Welcome to Rosie's Corner where we discuss everything about roses!
Vick's Caprice Rose
Welcome to Rosie's Corner for November 2023
What to do in the rose garden for November.
This is a time of transition for the weather and daylight. Remember that the new watering schedule started November 1st. Your yard can only be watered once a week. Make sure to water your roses (and yard) in cycles (anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes at a time, depending on the plantings, soil, etc., in your yard). That way, water can be absorbed easier and stay in the ground where it belongs (not running down the street).
You can fertilize on the 1st and again on the 15th of November. That is it for fertilizing your roses until early spring of next year. So, sit back and enjoy your fall bloom. There should be beautiful blooms for Thanksgiving and up until Christmas or the first of the year, depending on the weather. Check for any unwanted bugs or fungal diseases and treat accordingly. Rose Pests
As I mentioned last month, the new rose catalogs are out as well as the new roses. Now is the time to order what you want to put in your garden next year. I have had a sneak peek at what is coming out not only in 2024, but a few years beyond that. There are some fantastic new roses that will soon be available. One of the webinars I attended (yes, I have to have continuing education to keep my American Rose Society Consulting Rosarian status), was a wonderful webinar on Star roses. Star roses grow many of their varieties here in the central valley. It was interesting to see how they grow and package them for market. If you are interested, you can also watch this video on the American Rose Society’s website. ARS webinars. The latest trend in roses is fragrance (yes, it is finally back!). Colors are trending towards creams, neutrals, apricots and oranges. High petal-count and being able to cut your garden rose flowers and have a long vase life indoors, is also something the breeders are working on.
There will be a new market variety of roses called Scentables. These have been bred for cut flowers for the home (not a florist shop). They are highly scented and have great disease resistance. The blooms and buds are large and are reblooming. The Sunbelt varieties of these roses have been bred to withstand full sun and heat. They should do well in Fresno.
I am including a picture of one of my favorite roses, Munstead Wood. It is very difficult for my phone camera to capture the beautiful dark red color of this rose. He is gorgeous!
Rosie's Corner September 2023
It looks like the high temps we had in August might be done for a bit. I don’t want to say that out loud and jinx it! Weather forecast shows “normal” temperatures in the low 90’s and cooling off at night to the high 60’s. Good news for us and for our roses.
If your roses are on drip, run your system in the early morning or evening (on the days we can water) to give your roses a chance to thoroughly hydrate. Check your irrigation system to see that it is operating correctly and none of the emitters are clogged. If an emitter is delivering more or less water than the others on the line, change it out for a new one. That one emitter can affect the whole system. Replace it when there is a problem.
If you grow roses in pots, make sure that they are getting enough water. If the soil has pulled away from the pot, water can run through the pot but not hydrate your plant. Make sure your potting soil allows water to get to the plant. You should re-pot your roses every couple of years. The longer the soil is in a pot, the less porous it becomes in the root zone. New soil would be in order. Don’t do this now. Wait and put this on your spring chore list when your rose is dormant.
I would still wait until the middle of September to do your mid-season pruning. This is a light pruning, not the one you do in the spring. Prune each cane back to an outward facing bud at the base of the first five leaflets. Make sure you sanitize your pruners after lightly pruning each bush, so you don’t spread diseases. I use an alcohol wipe on my blades. A bleach wipe will eventually corrode your blades, so don’t use them. Make sure your blades are also sharp and don’t forget to wear gloves. In about 6—8 weeks, you should have beautiful blooms on your plants.
Fertilize your roses mid-month with a nice organic fertilizer. Use one made for roses or use a good seaweed or fish emulsion. Spray the leaves with seaweed or fish emulsion and they will love it! Do not do this during the hottest part of the day. Try for very early morning or near the end of the day. Just a tip. The fish emulsion does smell fishy for a couple of days and the seaweed doesn’t smell like fish. So, if you have a lot of neighborhood cats, you might want to go with the seaweed. Follow instructions on the amount to use. More is not better! Also, water the day before you fertilize. Never fertilize a dry or stressed plant.
Now is the time to also check for those pesky spider mites. Spider Mites They love this kind of weather. Make sure you check the undersides of the leaves where they love to hide. You can use insecticidal soap on them. It is still too hot to use horticultural oil. You will burn your plants.
Just thought I would leave you with a picture of my garden display of some of my favorite roses in bloom.
Enjoy September!
Rosie's Corner August 2023
What to do in the Rose Garden in August
Well, when Mother Nature turns up the thermostat, she does it in style. Yikes! We are really feeling the heat, especially since we had such a lovely long spring. Right now, your roses are just trying to survive the heat during the day and the warm temps at night. Not cooling off at night stresses your roses. The stress from summer heat affects every variety differently. Some go through without too much trouble, and some have their leaves burn. The flowers are usually smaller. The colors fade quickly, and petals and foliage may crisp and burn. All of these are symptoms of the heat. They also help me to decide if I want to keep a particular rose or not. Am I willing to have my roses stressed during the summer or choose varieties that do well in the heat? These are questions we can all ask ourselves. There will probably be some varieties that I have that I will not have come fall. Others may take their place or not. Most of all, don’t blame yourself if a particular rose doesn’t do well or dies. Blaming yourself won’t bring it back to life. The purpose of this discussion is to emphasize what we can do to keep our roses alive during the summer.
If you haven’t placed compost or mulch around your roses, it is never too late to do so. Maintain at least three inches of mulch around the drip-line of your roses. Compost helps to moderate soil temperatures and will break down slowly, offering some important organic nutrients for your roses. Both will keep the soil moisture evaporation rate down and (added benefit), control weeds.
I still would not fertilize now. It is too hot to stress out the roses to pump out blooms. I would wait until the end of the month to fertilize. It is easy to over fertilize, and more is not better for your rose!
Check your drip and sprinklers to make sure your roses are getting adequate water. Water on the days and times allowed by your water district. Roses in the afternoon may show some light stress and wilting. If it is heavy wilting, additional water may be necessary. If that wilting is still there in the morning, then an additional time and frequency of water is necessary. Check the moisture level around your roses about 24 hours after watering. If the soil is dry, increase the time you have been watering, or add another cycle. When the temps are over 105 F and nighttime temps are hovering between 80 F plus, then on the days you are allowed to water, you can set a cycle for the evening to help cool the soil at night. The cooled soil and light moisture will help roses to recover during the night from the hot daytime temps.
Any pests and mites that appear on your rose leaves can be helped by giving your roses a good blast from the hose. Make sure you get both the topside and the bottom of the leaves. This also helps to remove dust from the leaves which seems to be plentiful where I live.
If you see your leaves having a cut-out lacy effect, that is the work of our solitary, native, non-stinging, leaf cutter bees. They are using your rose leaves to help line their nests. I just love those bees and the beautiful and perfect half circles they make on my leaves. They are very welcome in my yard. These are beneficial insects and insecticides are not effective on them. Enjoy the beautiful patterns that they create.
On the other hand, I have seen more grasshoppers, katydids, and locusts in my garden then ever before. I just ran into a Carolina Locust this morning. A baby bird grasshopper yesterday. I show them no mercy as they will indiscriminately eat anything and everything. I usually squish them or cut them with my pruners. Ewww, I know, but they have been a real problem for our farmers in the past few years.
While taking care of your roses, remember to take care of yourself. Please wear sunscreen, a hat, and gloves to protect yourself when working outside with your roses. No sandals (they won’t protect your toes from dropped pruners) and wear long pants. They will help to protect against bugs and thorns. Mosquitoes have been plentiful as well and I use a natural, organic repellent when I am outdoors working in my yard. Tests have shown that Lemon Eucalyptus oil (30%) keeps those little bugs away. I also work very early in the morning before the temps get too hot. Drink plenty of water before, during and after you work in the garden.
Meaning of the Colors of Roses
People have attached meanings to certain flowers/plants since ancient times. Victorians used to carry floral dictionaries to describe the meanings. It is interesting to note that the dictionaries didn’t always agree with each other! The rose was considered then (and now) to be the flower of love. Pink roses often conveyed coyness and secret love. White symbolized innocence and purity. Red and white roses symbolize unity. Variegated pink roses conveyed grace, joy, and thankfulness. Yellow roses often had many meanings. They could symbolize joy, jealousy, infidelity, or friendship. Orange roses meant desire and enthusiasm. Lavender were sentiments of love at first sight. Dark crimson were symbols of mourning and grief.
Until Next Time
The sweetest flower that blows,
I give you as we part.
For you it is a Rose,
For me it is my heart.—Frederick Peterson
Rosie's Corner July 2023
What to do in the Rose Garden for July
Well, the heat is on! What a wonderful June we had. It is officially over, unfortunately. We are under an excessive heat watch for the first few days of July, according to the National Weather Service. So please prepare yourself and your garden for what lies ahead.
- Stay hydrated. Drink water, especially if outdoors. Water your garden early in the day (on the days you can water), before 8 am to cut down on evaporation. Make sure your roses are watered on all sides.
- Cycle and soak. The water in your garden needs a chance to soak into the soil. Run your sprinklers or drip for a short period of time and then repeat it after an hour or two. The water from the second cycle will reach deeper than the first and soak down into the soil, rather than run off into the gutters if you only watered for one long cycle.
- Mulch! I know I constantly go over this. Have at least 3 inches of organic mulch around the drip-line of your roses (and other plants). This will keep the water in the soil instead of evaporating and keep the rose’s roots cooler. It will keep the weeds away as well.
- Shading your roses may help against sunburn and water loss. I have my roses under large patio umbrellas to shade them against the hot afternoon sun.
- Now is not the time to fertilize. Wait until the temps (overall) are cooler. Your plants are stressed and trying to survive.
- If you have dead or diseased leaves under your roses, pick them up and put them in the green bin and not your compost pile. Your compost pile probably won’t be hot enough to destroy any fungal diseases.
- Check for pests. The “spidy” or spider mites just love this kind of weather. Spider Mites They are very tiny and make webbing on the underside of your leaves. The tops of your leaves may look speckled or discolored. If you find them, the best thing to do is to blast them with a good strong spray of water. Make sure you get the underside of the leaves.
- Do not apply any pesticides (including soap) when the temps are over 90 F or when it is windy. Do not use any horticultural oils during this heat wave. It will literally fry your leaves.
- Remember to check any roses you have growing in containers. They can dry out quickly. You may need to water them in the morning and again in the evening.
- Try to walk in your garden early in the morning when it is cool. Doing this can reduce your stress and help you to save any plants that are experiencing stress because of the heat. In England, MD’s can prescribe gardening to reduce stress! Scientists have found that spending two hours a week in nature can lead to better health and well-being.
If you love David Austin roses and want one that can really take the heat of our summers, it is worth it to find the discontinued rose called Pretty Jessica. She is gorgeous, smells divine and does great in our climate. I got mine through a mail order nursery. She is worth checking out. One of my favorites! Check out Help Me Find Roses for nurseries that carry her. Help Me Find Roses
Until Next Time...
“The rose is fairest when it is budding new, and hope is brightest when it dawns from fears.” – Sir Walter Scott
What To Do In The Rose Garden in June
Welcome to Rosie’s Corner!
I can’t believe that it is June already. The weather is about to turn much hotter and if weather forecasters are to be believed, we are in for a strong El Nino in the late summer/early fall. Until then, continue to watch for garden pests (see last month’s article), dead head spent blooms and water appropriately.
All of my roses are on a drip system. Most mature, full-sized roses will need about 12 gallons of water per week, once the temps hit around 100 F. A rose can stay alive on less but may suffer some damage. Mini roses will need much less water per week. Watering with a drip system ensures that the water will go down to the roots of the plant and not be sprayed into the atmosphere. If you already have a drip system, make sure you check your emitters are working correctly. Repair any leaks or clogs.
How do you figure out how long to run your drip system for roses? It just takes a bit of simple math. If you have four one-gallon emitters on a mature rose bush, each emitter will deliver one gallon of water per hour. That is four gallons of water on that one bush, for that hour. To have your mature rose get about 12 gallons, run your system for one hour three times a week. Three times a week is the maximum we can water in Fresno. I further break up that one hour to three 20-minute segments. That way, the water has time to get down to the bottom of the roots and be absorbed.
You always hear me talk about mulch. Have a good three to four inches of mulch on your garden. Don’t use the rubber or dyed stuff. You want to have the mulch eventually break down and feed your soil. The mulch will keep the roots cooler and it will help keep the moisture in the soil. If you grow grafted roses, do not cover up the bud union with mulch. Keep it about 12 inches or so away from the bud union. Keep your foliage also pruned at least eight inches above the mulch layer to reduce infestations from pests like spider mites.
Stop feeding your roses by the middle to end of June. Your roses will go dormant during the summer. That is OK. If this summer is anything like last summer, they are just trying to survive. You can start to feed them again in September for a nice fall/winter bloom.
Lady Bird Beetles
Lady Bird Beetles are great for eating aphids on your roses and other plants. How about purchasing them at the local hardware store or on-line? I can sum it up in two words—Please don’t. Lady Bird Beetles are gathered from the wild (in our Sierra mountains). People think they are bred at some “nursery” for bugs. They are not. They are vacuumed up from plants, etc., in our local foothills and mountains. There have been times when those gathering the beetles, may have an offroad vehicle that has damaged our local flora and fauna as they gather them. All the more reason not to purchase them.
Plus, lady bird beetles that you purchase will rarely stick around. Better to plant native plants that they like in order to attract them to your yard. One plant they love is yarrow. Each year, I have tons of lady bird beetles (and their babies) in my yard and have never purchased them. I plant the plants that they like and they show up. Better yet, they stay, if I continue to have a food source for them such as aphids. Here is a great article on this topic. Oregon State article on attracting Lady Bird Beetles.
Pictures of My Roses From This Spring
I have been promising you this for a couple of months. Here you go! Blooms were glorious! I probably have roses you may not have heard of. You can always find them on Help Me Find Roses Help Me Find Roses if you want more information.
The first striped rose is bred by a super nice breeder, Junie Burns up in Oregon. This is my first year with this rose and it looks like it is going to be a winner. Those blooms are gorgeous! She and I talked about this rose before it became commercially available. I have been waiting for it for years! Isn’t it gorgeous?
The second rose is also from a super nice breeder, Gail Trimble. She is up in the Marin area. She knew I wanted this rose and on her way down to visit a nursery where the rose was going to be sold, she dropped one off at my home! I still can’t believe she did that! The visit was lovely and so is the rose. This rose glows! I have never seen anything like it before. Great rose. Please excuse the shade on the flowers, I had to take the photos very early in the morning.
Another picture of this beautiful, glowing rose, Violet Hour. Excuse the aphids on the buds. The lady bird beetles were making this way to the rose for breakfast!
The following picture is of Minnie Mouse (aka Roller Coaster). Bred by Sam McGredy IV in Australia. Minnie is a great rose. Her blooms remind me of Minnie Mouse’s dress. Single roses allow pollinators to come in and get the nectar and the pollen. Mine are always being visited by native and honeybees. Our native Leaf cutter bees even use the leaves for nesting materials. When they do, they leave the most perfect lacy cut outs on the leaves. I just love them!
This rose does get about eight hours of sun per day. I don’t recommend planting roses in shady spots. I took this picture very early in the morning just as the sun was coming up.
Last rose I am going to share is one that I grew from seed. Yes, you can grow roses from the seeds, that are in the hips that your roses can make. This rose looks like it might turn out to be interesting. It is a mini rose but with a dark pink “eye” and what appears to be a faint white star pointing out from the center of the petals.
I will be watching it in the future to see how it develops further.
Until Next Time...
…”In a world full of daisies dare to be a rose.” Matshona Dhliwayo
May 2023
What to do in the Garden in May
Timing is Everything!
Due to our rather unusual winter, my roses (and the rest of my garden) is blooming later by about three weeks. Normally, the second and third week in April, my garden is a mass of spring blooms (roses included). Not this year! I was so enjoying the long spring season after the long and cold winter season, only to have summer jump upon us in the form of hot weather. OK, just a couple of days, not such a big deal. Back to cool spring. Well, unfortunately, that didn’t last. Back to heat wave at the end of April. Roses that were just starting to bloom (finally!) are blown in a day (or less) with over 90 F heat. So, what is a rosarian to do? Deadhead. I am not talking about Jerry Garcia fans or Jerry himself.
Deadheading
If those beautiful blooms are spent, it is time to start deadheading, so your next flush of blooms can flourish. It takes an average of 49 days for most roses to rebloom. Roses with many petals, may take up to 60 days for rebloom.
Lightly prune back your spent rose blooms to the first outward facing five-leaflet leaf. Don’t shorten the canes too much. Try to shape your rose bush to outward facing buds. See Rosie’s Corner on pruning for more information. Make sure you put all your vegetation into your green waste bins.
Compost and Mulch
If you have not already put down compost and mulch, you still can do this. Maintain a good 3-inch layer of compost and mulch around your roses. These will help moderate soil temperature during our extremely hot summers, control weeds and help to keep the soil moist. The compost will break down during the summer and enrich your soil which will help your roses to survive.
Fertilizer
Water roses before you fertilize so they are hydrated, prior to and after applying, either a liquid or dry fertilizer. Use fertilizer at ¼ to ½ the recommended rate if the weather continues to be warm. When and if we stay over 100 F, (June, July and August) wait until the fall to fertilize. You can resume the normal or recommended rates when the temperatures cool down in late September/October for your fall bloom. Don’t over fertilize. It doesn’t help the plant. More is not necessarily better.
Water
Make sure your roses are getting adequate water. Don’t waste water by over watering. Your roses will not appreciate it. If you use sprinklers make sure that you are not watering the sidewalks and driveways. Also, I am hearing that because we had a good amount of rain and snow this year, we don’t need to worry about water. Not true! We still need to conserve. So, water carefully and don’t waste it.
Insects and Diseases
If you had powdery mildew in the early spring, it should start disappearing as we get to hotter temperatures.
With the temps over 80 F, it is spider mite season. Check your roses at least daily, (if you can) to make sure you catch any spider mite infestation. Spider Mites Spider mites can eventually kill your roses if you don’t get them under control. Insecticides won’t work for this. Best thing to use is a strong spray of water to wash them off the tops and undersides of your leaves every couple of days.
Now is the time that you will be seeing any thrip damage on your rose buds/flowers. Thrips.
Also check for white flies on the underside of the leaves of your roses as well as aphids. White Flies and Aphids. Aphids seem to be the biggest pest for me right now. How do I deal with that? I hit them with a blast from the hose on my days I can water. I also plant lots and lots of California native plants that attract ladybird beetles. I have tons of ladybird beetles in my yard and their babies. They LOVE aphids. Great way to get rid of aphids without using chemicals that can hurt our other pollinators such as bees. So, plant some yarrow, etc., in your garden to attract ladybird beetles. BTW, I don’t recommend buying ladybird beetles in your local store. Those won’t stick around in your yard. You know that old saying, Ladybug, Ladybug fly away home? They will. Better to increase the ladybugs (or ladybird beetles as my teacher taught us to say), by planting California native plants.
I have also seen Rose curculio damage to my rose buds. Rose curculios. Best course is to cut off and dispose of the damaged buds. Also applying beneficial nematodes (which you can get online or sometimes in your local hardware store), can help prevent future outbreaks. It has been a couple of years since I put down nematodes and I will do so again this year. I won’t use a systemic insecticide in my yard as it can affect pollinators, so beneficial nematodes are it. This will become a fall chore as it will be more effective then. I will just hand pick them for now and destroy any buds they have eaten. They should be gone by July or so.
The biggest problem in the garden starting right now is the dreaded Hoplia Beetle. Hoplia Beetle I have been out in my garden at least once a day, squishing those horrible things (I wear gloves for this). Ugh! Spraying for them will not help. They too will be gone in a couple of months, but until then, I am a woman on a mission to get rid of those horrible pests.
Take Care of Yourself!
Remember to wear sun protection while gardening including a broad brimmed hat. Gloves are helpful when working with roses and squishing Hoplia beetles. Stay hydrated. Drink water before, during and after working in the yard. Work in the early morning if possible and not during the heat of the day or when the sun is directly overhead. Wear clothing that will protect your arms and legs. Mosquitoes love me this time of year so protecting my arms and legs is important. Wear closed-in shoes. Sandals do not protect your toesies from dropped pruners and thorny canes! Make sure your tetanus shot is current. There are some nasty things in the soil that can make you quite ill. Most of all, enjoy your beautiful roses!
Until Next Time...
Until Next Time… Take time to smell the roses. Appreciating the little things in life really can make all the difference.~ Andy Puddicombe
Rosie’s Corner for April 2023
What To Do In The Rose Garden For April
With all the rain we have been having, it is time to watch out for fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, black spot and rust. powdery mildew rusts downy mildew black spot. You can spray with a dormant horticultural oil if the high temperature for the day is going to be below 75 F. If the temperature is hotter, the oil can burn your plants. Spray after all pollinators have gone to bed. The dormant oil can harm them. dormant oil. Spray only if you spot a fungal disease. Don’t spray, just to spray.
Use proper protection if you are going to spray and follow directions on the bottle. Dispose of any empty bottles appropriately. Clean all leaf debris from around your rose bush to eliminate fungal spores.
If you have botrytis, botrytis remove the blooms and discard them. Same if you see signs of thrips. thrips.
It is time to get ready for the Hoplia beetles to invade your light-colored roses. Hoplia Beetles. Knock on wood, I haven’t seen them yet. I am hoping we don’t have as many because of the cold and rain, but it is anyone’s guess. Get a bucket of soapy water and shake them off into the water. Do this daily. It is even better if you do this in the morning and again in the evening. They are horrible pests that love to destroy your blooms, especially light-colored roses. Sprays are not effective against them. This is their mating season so the more you are able to eliminate them, it will hopefully help to reduce the population. Make sure your neighbors do the same. Might be a fun task for the kids—who can collect the most!
Check to see if you have aphids. aphids You can squish them to help eliminate them and/or blast them with the hose, but other beneficial bugs love them as a tasty meal. Ladybird Beetles, Lacewings, Praying Mantis, etc., love to eat those little buggers. I plant lots of California native plants near my roses to encourage Lady Bird Beetles, (and other beneficial insects) to make their homes (and babies) there. No need to buy beneficial bugs at the store. It is much better to encourage them to come and live in your garden.
Plant native plants that beneficial insects will love, e.g., yarrow (Achillea milleforium) common yarrow, narrow leaf milkweed (which will attract Monarch Butterflies as well—plant only the native milkweed please!) Asclepias fascicularis, Narrow Leaf Milkweed, asters (Aster chilensis), California Aster California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) California Buckwheat, salvias, etc. Your roses and the beneficial insects will thank you for it! Here is a great poster of the beneficial insects you want in your yard. UCANR Beneficial Insect Posters
Deadhead any spent blooms on your roses. If you fed your roses in the middle of March, you can feed them again towards the end of April for great blooms in June. Also make sure you have a good layer of mulch and compost around the dripline or the edge of your rose bushes. That will help to reduce weeds and prepare your roses for the upcoming heat in the next few months.
The most important thing is to enjoy your beautiful blooms!
Until Next Time...
Do not watch the petals fall from the rose with sadness, know that, like life, things sometimes must fade, before they can bloom again"- Unknown
What To Do In The Rose Garden In March
Welcome to March!
Can you believe the weather we are having this year? Wow! We are still having freeze warnings and my roses have started to come out of dormancy. I have been watching them to see if there is any freeze damage on the new growth. So far, so good. However, since we still have a freeze warning this week, I will continue to observe and hope for the best.
When we had a break in the weather, I took some time and checked my irrigation system to make sure it was working correctly. Now is the time to do the same in your garden.
I like using drip as I don’t have water spraying on my rose leaves which can cause fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew and rust. Drip irrigation directs the water to the roots of the plant, not the leaves or canes. You want to avoid having moisture evaporating or collecting on the leaves of your roses. During the cooler months of the year, this can lead to fungal diseases. During the warmer months, this can lead to sunburn.
If you have sprinklers, avoid watering in the evening or at night. This will prevent excessive ground moisture at night. Soil that is too wet can lead to unhappy roots and/or fungal diseases. Avoid watering when it is windy, so the water doesn’t evaporate into the air instead of watering your roses.
If you are thinking you might want to use a fungicide to prevent fungal diseases from happening, I would encourage to wait and see if they actually develop. Don’t spray your roses, just to spray your roses. Only do it if you see fungal diseases or pests that can’t be managed by any other means.
If you believe you must spray, don’t spray on a windy day. Don’t spray during the late morning, afternoon or evening hours. Don’t spray when bees are out (even organic sprays). Don’t spray when it is over 75 F as it can burn your plants. Don’t spray on a rainy day or if it is going to rain the next day. Don’t spray if your pets (or your neighbor’s pets) are in the yard. Don’t spray if your children/grandchildren/neighbors are in the yard. I cannot stress enough that spraying is serious. You must take precautions.
If you choose to spray, you can use a lime sulfur spray or a horticultural oil mixed with a dormant spray for fungal diseases. You need to wear an appropriate face mask (N95), gloves, closed toe shoes (no sandals or slippers), and disposable coveralls or a safety suit. Yes, anytime you spray your roses for insects or diseases, it is serious business. You can hurt yourself or others if you don’t. That includes organic sprays as well, such as neem oil, BT, etc. Just because something is labeled organic, doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you, your neighbors, pets, birds, bees, etc. Shower, including washing your hair, after spraying. Make sure you also wash your clothing.
Those chemicals (yes, even organic ones) need to be stored appropriately. Don’t mix chemicals because you think that it will be better for the plants. Follow directions on the label. Leftover sprays and their containers need to be disposed of, appropriately. If all of this sounds like a lot of work, it is.
I practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM). I rarely, if ever, spray for anything, be it diseases or insects. I will tolerate a fair amount of “damage” to my roses from diseases and insects. I hand pick off the insects (yes, I still have a bit of an eeeuuuwwww response, but I get over it—use gloves!). I can also spray bugs such as aphids and spider mites, with water (good strong blast) and that will remove them, without the chemicals. Make sure you spray the underside of the leaves. Repeated application of chemicals on insects can cause resistance to the product. A strong spray of water every couple of days works fine and you don’t hurt the plant nor the environment.
I remove leaves that have powdery mildew, rust, etc., if I get it. New ones will grow in. Mostly, I don’t get fungal diseases. That is because I try to choose disease resistant varieties for my yard (and we generally have low humidity). I also practice shovel pruning. If the rose is a disease-ridden mess, out it goes. I grow roses for my own enjoyment and their beauty. I don’t have time to baby them. Some roses do better than others in our climate. I want the ones that do well in my yard.
I clean up debris from my roses and place it in the green bin. It does not go in my compost pile. I also keep a good 3—4 inches of organic mulch around my roses to stop weeds in their tracks and keep my rose roots cool in summer and warm in winter. It also helps to keep my soil moist so I can water less. The mulch will eventually break down and help improve the soil in my yard. The soil in my yard left something to be desired when I first moved here. After several years, it has greatly improved due to using compost and mulch (not rubber mulch!) that eventually breaks down and improves my soil.
I attract the “good bugs” such as lady bird beetles, lacewings, etc., by planting pollinator plants in my garden. Flowering native plants such as Yarrow (Achillea), California buckwheats (Eriogonum), Seaside daisy (Erigeron), Sticky monkey-flowers (Mimulus), Tidy tips (Layia platyglossa), etc., attract the “good bugs” that will eat the “bad bugs.” Native plants are great choices, are beautiful and they are drought tolerant. These plants also attract birds to my yard. They too will eat the “bad bugs” and they are quite amusing to watch.
If you have the space for new roses, there is still time to purchase them and get them into the ground or a large pot. I like ordering roses on-line from several different sources. I find a greater variety on-line and end up with terrific plants. Also, the people who work at these nurseries tend to know the plants they sell and can make useful recommendations about what will or won’t work in my garden.
If the new growth on your roses is about 2—3 inches long, you can start fertilizing. I recommend a good organic rose fertilizer. It will contain micro elements that will help to improve your soil and your plant. Synthetic fertilizers do not. As I have written before, your plant doesn’t care what you buy, organic or inorganic. However, organic fertilizers won’t burn your plants, add salts to your soil, (synthetic fertilizers are made of various salts—not the kind of salt you eat). Organic fertilizer will help to build your soil over time. As your soil improves, you will be able to use less fertilizer but have the same result.
Again, test your soil before you fertilize. Don’t fertilize, just to fertilize. You are wasting your hard-earned money. More is not better! I have had great results with just compost and a good layer of organic mulch (again as opposed to rubber mulch).
Next month…we should be seeing some beautiful spring blooms! If you can, take some time to enjoy all the new and beautiful spring growth in your yard.
Until next time….”Friends are the roses of life…pick them carefully and avoid the thorns!” Unknown
February in the Rose Garden
Welcome to Rosie's Corner!
This year it seems like we are having an actual winter! The rain and the cold weather is continuing into the early part of February. Now is the time to prune your roses. If you can, try to get them pruned by the middle of the month. It is best to prune when the temps are not freezing, so that gives you a little bit more time to get the job done. Even if you finish it by the end of the month, that is OK. Everything will be fine. Any freezing weather could damage any new growth on the rose canes and you would have to prune everything all over again. So, try to wait until the temps at night are not close to freezing.
I am starting to see new buds forming on the canes of my roses. So, when I get a chance to go outside, I take it and prune another bush or two. As you cut the canes and remove all the remaining leaves on the bush including any leaves on the ground and dispose of them in the green bin. Don’t compost them. Your compost pile probably won’t be hot enough to kill any diseases.
As I have stated before, prepare yourself to prune safely. I wear glasses, gloves (not cloth or rubber ones), long sleeves and depending on the rose, welder sleeves or long rose gloves. I make sure my bypass pruners are sharp, oiled, and ready to go. Clean the pruner blades with alcohol wipes between roses so you don’t spread diseases. For some roses with older canes, I use either a pruning knife or loppers to remove them if the canes are too thick for my pruners.
For rose bushes that are large, I start my pruning by trimming them down to about three feet. Then I start the actual pruning. When pruning, make sure the cane’s pith is white and not dark. The pith is the center part of the cane. It should look like the inside of an apple. If it is dark, keep cutting the cane back until the pith is white. You may have to cut the cane all the way back to the soil or graft. That is OK. Those dark centers indicate that the cane is in decline or diseased. Removing it should spur new growth for your rose.
You are going to prune your canes to an outward facing bud. What is an outward facing bud? Buds are formed in the “axil” where the leaf meets the cane. If you look closely, you will see a little bump there, underneath the leaf. Prune about ¼ inch above that bud. Prune to an outside facing bud (not one facing the inside of the bush). That bud will produce a flowering cane.
For shrub roses, hybrid teas, own root roses, etc., cut them back to conform to the space you want them to fill. Clean out any dead material from the center of the plant. Shorten canes by about 1/3 to ½ of their current size. Remove all of the leaves from the canes. You can leave anywhere from 5—7 (or so) canes on the bush. You want the remaining canes to be about the size of a #2 pencil. Cut out old and scarred canes. Cut out spindly canes. Cut out one or both canes that are crossing each other. Those canes can rub against each other, and disease can then infect both canes. The center of the plant should not be crowded with canes but open and airy. Again, dispose of the leaves and debris in the green bin.
Climbers and rambling roses are pruned differently. Start to prune those only after you have had them for a couple of years. This allows them time to form nice arching canes. These are called the main canes. Keep about 4—6 of those nice arching main canes and prune any old, crossing, diseased canes from the bush. Those arching canes will have lateral canes that come out from them. Cut those lateral canes to about 3—5 axils (where the leaves come out). Those lateral canes are the ones that will be producing the flowers in the spring.
Climber and rambling rose canes should be tied to a structure such as an arbor as close to a 45-degree angle as you can get, without breaking the cane. That angle will stimulate lateral growth and blooms. Tie them loosely. You don’t want the tie to girdle the cane. Clean up around your rose. Make sure you have removed all of the leaves and dispose of them properly.
Rambling roses are climbing roses that bloom only once in the spring. Prune them lightly after they have finished blooming in the spring/early summer. If you prune them later, you will be pruning off next year’s flowers.
You can also apply a dormant spray to the plant as well, if you wish. Many of us rose gardeners have no spray gardens and our roses do just fine. Spray only when it is not windy and not going to rain. The weather should be below 80 F for the day. Spray in the early morning when bees and other pollinators are not out. Make sure you suit up if using fungicides or pesticides. Yes, even the organic ones! They are still chemicals that can hurt you. Follow the instructions on the label. Do not mix chemicals. Make sure they are stored properly.
When your roses start to put out new growth and that growth is about 2 inches long, it is time to fertilize. I use a good organic rose fertilizer, or alfalfa meal and compost. Sometimes our alkaline soil doesn’t allow the rose bush to utilize the iron in the soil. This causes the rose leaves to look whitish instead of green. That means that your rose needs extra iron. There are lots of good iron plant supplements (not the kind you take!) in the marketplace. You may need to feed that iron supplement to the rose, if the leaves are a light whitish green. Check your soil with a good soil test to see if this is necessary. Don’t add fertilizer and supplements, just to add them. More is NOT better for the rose, and it can be bad for the environment as well. Just use what your rose needs.
I also mulch around my roses. Put a good 3-inch layer of mulch around the dripline of the rose and not next to the canes of the roses. That will help to save water and keep your roses cooler in the summer. You will also have to weed less! A bonus point! That mulch will eventually break down and enrich your soil. Another bonus! Assess the irrigation system to make sure it is in good working order. In about 8—10 weeks you will be rewarded with beautiful blooms.
Now is the time to plant new roses. The American Rose Society has posted new roses in production for 2023. If you want to take a look you can see them on their website. 2023 rose introductions
Until Next Time...
“As delicate as flower, as tender as rose petals, choosing to be tender and kind in a harsh environment is not weakness, it's courage.”
Welcome to Rosie's Corner for January 2023
What to do in the Rose Garden in January
Happy New Year! We are coming up to the new lunar year (January 22nd) of the rabbit! According to Chinese legend, the Rabbit’s quiet personality hides their confidence and strength. They are steadily moving towards their goal, no matter what negativity the others give them. Ah, such are our roses. They are moving towards their first bloom in a few months.
Your roses are pretty much dormant. Again, allow your roses to make any hips they please. Don’t deadhead or prune this month. Do NOT fertilize your roses. You won’t need to fertilize your roses until the spring, and then only after a couple of inches of new growth emerges. This will be after you have pruned them at the beginning of Feb. (a little bit later for those of you in the mountains). Again, resist the urge to prune your roses now. Pruning will prevent dormancy and it will signal the plant to send out new tender shoots. Those shoots will get killed by the next hard frost we might have. Much better to wait to prune until the beginning of February.
Speaking of pruning, now is the time to get your tools ready. Those tools include a good pair of bypass hand pruners that fit comfortably in your hand. Bypass pruners are those that have a sharp curved cutting blade. That blade is the one that cuts through the cane. They also have a dull curved non-cutting blade. That dull blade holds the rose cane in place while you are making the cut. The sharp blade bypasses or slides over the dull curved blade.
Also have a good pair of sturdy loppers. Check the size of the blades as they have a maximum diameter which they can cut efficiently. Using pruners or loppers that are too small on a cane that is too big, can damage both the tool and the cane. If you run into a large cane, use a good garden hand saw.
Keep your tools clean. Rubbing alcohol and cotton balls or rubbing alcohol wipes are ideal for cleaning the cutting blades, before, during and after the job. This will prevent disease transmission from plant to plant and is helpful if you manage to cut yourself as well.
Best way to prevent not cutting yourself? Wear a good pair of gloves made from leather or goatskin. I have a short pair that goes to my wrists and also a pair that has sleeves that go up to my elbows. In addition, I also have a good pair of welding sleeves that go up to my arm pits. Those are great for pruning long canes and climbers.
Wearing gloves will help to make sure you don’t get Sporotrichosi. Sporotrichosi is a fungal infection of the skin caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenckii, which is found on decaying vegetation, rosebushes, twigs, hay, sphagnum moss and mulch-rich soil. Because of its tendency to present after a thorn injury, it is also called rose gardener disease. I have had this disease from touching (with my bare hands) sphagnum moss. I always use gloves now whenever I am in the garden. This is not an easy disease to get rid of.
However, the best tool for you to have in the garden is to make sure you are up to date with your tetanus shots. Some gardeners I know have had roses puncture their skin and they developed a serious infection that required surgery. It took many months for them to recover.
Remember to clean your pruners with an alcohol wipe between each rose bush. That way, you won’t spread any diseases between bushes. Don’t use wipes that contain bleach as that can ruin the blades of your pruners and loppers.
Before you start to prune, sharpen your blades. You can do this with a small diamond file. Try to match the original bevel of the blade. You can also buy a sharpening instrument that will automatically do this for you. While pruning, swipe the file over the blade every 100 cuts or so to keep it sharp. If your pruners are crushing the stems, it is time to sharpen them. Keep this rule in mind. The sharp blade on your pruners/loppers should always face the part of the plant that will be left. This will minimize the crushing of the cane or stem as that part will be discarded.
It is also good to oil the moving parts of your blades. Use a little light oil (such as 3-in-1 oil) on the screw that holds the blades together. This will keep all of the moving parts of your blades in great working condition.
If you notice that the leaves from your roses have started falling on the ground, make sure you clean those up and throw them away in your green bin. Don’t compost them, as your compost pile may not be hot enough to get rid of any diseases. Keeping the area around your roses clean will help to keep any diseases at bay.
There is still time to order or purchase any new roses you may be thinking of adding to your garden. Enjoy looking at those catalogs! I have a new mini rose that I bred that I will be showing you in the coming months (if it survives). Also, there is a rose pruning class coming up at the end of the month. You might want to check it out.
Until Next Time...
Until Next Time…”There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Rosie's Corner for December 2022
What to do in the Rose Garden in December
OK, where did this year go? Seems I was just complaining about heat a couple of days ago. Now, I am talking about winter care for your roses. Well, luckily, there is not too much to do in the rose garden this month. Just water your roses according to the schedule that the city permits. You can cut off any pretty blooms to enjoy inside your home as well.
Your roses will start to go dormant as the days get shorter and cooler. You can help promote dormancy by not deadheading or pruning this month. If your rose makes “hips,” allow them to mature. This will send hormonal signals to the plant that it is time to rest and start to conserve its energy for a nice spring bloom. Do NOT fertilize your roses. You won’t need to fertilize your roses until the spring, and then only after a couple of inches of new growth emerges. This will be after you have pruned them in Jan/Feb. Resist the urge to prune your roses now. Pruning will prevent dormancy and it will signal the plant to send out new tender shoots. Those shoots will get killed by the next hard frost we will have. Much better to wait to prune until late January or the beginning of February.
It is time to start thinking about getting any new roses you may want. There are lots of rose breeders/growers’ websites that sell roses. Also, there are Internet web sites selling antique roses. People think, oh, an antique rose will only bloom once and that is it for the year. So not true! As always, it depends. I look for antique roses that have repeat bloom so I can enjoy them more than just in the spring.
Bare Root Roses
Now is the month that you will start to see the big box stores selling “bare root” roses. They come in a type of plastic bag. Somewhere on the bag, it will state what grade the rose is. Only buy grade No. 1 roses. Anything less, are typically culls and not worth your time, money and energy growing them.
Since they are wrapped in plastic and if they start to grow, there is no way to get water to those roots. So, once you get them home, fill up a 5-gallon bucket with water and put it in a cool, dark place. Carefully cut open the bag (don’t injure those precious roots or yourself!), and remove the shredded newspaper or whatever they have wrapped the roots in. Place just the roots in the bucket of water. Make sure the water goes up to the bud union of the plant. The bud union is where the canes grow out of.
Leave the plant in the bucket of water for at least 24 hours so the plant can hydrate itself. The next day, you can plant the rose in a 5-gallon nursery pot, making sure there are lots of holes in the bottom for good drainage. Place the planted rose in a shaded area. When you are planting the rose, make sure you spread out the roots so they are not all clumped in the middle. If you see any broken roots, cut them off with sharp pruning shears. Before cutting any roots, wipe off the blades of the shears with a hydrogen-peroxide or alcohol wipe (like the kind they use on you before you get a shot). You want your shears to have a nice clean blade so you don’t spread any diseases on the roots of your plant.
Don’t use soil from your yard to fill up the container. Use a good draining potting mix for outdoor potted plants. The bottom of the bud union on the rose should be about 2 inches from the top of the pot. Don’t bury the bud union in the pot. That will cause the root stock to grow instead of the rose you purchased, which is not what you want. Make sure the potted rose is well watered.&nb