Well, we normally start to cool off somewhat in October, but Mother Nature seems to have other ideas in mind for the first few days of this month. So, when the weather is cooler, you can fertilize your roses with a good organic fertilizer and compost. This will result in wonderful blooms for the holidays. Again, watch for those insects that are pests, such as aphids and spider mites.   

You might also see some wonderful semi-circles on your rose leaves that look like they have been cut with a hole punch. Those cut outs have been made by leafcutter bees.

 I just love leafcutter bees and the fancy lace-like patterns they make on my rose leaves. The scientific name for these bees is Megachilidae. These bees are important native pollinators. They are using the rose leaves to construct their nests in cavities of wood. These are solitary bees. They do not live in hives, swarm or sting! There is no need to be afraid of them.

Leafcutter bees are great pollinators, and a specific variety of leaf cutter bees are used commercially to pollinate crops, such as alfalfa and blueberries. According to the farmers that use them, they are more effective in pollinating their crops than honeybees. They are wonderful and adorable little critters and are very welcome in my yard.    

It is time to make sure that your irrigation system is up to snuff. October will be the last month in 2024 when we can water three days a week. We go to the one day per week starting Nov. 1. So, check your sprinklers and/or drip that the emitters and sprinkler heads are working properly. As the days get shorter and (hopefully soon) cooler, I notice that my plants don't need as much water. I will be cutting back on the number of timed watering cycles. I also am putting down fresh mulch in any spot that might need it to maintain that moisture and keep weeds at bay. 

Fall is when a lot of nurseries have plants on sale, and it is still a good time to plant new roses in your garden. So go and enjoy a walk through a nursery and see if there is a wonderful plant that catches your eye. Next month, the new roses for 2025 will start being advertised. I just received an email from David Austin roses that Dannahue is one of their new roses for 2025. It is a tannish apricot color that has a fruity fragrance. It was named after the English gardening celebrity Danny Clarke. Yes, in Great Britain, gardening is a big deal. British gardening has its celebrities, and they have weekly television shows. 

Star roses have several new roses coming out for 2025. Loves Me, Loves Me Not is a deep pink rose with over 200 petals. The blooms are enormous, and this rose has a sweet fragrance. Sunbelt Garden Flame is another new one.  Note: any of the Star roses with the word Sunbelt in its name means they can take the heat and full sun during summer and still look beautiful. This rose was bred by Kordes in Europe. They are known for breeding exceptional roses. This rose has a multicolor effect that starts out deep yellow and transitions to orange and then to deep red. Tiamo is another new rose that is a deep red double petal bloom that has high disease resistance. This one is gorgeous! A new compact rose, Winning Streak, has cherry red and fuchsia petals with yellow stripes. If you check out their websites online, you can see pictures and read more about these new roses. 

Until next time . . . "If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be picking roses for a lifetime." ~ Swedish Proverb