Rush For The Roses 2016

Saturday, April 23^rd marks the beginning of this year’s rose season with the annual “Rush For The Roses” event at The Flower Bin. This year’s event features over 270 varieties of roses and an inventory of 3,200 rose bushes in stock. Follow this link for the 2016 Rose variety list and more local rose information: http://www.theflowerbin.net/roses.html. Plan to arrive early and park on Korte Place, then walk around to the entrance and wait for the gates to open promptly at 8:00 AM.

At that point, the “Rush” is on.

Inside the Flower Bin Rose House you’ll find hundreds of roses ready to take home and plant. If this is your first experience with growing roses, here are some tips to help you decide which roses are right for your garden. Floribunda roses are generally smaller flowers than hybrid roses but they bear many flowers each season.

Hybrid tea roses are very popular with dozens of color and fragrance choices. Miniature roses are naturally dwarf plants. For planting purposes, roses need a spot of their own in full sun away from trees and shrubs. In lieu of full sun, a good second choice would be a place where your rose would receive full morning sun.

Plan to amend the planting site with Rose Bed amendment, mixed in 50:50 with your native soil. A good choice for fertilizing your roses is Mile High Rose Food and Fertilome Rose food.

Roses will attract pollinators and add beauty and fragrance to your garden for many years.

 

Colorful summer-blooming bulbs

 

As you’re planning your summer flower gardens, be sure to leave some room for summer bulbs. Summer bulbs include canna lilies, dahlias, Asiatic and Oriental lilies, gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

Asiatic lilies are hardy to Zone 3. They are the hardiest of all the lily hybrids.  Once they are established in your garden, they will produce showy blooms for many years.

Oriental lilies are hardy to Zone 5. They tend to be more fragrant than Asiatic lilies. Asiatic and Oriental lilies are planted from bulbs.

Before planting, amend the soil with compost and peat moss, add some Bone Meal and plant the bulbs 4" to 6" deep.

Canna lilies feature attractive green, bronze or variegated foliage, in addition to their flowers.  Cannas do well in garden beds and containers.

The canna “bulb” is actually a rhizome. Plant cannas about 6" deep and about 18" apart, in well-amended soil, with Bone Meal added to the planting site. Cannas need to be dug and stored after the frost kills the foliage, if you want to save them. They will not survive our winters.

Dahlias are grown from tubers and come in a wide variety of colors. Dahlias will bring color to your garden in late summer and early fall. Dahlias are tender bulbs and must be dug and stored through the winter if you want to save them. The other option is to buy new tubers every season. For more late summer and fall color, plant Gladiolus.

Gladiolus “bulbs” are called corms. Plant your corms about 3" deep and 4" to 5" apart, in soil that has been amended with peat moss and compost. Glads are tender summer bulbs that will have to be dug and stored, as they won’t survive our winters.

Tuberous begonias make incredible displays of color in a shady spot on your patio. They can be planted in containers, hanging baskets and directly in the garden. They need to be dug and stored if you want to save them for next year. Summer bulbs tend to sell out early, so it’s best to shop now to get the best selection.