Late April into May is the time
to prune your roses. We’ll still get some temperature fluctuations but it’s
time to inspect your roses and see how they fared through the winter.
Start by pulling
back the mulch. It’s best to remove mulch gradually over the course of several
days. This will allow the rose to adjust to the change in soil temperature.
Check
for cane dieback. Roses, like other trees and shrubs in your landscape took a
beating from the sudden and dramatic temperature swing last November. Some
roses didn’t survive the winter.
What you’re looking for now is the tender new
growth at the base of the plant. Even if you don’t see growth now, don’t assume
your rose is dead. Wait a few more weeks to see if growth appears.
You can see
on this cane where the green growth begins, so you want to cut past this point.
Select an outward facing bud eye and make the cut about a ¼" above the bud eye.
Angle the
cut away from the bud eye. Pruning cuts made this way will keep the rose
growing outward. Even with mounding for winter protection, roses can experience
significant dieback, such as this one.
Cut back brown canes to healthy growth.
This may mean you’ll cut the canes almost to the ground, in some cases. Use a
good bypass hand pruner for medium sized canes and a long handled lopping
pruner for larger canes.
After removing all the brown canes, this hybrid rose
is ready for spring.
www.theflowerbin.net
www.theflowerbin.net
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Wondering which rose types to grow?
With 270 varieties including
hybrid teas, climbers, David Austin, shrub roses, miniature roses, grandifloras
and floribundas, which rose is right for my garden? First of all, roses need a
spot of their own, away from trees and other shrubs. The best spot would be in
full sun. A good second choice would be a spot where the rose will get full
morning sun.
Plan to amend the soil before you plant with Rose Bed amendment or Sheep and Peat. Adding some rose food to the planting mix will get your rose off to a good start. 'Tahitian Sunset '
As far as selecting a rose variety, hybrid tea roses are the most popular, with dozens of color and fragrance choices. 'Traviata' Miniature roses are naturally dwarf roses, a great choice for small gardens. Floribunda roses generally have smaller flowers than hybrid roses, but they bear many flowers each season. 'Day Breaker' Grandiflora roses tend to grow tall and need lots of room to spread out. If you want to cover an arbor or trellis, choose a climbing rose. David Austin roses are fragrant English roses. They do well here. Some new David Austin roses are The Pilgrim, Scepter’d Isle, Port Sunlight, Hollow Case and Charles Darwin.
Plan to amend the soil before you plant with Rose Bed amendment or Sheep and Peat. Adding some rose food to the planting mix will get your rose off to a good start. 'Tahitian Sunset '
As far as selecting a rose variety, hybrid tea roses are the most popular, with dozens of color and fragrance choices. 'Traviata' Miniature roses are naturally dwarf roses, a great choice for small gardens. Floribunda roses generally have smaller flowers than hybrid roses, but they bear many flowers each season. 'Day Breaker' Grandiflora roses tend to grow tall and need lots of room to spread out. If you want to cover an arbor or trellis, choose a climbing rose. David Austin roses are fragrant English roses. They do well here. Some new David Austin roses are The Pilgrim, Scepter’d Isle, Port Sunlight, Hollow Case and Charles Darwin.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Starting Dahlias indoors
Dahlias are one of the most
productive flowers you can grow in your garden.
They come in an endless variety
of colors and sizes and can be grown in containers as well as directly in the
garden.
Dahlias need warm weather. They don’t like cold soils or temperatures,
which means mid to late May before they can be planted directly outdoors. You
can get an early start by potting up your dahlias now and then transplanting
them after the weather is warmer and more stable, usually after Mother’s Day.
Dahlias
are grown from tubers. When you pull them out of the package they look like
small potatoes bunched together. Start by selecting at least a one gallon
container.
Fill your container about 1/3rd full with potting soil.
Add some bone meal and mix it into the soil.
Place your dahlia into the pot,
then fill in with more potting soil and then water.
Note the name of your dahlia
on a plant label and stick it in the pot. Place your dahlia in a warm, bright spot
in your home. A window ledge or under grow lights will do well. Try to keep the
soil evenly moist. Avoid letting it dry out.
Soon, your dahlia will send up
shoots, indicating it is rooting out. Wait until after the last frost date has
passed to plant your dahlias outside. More on transplanting dahlias in later
blogs.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Tips for understanding Garden Fertilizers
There are many choices when
it comes to plant fertilizers. You can buy liquid, granular, water-soluble,
slow-release, organic, non-organic, so how do you know you’re giving your
plants what they need when it comes to nutrition.
What do all of these
fertilizers have in common? Regardless of the type of fertilizer or the size of
the bag, the 3 basic ingredients – Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash will always
be listed prominently on the label. An easy way to remember what the numbers do
is to think “up, down and all around”.
The first number on the label is
Nitrogen. Nitrogen helps the plant with growth above ground (Up).
The second
number, Phosphate promotes roots (Down). In addition,
Phosphate helps your
plant bloom and produces more fruit. The last number – Potash is important because
it benefits the whole plant (All Around).
We’ll use Happy Frog’s Fruit &
Flower granular fertilizer as an example. The numbers on this 4 pound bag of Fruit
& Flower are 5-8-4. The middle
number is larger than the first number, so this fertilizer will help your
plants get bigger roots and more fruit. Finally, liquid and granular
fertilizers are both effective. You can use either one or both throughout the
growing season. Remember, no amount of fertilizer will make up for poor quality
soil. Take the time to amend your soil every year and you’ll get the most out
of your fertilizers.
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