four months.

What Do Black Magic Rose Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Black magic roses are one of the darkest red varieties available. Upright, goblet-shaped flowers have deep maroon petals at the center, often with slightly darker outer petals. Petals have a velvety surface. These roses are grown for their appearance, not their aroma—they have minimal to no scent.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Proper pruning in winter and spring encourages strong canes and vigorous growth. Deadheading or cutting away faded flowers will help spur continued blooming.

Common Problems With Black Magic Rose

Holes in Leaves

Holes or irregular edges on leaves and buds on stem tips can be a sign that beetles are eating your plants. Remove insects by hand into a bucket of soapy water. Cover plants with floating row cover to protect them from an infestation before it starts.

Black Spots on Leaves

Black spots on yellowing leaves are a sign of black spot, a common disease that affects roses. Cut away affected areas and treat the plant with an organic fungicide.

White Spots on Leaves

Pale white spots appearing on the leaves are a sign of powdery mildew. The best way to prevent this is to plant in a spot with well-drained soil and full sun. Avoid getting leaves wet when watering. Cut away affected portions of the plant when powdery mildew appears and throw the plant material in the trash.