HOW DID YOUR GARDEN GROW?

At the end of the growing season, you often ask yourself “How did my garden grow?”  Now is the time to assess a few things to make plans for next year.

What roses did well and what didn’t?  Was your garden better or worse than last year?  If it was better last year, what did you do or omit to do this year?  How much can you blame on the weather?  More importantly, what can you do to make it better next season?

The answers to these questions will vary from individual to individual because we all have different gardens, soil conditions, exposures, watering methods, microclimates and problems unique only to a few members.  In addition, we all have different styles of gardening, some very intense and others more relaxed.

As we evaluate our gardens there are many ways we can help each other by sharing our observations and information.  For example, which bushes did well and which didn’t. In my garden I was surprised that in spite of the heat, some roses did remarkably well when most of the others were stressed out.  One of them that’s a survivor is Bow Bells, a great David Austin Rose.  Bow Bells is a pink rose that will even grow in the semi-shade area of your garden.  If you want constant color and easy care in the garden, this rose is a good candidate. Bow Bells is not an exhibition rose but a garden rose that’s superbly healthy and blooms non-stop even in the heat of summer. I planted mine on its own root just this spring and it grew up to six ft tall in its first year. While Scentimental which grows next to it was completely defoliated, Bow Bells green foliage is intact, no blackspot. I don’t spray and have only used four applications of Bayers All-In-One for the whole season.

My hybrid teas succumbed to blackspot but recovered quickly after the summer heat.  I tolerate a little blackspot but I kept my garden tidy and free of diseased leaves. I planted companion plants to hide their bare legs in the summer.  Much as I love the award-winning form of the hybrid teas, I prefer the fragrant varieties.  I miss Lancôme and Perfume Delight and wish I had dug them up from my garden when I left New York.  Another favorite is Gardens of the World which I was able to get from K&M Nursery.  

As for miniature roses, I lost four minis this summer, three of which were planted in 2008 in our first growing season here and were on their own while we still lived in NY.  Memphis Music though quite exceptionally beautiful in form and color is susceptible to disease and was completely denuded by the end of summer.  First and Foremost which I got as a gift from the Lundbergs is quite disease resistant. I like it very much. Thanks Bob and Sandy.  I don’t have many minis here but in New York, the older more established minis with deeper root systems survived the best.  Misty Dawn, Magic Carousel and Dreamglo were with me for years. One miniature rose in my garden which was totally unscathed by heat and drought and bloomed madly all season was Misty Dawn.  It’s the most disease-resistant, care-free rose I’ve ever grown.

Speaking of care-free, two shrub rose that are easy maintenance is Caldwell Pink and Oso Easy Cherry Pie.  They are very healthy and bloom constantly.  Since I don’t spray, it is amazing that these roses fare well.  Caldwell Pink is truly a delightful pink polyantha that is so carefree.  Mine is in a pot and quite happy.  Cherry Pie, also in a pot, is a single that bloomed all season long and quite disease resistant.  Cherry Pie is a red Oso Easy Rose that deserves some praise. My new favorite Old Garden Rose is Cramoisi Superieur which seemed to take the heat and drought very well.  It is a non-stop bloomer and very disease-resistant.  Louis Philippe which is mistaken sometime for Cramoisi Superieur did not fare well at all.  They really look alike.  Marechal Niel, a yellow noisette, is a monstrosity and taking over the whole fence, mine and my neighbor’s. 

As I ponder plans for next season, one of my gardening “new year’s resolutions” is to put a thicker layer of mulch on the roses.  Summer is brutal here and watering is a pain.  I might even go for a soaker hose.  Yes, I hand water my roses, always have for the last 40 years. As I watered my plants, I could see what was going on in the garden.

How did your garden grow?  If anything interesting happened that you would like to share, please post a comment. 

Roses are not difficult to grow contrary to popular belief as long as you know what they need. Why do you think Roses have been around for millions of years?  All they need are food, water and sunlight.  Just like you and me.  

 

Here at Rose Gardening World, we’ll educate you about the Rose - our National Floral Emblem and the state flower of several states.  Welcome to the World of Rose Gardening or Rose Gardening World where Rose Gardening Tips, Rose Growing Advice, Planting a Rose Garden, Rose Descriptions, Where to Buy Roses, Where to see Rose Gardens, Rose Culture, Rose History, Rose Events, Rose Verses are all here in one place.  

 

We are constantly updating our contents so visit Rose Gardening World often.  We want to help you grow Beautiful Roses and we welcome comments.  Take time and smell the roses. 

 

 Happy Rose Gardening!

 

Check my other blogs:

·         YES, YOU CAN GROW BEAUTIFUL ROSES 

·         KNOCK OUT ROSES

·         EARTHKIND ROSES

·         OSO EASY ROSES

·         OSO HAPPY ROSES

·         ROSE SUPPLIERS 

·         PLANTING BARE-ROOT ROSES

·         CLEANING ROSE PRUNERS BLADES

·         PRUNING YOUR ROSES

·         DAVID AUSTIN ROSES

·         DAVID AUSTIN ROSES IN COMMERCE

·         

Visit my website

Join a local rose society

Join the American Rose Society

FALL IN THE ROSE GARDEN

After the very hot summer, fall is a welcome relief.  The night air is getting cooler, days are getting shorter and we cram all gardening tasks in all available free time we have on weekdays and more on weekends.  Though I miss the autumn splendor that Mother Nature gives to northerners, I enjoy the long growing season down here in the lowcountry.  

We still have lots of chores ahead of us to get the garden prepared for winter.  

Fertilizer:  Fertilizer should be discontinued till Spring.  Fertilizer encourages new growth which will be killed when the first frosts occur.  This loss of energy will reduce the energy stores of the bushes that are needed to help the plants survive over winter.  

Mulch:  After cleaning the rosebeds, put more compost around the bushes and then apply new mulch on the rosebeds.  Aerate the soil before you put down the mulch.  Just poke the tine of your pitch fork into the bed.  Mulch helps to conserve moisture, suppresses weed growth and helps maintain the soil temperature. In this part of the country, the favorite is pine straw.  However, I use cedar mulch.  I find it easier to clean the bed with cedar mulch on it. 

Planting:  While spring is the traditional season for rose planting, fall is also an excellent time to add roses to the garden.  Fall planting will give your roses a head start to establish their root system before the winter sets in and in the spring with a healthy and established root system in place, your roses will take off faster than those planted in the spring.  If you plan to share and give your roses to friends, make sure you plant the fragrant varieties. There is no sense planting the roses for their form alone. Fragrant roses to me are still the best. No offense to die-hard exhibitors.

Pruning/Deadheading:  Stop pruning your roses.  Pruning roses sends a signal to the plant to initiate new growth.  Only remove the petals to help signal the plant to go into dormancy.  Keep some rose hips for winter interest.  It is a great food source for the birds and keeps them in your garden ready to do their work in spring to get rid of bad insects from your garden. 

Soil Testing:  Fall is a good time to test your soil to check the pH.  Take some soil sample from different locations in your garden and bring it to Cooperative Extension Service or ask your local nursery where to send it.

Spraying:  Continue your spray program.  If you want perfect blooms and foliage, you have to continue your spray program to control insects and diseases.  Do not spray insecticides until you see some insects.  Follow manufacturer's directions for safety.  At this time, you might see some spider mites. Check the underside of the leaves for spider mites.  If it feels grainy and the lower leaves lose their color and small webs appear with the leaf fall, you probably have spider mites.  A good blast of water every two or three days might work.  If not, a miticide might be the next remedy. 

Add Spring Color:  Browse through the garden catalogs and look for fabulous colors of spring bulbs to add to your rose garden. There are spaces between your roses that can accommodate these spring beauties without competing with your roses. By the time the roses come into bloom the spring flowers will be gone. When planting spring bulbs, make sure you sprinkle cayenne pepper to keep the squirrels away. Every fall, I used to add more spring bulbs in the garden around my roses and practically everywhere I can find a space so that in the spring the garden will come to life early.  After I plant my bulbs, I add more compost.  Last year, I added some tulips in my garden.  Not all of them came up but I’m learning that in Zone 8, you have to pre-cool them first to get them to bloom.

Water: Don't forget watering.  You do not want to send your roses to bed thirsty.  Roses need 2 inches of water every week to avoid stress so if it does not rain, you have to put the sprinklers on.  Water early in the morning so leaves will be able to dry before nightfall.  Deep watering is best otherwise the little feeder roots on the plant will grow toward the surface seeking moisture.

Weeding: Continue weeding. Watch for the weed which germinates in the fall. They grow slowly in the winter and then bloom and set seeds in the spring.  Pulling them out now will prevent a new generation of weed come spring. As I weed, I clean the beds at the same time.  Cleaning up your garden of weeds and leaves infected with blackspot, downy mildew and other diseases is a must.  Though it is time consuming, these infected leaves will harbor diseases in your garden during the winter, and come spring, you'll have more problems.  Discard them in the trash.  Do not add them to your compost pile. Start cleaning up the garden now before the weather gets freezing cold. Rid the garden of diseased leaves so fungi cannot overwinter in your rosebeds. After I clean the rosebeds, I put more compost around the bushes. 

Take advantage of the mild weather that remains to start a compost pile from the falling leaves.  Oak leaves are the best.  If you have a lawn mower/shredder, run over the lawn a couple of times.  You can even spread the shredded oak leaves on your garden beds.  Do not use maple leaves; they tend to mat.  Instead put them in the compost heap.

After all these things are done, you can rest easy with the knowledge that your garden is ready for their winter nap.   

Cut roses to bring indoors. Enjoy the last blooms of the season indoors as well as out in the garden. Never mind that the bushes have lost most of their leaves to blackspot, just enjoy them. STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES!!! 

Roses are not difficult to grow contrary to popular belief as long as you know what they need. Why do you think Roses have been around for millions of years?  All they need are food, water and sunlight.  Just like you and me.  

Here at Rose Gardening World, we’ll educate you about the Rose - our National Floral Emblem and the state flower of several states.  Welcome to the World of Rose Gardening or Rose Gardening World where Rose Gardening Tips, Rose Growing Advice, Planting a Rose Garden, Rose Descriptions, Where to Buy Roses, Where to see Rose Gardens, Rose Culture, Rose History, Rose Events, Rose Verses are all here in one place.  

We are constantly updating our contents so visit Rose Gardening World often.  We want to help you grow Beautiful Roses and we welcome comments.  Take time and smell the roses.  Happy Rose Gardening!

Check my other blogs:

·         YES, YOU CAN GROW BEAUTIFUL ROSES 

·         KNOCK OUT ROSES

·         EARTHKIND ROSES

·         OSO EASY ROSES

·         OSO HAPPY ROSES

·         ROSE SUPPLIERS

·         WILL THERE BE A SHORTAGE OF ROSES IN 2012?

·         PLANTING BARE-ROOT ROSES

·         CLEANING ROSE PRUNERS BLADES

·         PRUNING YOUR ROSES

·         AARS WINNER FOR 2012

·         DAVID AUSTIN ROSES

·          DAVID AUSTIN ROSES IN COMMERCE

Visit my website

Join a local rose society

Join the American Rose Society

ROSE GARDENING TIPS - SUMMER CARE FOR YOUR ROSES

Summer is here!  With the temperature hovering into the 90s, there are several things we ought to do to keep our roses happy during the dog days of summer.  The roses are suffering from extreme heat and so does the rosarian who takes care of them.   With the searing heat, you have to learn how to slow down.  Drink a lot of water while working in the garden.   Take a break every so often.  Wear protective gear like hat, long sleeves and sunscreen. Try to work early in the garden before the sun is up or late in the afternoon when it is cooler.

Water, water, water - Roses needs at least 2" of water every week especially during the hot dry summer days.  So when the rain stops, water them deeply.  Following the town ordinance of water conservation, instead of running the sprinkler for two hours, run it for 1 hour.  You can do overhead watering when it is extremely hot and no rain is in sight but not in the late afternoon.  When you want to be in an air-conditioned room and feel like doing nothing, your rose feels the same way.  They don’t want any work. All they need is water, possibly a cold shower. 

Fertilization - do not overdo it in the summer. More roses suffer from overfertilization in the summer than from too little. When you water your garden, the water releases the nutrients that are already in your rosebeds. Sometimes you see the leaves of your roses wilting and start to turn yellow. We have this notion that if we give them more food, they will come back to life. Wrong! Giving them more fertilizer can make the matter worse. They could have excessive fertilizer to begin with and not enough water. Too much fertilizer without enough moisture in the soil is deadly to your plant. You will get fertilizer burns. If in doubt, water, water and more water especially in a very hot weather.  Do not fertilize when the temperature is in the 90’s.

Mulching - Rosebeds with 2" or 3" of mulch do not need as much water as the beds without mulch.  Mulch is an important thing our garden needs during the summer months.  There are all kinds of material we can use as mulch - pine bark nuggets, pine needles, cocoa hulls, hay, shredded oak leaves, seaweeds, cedar mulch, or cocoa mulch.  I find out that shredded cedar mulch is much better mulch than pine bark.  I don't recommend cocoa hulls if you have a dog.  They smell great and dogs love it but it is not good for them.  There is evidence that it can be harmful to dogs.  One report said that a dog died because the dog ate so much cocoa mulch.  You know chocolate is bad for dogs and chocolate comes from cocoa beans. 

The rose beds look much better with mulch and the mulch also helps the roses retains moisture in the soil during the dry, hot spell.  However, mulch takes up nitrogen when it decays to feed the bacteria.  Take a pH reading. Low pH means the soil is nitrogen starved so add lime to correct the situation.  Mulch also keeps the roots cool and keeps weeds under control.

Weeding is an essential aspect of gardening. At the height of the summer heat, the weeds are growing at a rapid pace. You must control it, otherwise they take over. I don’t use herbicide so I’m constantly weeding. 

Spraying – If you are spraying, discontinue the spray program while the temperature is on the 90's.  You’ll burn the leaves.  When the temperature cools down, you can resume your spray program every 7-10 days.  Spray early in the morning or early evening. 

Roses are easy plants to grow contrary to popular belief. Why do you think Roses have been around for millions of years?  All they need are food, water and sunlight.  Just like you and me.
 
Here at Rose Gardening World, we’ll educate you about the Rose - our National Floral Emblem and the state flower of several states.  Welcome to the World of Rose Gardening or Rose Gardening World where Rose Gardening Tips, Rose Growing Advice, Planting a Rose Garden, Rose Descriptions, Where to Buy Roses, Where to see Rose Gardens, Rose Culture, Rose History, Rose Events, Rose Verses are all here in one place.  

We are constantly updating our contents so visit Rose Gardening World often.  We want to help you grow Beautiful Roses and we welcome comments.  Take time and smell the roses.  Happy Rose Gardening!

Check my other blogs:

• YES, YOU CAN GROW BEAUTIFUL ROSES 
• KNOCK OUT ROSES
• EARTHKIND ROSES
• OSO EASY ROSES
• OSO HAPPY ROSES
• ROSE SUPPLIERS
• WILL THERE BE A SHORTAGE OF ROSES IN 2012?
• PLANTING BARE-ROOT ROSES
• CLEANING ROSE PRUNERS BLADES
• PRUNING YOUR ROSES
• AARS WINNER FOR 2012
• DAVID AUSTIN ROSES
•  DAVID AUSTIN ROSES IN COMMERCE

Visit my website

Join a rose society