Friday, May 6, 2011
Rose Gardening Tools
There are a wide array of gardening tools available today. Most are of good quality and relatively inexpensive.
There are only a few must haves for the home gardener and that will be our focus here.
Pruning Shears
A good pruner is one gardening tool that you will use almost daily.
There are two types of pruners on the market: one is called an "anvil" pruner, and the other is called a "bypass" pruner.
An anvil pruner has blades that meet on top of each other. Bypass pruners have blades that pass each other like scissors do.
Always use bypass pruners so you don't crush your canes and stems.
When choosing pruning shears look for a pair with well padded comfortable grips, and that also fit your hand well.
This is one gardening tool where good quality and comfort is important.
Lopping Shears
When your rose garden starts to mature there will come times when this will be an indispensable tool for cutting back old, thick canes that are too much for a set of pruning shears.
If you are just starting your rose garden, save the expense as you probably won't need this for a season or two.
Long-Handled Shovel
Choose a lightweight model with a strong handle.
Shovels with fiberglass handles are the best choice as they tend to be lightweight and weather resistant.
They also have the added benefit of having a bit more flex to them and so make digging or moving soil easier on the back.
Wheelbarrow
Avoid the temptation to buy the cute garden "carts." You are at some point likely to need a real wheelbarrow.
As your gardening addiction, I mean hobby, takes off there will be no end to the things you will be hauling in and out of your garden.
Some of those things (bags of soil, mulch or large plants) will be very heavy and you'll be glad that you have a real wheelbarrow to help you.
Gloves
Quote: "You can complain because a rose has thorns...
or you can rejoice because thorns have a rose." - Tom Wilson
A rose garden is no place for thin, light weight gloves.
Unless you don't mind the occasional thorn scratch...
opt for leather work gloves with those big, fold-down cuffs. Your hands will thank you for it.
Kneeling Pads
Some people prefer the big 8"x15" water-resistant pads with handles, while others prefer strap-on knee pads.
The kneepads are more convenient because they move when you move, but the one-size-fits-all knee cups may not work for you. In that case, the pad will suit you fine.
Short Garden Spading Fork
This home gardening tool is indispensable for turning and loosening soil throughout your garden.
Choose a good quality model with steel forks and a sturdy handle.
Watering Wand
Great for watering potted roses or hanging plants and for giving your rose and flower beds a good root soaking.
Choose a model with a quick shutoff valve on the wand itself, and a quick release fitting for the end that plugs into the hose.
Spend the money to get a model with brass fittings instead of plastic, it will last years longer.
Also, there are watering wands available with adjustable heads which offer different spray patterns to suit your various needs.
Garden Rake
These are the rakes with the sharp steel teeth that you use for leveling and grading planting beds. Choose one with a sturdy handle and short steel tines.
Leaf Rake
A simple tool we're all familiar with, a leaf rake will help for cleaning up clippings, leaves and other garden debris.
You may want to buy both a "regular" size rake, and one of the smaller "child size" rakes for pulling debris from tight quarters or from behind your roses.
Pressure Sprayer
An indispensable part of any gardening tool kit.
A pressure sprayer allows the home gardener to apply fertilizers, fungicides, or pesticides only where they're needed.
Self-contained and pressurized with a small pump-handle, home garden sprayers are available in 1 to 5 gallon sizes.
This compact and portable tool allows for easy mixing and application of any liquid gardening product.
You shouldn't have any trouble locating a source to purchase these basic gardening tools.
Your local garden supply store will stock all these tools, and more.
Or if you don't mind purchasing gently-used items, check out area yard sales for your gardening supplies.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Best roses for the garden
"That which we call a rose," famously insists Shakespeare's Juliet, "by any other name would smell as sweet." But which name, precisely, did she have in mind?
The species? (There are well over 100.) The cultivar? (These run to about 13,000 - 26 pages of them in the RHS Plant Finder alone.) Or the dozens of further labels that denote their ancestry, flower shape and habit of growth? Even for minds not addled by passion, the names of the rose can be a minefield.
Most rosarians begin by sorting them roughly into three groups.
Species roses
First are the species roses, which remain, more or less, as nature intended. For what could improve on the bee-friendly blood-red single blooms of Rosa moyesii or the subtle purple-grey foliage of indestructible Rosa glauca, both with the bonus of glossy red hips?
What will cover a wall with more grace that the yellow form of the Banksian rose, Rosa banksiae 'Lutea'? Although your wall will need to be a big one. These are easy, vigorous, trouble-free roses that are happy in informal garden settings.
Old roses
Then come the old roses, unhelpfully defined as any that belong to a class that existed before modern roses were introduced (that is, before the 1860s).
So some are incredibly ancient, known to have graced the gardens of classical Greece, Rome, Persia or China, while a great many more made their appearance in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
What they have in common is that they make large, graceful shrubs, and usually put on a spectacular, but once-only, display of bloom in summer. The flowers come in many forms, and are usually in the white to pink to crimson spectrum, and richly fragrant. Among the many different families of old roses, these are perhaps the most distinctive:
Gallica roses These are the oldest of garden roses, grown for centuries for their medicinal qualities. The Apothecary's Rose, R. gallica var. officinalis, is the original red rose of Lancaster.
They make compact bushes about 3ft tall, with oval, bristly, dark green leaves, and highly scented flowers held singly or in threes on slender, not-too-thorny stems.
Colours are rich and clear, from deep purple through to pink, but most striking of all is perhaps the tapioca-and-jam striped Rosa Mundi (R. gallica 'Versicolor'). Gallicas are a good choice for poor soils and inattentive gardeners.
Damask roses The most strongly scented roses, damasks have been grown in the Middle East since antiquity and used to make attar of roses. In ancient Greece, they were associated with the cult of Aphrodite.
Taller than gallicas (5ft), they are equally robust, but looser in growth and more thorny, with attractive pointy leaves that cluster around the blooms. There are many delicious pinks, but pure white, lemon-scented 'Madame Hardy' takes some beating.
Alba roses The Alba family retains all the delicate charm of its parent, the wild hedgerow dog-rose, along with its native toughness, being disease-resistant and easy to grow, even in partial shade.
The scented, papery blooms are usually white, blush or pale pink. Tall (5ft), upright, very leafy plants, often with greyish foliage, make ideal hosts for a small, scrambling clematis once the Alba's early blooms have faded. Double blush-pink 'Great Maiden's Blush' (also known as Cuisse de Nymphe Emue) is the best-known variety.
Moss roses These are characterised by a curious growth on the stems and buds, which varies from a sticky down to tiny prickles resembling an immature conker case.
A big hit with the Victorians, only a few have stood the test of time, principally 'William Lobb', also known as old velvet moss. This large, (6½ft-plus), lanky, dull-leaved shrub is redeemed by fragrant purple-magenta flowers that fade tastefully to lavender, then dove-grey.
For centuries, Europeans were content with white, pink or red roses that flowered only once - with one exception, the repeat flowering autumn damask.
Then, towards the end of the 18th century, the first roses began to appear from China, bringing with them the promise of new colours (pure reds and yellows); shiny foliage; and, above all, a mutation that permitted them to flower repeatedly.
These were used to breed repeat-flowering old roses - first the Portlands, then the Bourbons and noisettes, and finally the hybrid perpetuals, paving the way for today's modern roses.
Modern roses
The modern rose varieties are those that have been intensively bred from the early 20th century, and repeat-flower in summer in a wide range of colours, although their fragrance has often been sacrificed in pursuit of bigger blooms and brighter colours.
Hybrid teas The hybrid tea is what most people think of as the typical rose - a tight, high-centred, many-petalled flower, borne singly at the end of a stem. Blooms can be as big as 4¾in across, and almost any colour except blue.
The long, furled buds of hybrid teas make the world's most popular cut flowers, but they can be awkward to place in the garden, as they make gawky, ungainly shrubs.
Hybrid teas bred as climbers are justly popular, while some of the newer varieties, such as shell-pink Chandos Beauty or sumptuous red Velvet Fragrance offer the scent and disease resistance that older hybrid teas lack.
Floribundas These are the roses to choose for a mass of colour through summer. The blooms are produced in little bunches on the end of each stem, and as they open a few at a time, each head remains in flower for weeks.
Few have any scent. Popular varieties include Iceberg (white), Golden Wedding (yellow) and strong-growing Margaret Merrill (blush), or look out for cherry-red semi-double John Innes, introduced at Chelsea.
The English roses During the Forties nurseryman David Austin began his quest for the ideal rose that would combine the beautiful flower forms and fragrance of the old roses, with the wider colour range and repeat flowering capacity of the new.
His English roses, improved decade by decade, now also offer good disease-resistance, and many do well in conditions of heat and drought.
There are four distinct groups of English roses, all attractively formed shrubs that combine easily with other shrubs or perennials. The English old rose hybrids reproduce the fragrance and charm of their gallica and damask parents through successive flowerings.
One of the earliest of these, spicy-scented Gertrude Jekyll, was recently voted Britain's favourite rose, although I would plump for swoony crimson Falstaff or rugged, deer-proof Wild Edric.
The Leander group offers a more "modern" range of colours, including yellows, ambers and flames, and makes larger, glossier shrubs. Smaller and daintier are the English musk hybrids, with silky flowers in soft, pastel shades - perfect for formal plantings.
Finally, there are the Alba rose hybrids, with all the beautiful lightness and grace of wild roses. Many English roses, such as 'Teasing Georgia' (yellow) and A Shropshire Lad (a thornless peach) double as sturdy short climbers, ideal for today's smaller gardens.
Climbers, ramblers, scramblers
Nothing sets off a house like a rose in full bloom trained against the walls, or draping the porch. Climbers or ramblers? It all depends on space.
Most climbers are repeat-flowering and make a permanent framework of stiff stems that lend themselves to walls, pillars and pergolas. While roses enjoy sunshine, some will do on a shady north wall - try elegant pale yellow 'Maigold', or dependable Penny Lane.)
Ramblers grow bigger, producing long flexible shoots from the base that are easy to train along ropes or over arbours, with large clusters of smaller flowers in early summer. Reserve the most rampant of these, such as 'Rambling Rector', to scramble up a tree or engulf an unlovely garage or shed - these are not roses for small spaces.
Roses for containers
Patio roses come in every colour, rarely exceede 2ft high, and flower all summer. The smaller ground cover roses also take well to containers - some of the best are named after counties, such as free-flowering Surrey and Kent.
Miniature roses, grown as house-plants, will also do well outside. Buy a collection of four roses: R. moyesii, R. glauca, R. gallica var. officinalis and R. gallica 'Versicolor' for £17.99 or a collection of three rambling roses R. Mermaid, R. 'Rambling Rector' and R. bansksiae
'Lutea' for £15.99. Supplied as bare roots. Despatched from November 2010. Subject to availability. Call 0844 573 6015 for credit/debit card orders quoting ref. TET10. Delivery to all UK addresses only.
Where to see roses
Henry Robinson grows a National Collection of rambler roses in his garden, Moor Wood, in Gloucestershire. He considers them easy to grow - other than a hefty dose of manure each spring they get very little attention.
They are pruned only if they vastly outgrow their space, never deadheaded, and never, ever sprayed. £ Moor Wood, Woodmancote, Glos GL7 7EB, opens for the NGS on June 27, 2pm to 6pm (01285 831 397).
How to prune roses
A trial conducted by Which? Gardening and the Royal National Rose Society a decade ago revealed that attacking your roses with a hedge trimmer produced no worse a result than careful pruning with secateurs
What will cover a wall with more grace that the yellow form of the Banksian rose, Rosa banksiae 'Lutea'? Although your wall will need to be a big one. These are easy, vigorous, trouble-free roses that are happy in informal garden settings.
Old roses
Then come the old roses, unhelpfully defined as any that belong to a class that existed before modern roses were introduced (that is, before the 1860s).
So some are incredibly ancient, known to have graced the gardens of classical Greece, Rome, Persia or China, while a great many more made their appearance in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
What they have in common is that they make large, graceful shrubs, and usually put on a spectacular, but once-only, display of bloom in summer. The flowers come in many forms, and are usually in the white to pink to crimson spectrum, and richly fragrant. Among the many different families of old roses, these are perhaps the most distinctive:
Gallica roses These are the oldest of garden roses, grown for centuries for their medicinal qualities. The Apothecary's Rose, R. gallica var. officinalis, is the original red rose of Lancaster.
They make compact bushes about 3ft tall, with oval, bristly, dark green leaves, and highly scented flowers held singly or in threes on slender, not-too-thorny stems.
Colours are rich and clear, from deep purple through to pink, but most striking of all is perhaps the tapioca-and-jam striped Rosa Mundi (R. gallica 'Versicolor'). Gallicas are a good choice for poor soils and inattentive gardeners.
Damask roses The most strongly scented roses, damasks have been grown in the Middle East since antiquity and used to make attar of roses. In ancient Greece, they were associated with the cult of Aphrodite.
Taller than gallicas (5ft), they are equally robust, but looser in growth and more thorny, with attractive pointy leaves that cluster around the blooms. There are many delicious pinks, but pure white, lemon-scented 'Madame Hardy' takes some beating.
Alba roses The Alba family retains all the delicate charm of its parent, the wild hedgerow dog-rose, along with its native toughness, being disease-resistant and easy to grow, even in partial shade.
The scented, papery blooms are usually white, blush or pale pink. Tall (5ft), upright, very leafy plants, often with greyish foliage, make ideal hosts for a small, scrambling clematis once the Alba's early blooms have faded. Double blush-pink 'Great Maiden's Blush' (also known as Cuisse de Nymphe Emue) is the best-known variety.
Moss roses These are characterised by a curious growth on the stems and buds, which varies from a sticky down to tiny prickles resembling an immature conker case.
A big hit with the Victorians, only a few have stood the test of time, principally 'William Lobb', also known as old velvet moss. This large, (6½ft-plus), lanky, dull-leaved shrub is redeemed by fragrant purple-magenta flowers that fade tastefully to lavender, then dove-grey.
For centuries, Europeans were content with white, pink or red roses that flowered only once - with one exception, the repeat flowering autumn damask.
Then, towards the end of the 18th century, the first roses began to appear from China, bringing with them the promise of new colours (pure reds and yellows); shiny foliage; and, above all, a mutation that permitted them to flower repeatedly.
These were used to breed repeat-flowering old roses - first the Portlands, then the Bourbons and noisettes, and finally the hybrid perpetuals, paving the way for today's modern roses.
Modern roses
The modern rose varieties are those that have been intensively bred from the early 20th century, and repeat-flower in summer in a wide range of colours, although their fragrance has often been sacrificed in pursuit of bigger blooms and brighter colours.
Hybrid teas The hybrid tea is what most people think of as the typical rose - a tight, high-centred, many-petalled flower, borne singly at the end of a stem. Blooms can be as big as 4¾in across, and almost any colour except blue.
The long, furled buds of hybrid teas make the world's most popular cut flowers, but they can be awkward to place in the garden, as they make gawky, ungainly shrubs.
Hybrid teas bred as climbers are justly popular, while some of the newer varieties, such as shell-pink Chandos Beauty or sumptuous red Velvet Fragrance offer the scent and disease resistance that older hybrid teas lack.
Floribundas These are the roses to choose for a mass of colour through summer. The blooms are produced in little bunches on the end of each stem, and as they open a few at a time, each head remains in flower for weeks.
Few have any scent. Popular varieties include Iceberg (white), Golden Wedding (yellow) and strong-growing Margaret Merrill (blush), or look out for cherry-red semi-double John Innes, introduced at Chelsea.
The English roses During the Forties nurseryman David Austin began his quest for the ideal rose that would combine the beautiful flower forms and fragrance of the old roses, with the wider colour range and repeat flowering capacity of the new.
His English roses, improved decade by decade, now also offer good disease-resistance, and many do well in conditions of heat and drought.
There are four distinct groups of English roses, all attractively formed shrubs that combine easily with other shrubs or perennials. The English old rose hybrids reproduce the fragrance and charm of their gallica and damask parents through successive flowerings.
One of the earliest of these, spicy-scented Gertrude Jekyll, was recently voted Britain's favourite rose, although I would plump for swoony crimson Falstaff or rugged, deer-proof Wild Edric.
The Leander group offers a more "modern" range of colours, including yellows, ambers and flames, and makes larger, glossier shrubs. Smaller and daintier are the English musk hybrids, with silky flowers in soft, pastel shades - perfect for formal plantings.
Finally, there are the Alba rose hybrids, with all the beautiful lightness and grace of wild roses. Many English roses, such as 'Teasing Georgia' (yellow) and A Shropshire Lad (a thornless peach) double as sturdy short climbers, ideal for today's smaller gardens.
Climbers, ramblers, scramblers
Nothing sets off a house like a rose in full bloom trained against the walls, or draping the porch. Climbers or ramblers? It all depends on space.
Most climbers are repeat-flowering and make a permanent framework of stiff stems that lend themselves to walls, pillars and pergolas. While roses enjoy sunshine, some will do on a shady north wall - try elegant pale yellow 'Maigold', or dependable Penny Lane.)
Ramblers grow bigger, producing long flexible shoots from the base that are easy to train along ropes or over arbours, with large clusters of smaller flowers in early summer. Reserve the most rampant of these, such as 'Rambling Rector', to scramble up a tree or engulf an unlovely garage or shed - these are not roses for small spaces.
Roses for containers
Patio roses come in every colour, rarely exceede 2ft high, and flower all summer. The smaller ground cover roses also take well to containers - some of the best are named after counties, such as free-flowering Surrey and Kent.
Miniature roses, grown as house-plants, will also do well outside. Buy a collection of four roses: R. moyesii, R. glauca, R. gallica var. officinalis and R. gallica 'Versicolor' for £17.99 or a collection of three rambling roses R. Mermaid, R. 'Rambling Rector' and R. bansksiae
'Lutea' for £15.99. Supplied as bare roots. Despatched from November 2010. Subject to availability. Call 0844 573 6015 for credit/debit card orders quoting ref. TET10. Delivery to all UK addresses only.
Where to see roses
Henry Robinson grows a National Collection of rambler roses in his garden, Moor Wood, in Gloucestershire. He considers them easy to grow - other than a hefty dose of manure each spring they get very little attention.
They are pruned only if they vastly outgrow their space, never deadheaded, and never, ever sprayed. £ Moor Wood, Woodmancote, Glos GL7 7EB, opens for the NGS on June 27, 2pm to 6pm (01285 831 397).
How to prune roses
A trial conducted by Which? Gardening and the Royal National Rose Society a decade ago revealed that attacking your roses with a hedge trimmer produced no worse a result than careful pruning with secateurs
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Pruning Climbing Roses
It's best not to procrastinate when it comes to pruning climbing roses. Whether climbing roses are grown on a wall, fence, trellis, post, or pillar, I recommend pruning them every year not only to keep your climbers from overwhelming their supports but also to spare you the frustration of dealing with an overgrown snare of canes. Your roses will reward you with robust growth and more flowers.
Pruning climbers every year keeps the shrub vigorous.
Removing diseased or damaged branches allows healthy new growth to replace them.
Pruning climbers every year keeps the shrub vigorous. Removing diseased or damaged branches allows healthy new growth to replace them.Diseased branches are the first to go
Most climbing roses bloom at least twice each growing season: first on older branches and then on the current season’s growth. Pruning them while dormant in mid- to late winter will encourage plenty of late-season flowers. I like to begin my pruning by removing as much foliage as possible from each rose. This helps prevent disease by removing dormant fungal spores and allows me to see the rose’s branching structure as I prune. Once I can see what I’m dealing with, I remove any diseased, injured, or spindly branches, cutting them away flush with the cane from which they emerge. If any of the older, woody canes have failed to bloom well during the previous season, I will prune them off, too. Any canes that have outgrown their support will get a preliminary trim to set them back inbounds. I will also remove any crossing or awkwardly placed branches.Step back before moving on
After pruning undesirable branches, I’ll step back, have a look at what remains, and choose the branches that will form the plant’s main framework for the upcoming season. I look for strong, healthy canes with plenty of swelling buds or side shoots (called laterals). I’ll need enough vigorous canes at various heights to cover the support from top to bottom without crossing. Any branches that don’t meet my criteria are removed.I prefer to prune and train the lowest of the chosen canes first. I unfasten each branch one by one and trim it to fit the support, making sure I cut far enough back to account for new growth. I then shorten each of the lateral shoots down to two to five buds, always cutting about 1/4 inch above, and parallel to, a bud. I then reattach the main branch to the support, keeping it as close to horizontal as I can. Since climbing roses have no tendrils, rootlets, or twining stems to help them cling to their support, they need our help to stay in place. I prefer plastic ties that stretch as the canes grow, but plastic-coated wire ties are fine, too, as long as they are tied loosely, with plenty of room for the branch to expand. If any branch still projects beyond the support once it’s attached, I’ll finish by trimming away the excess.
Don’t forget to take a few steps back after pruning and training each main branch. Otherwise, you may get so involved in cutting and placing the branch you’re working on that you lose sight of the plant’s overall shape. Remember that the end goal is a climbing rose that decorates its support without overwhelming it.
Part 1: Prune out old and undesirable branches
Part 2: Trim what's left with a framework in mind
Prune roses to match your structure
The objective in pruning climbers is to clothe their supports in a framework of healthy, vigorous growth, which will produce a large quantity of quality blooms in the upcoming season.
Wide, horizontal surfaces: Roses bloom most profusely when their canes run horizontally, so climbers trained onto walls, fences, or trellises perform best when a number of long branches fan across the face of their support in broad arches.
Narrow trellises or walls: If space is limited, I prefer to train roses in a zigzag pattern to keep as much of the cane as possible horizontal.
Posts and pillars: Roses growing on a post or pillar usually look best with just two or three canes wrapped in gentle spirals around the support.Removing suckers from a grafted rose
Monday, April 25, 2011
Rose Bushes - Planting Pruning and Pictures 96
Ask someone to name a flower, and the first one that will most likely come to mind is a rose. Rose gardens are beautiful and abundant.
Planted and pruned correctly, rose bushes will produce many blooms for you over the growing season, from early spring until hard frost. Many wonder if there is a special trick to successful gardening of these flowers. While it is true that you must take specific care of most types of rose bushes to prevent disease and pests, and to encourage healthy growth, one does not need to be a master gardener.
Enjoy these beautiful photos of roses and rose bushes and let's learn all about planting and pruning!
According to Wikipedia, there are more than 100 varieties of wild roses that grow primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. These plants prefer a temperate region.
Hybrid Teas are produced by cross-pollinating two different rose plants. Originating in 1867 in France, they are now the best-selling cut flower. Roses are given unique names for celebrities, royalty or popular virtues. The most popular Hybrid Tea is a white rose named "Peace." For a list of popular Hybrid Teas, listed by color,
Planted and pruned correctly, rose bushes will produce many blooms for you over the growing season, from early spring until hard frost. Many wonder if there is a special trick to successful gardening of these flowers. While it is true that you must take specific care of most types of rose bushes to prevent disease and pests, and to encourage healthy growth, one does not need to be a master gardener.
Enjoy these beautiful photos of roses and rose bushes and let's learn all about planting and pruning!
Types of Roses
Before discussing planting and care, you should decide what type of rose you wish to install in your garden. The most popular variety is a Hybrid Tea, but these are also often the most difficult for which to care. Hybrids produce a large flower on a stem that is usually long and straight. Other options include Floribunda and Grandiflora. Floribunda is a cross between a Hybrid Tea and a Polyantha, which is a plant that produces small clusters of flowers. Grandifloras create large clusters of blooms. Among these general types, you can find miniature rose bushes, climbing varieties, and tree/topiaries.According to Wikipedia, there are more than 100 varieties of wild roses that grow primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. These plants prefer a temperate region.
Hybrid Teas are produced by cross-pollinating two different rose plants. Originating in 1867 in France, they are now the best-selling cut flower. Roses are given unique names for celebrities, royalty or popular virtues. The most popular Hybrid Tea is a white rose named "Peace." For a list of popular Hybrid Teas, listed by color,
Meanings of Rose Colors
You want to present someone special a rose, or perhaps a bouquet. Do you know what the various colors mean? Perhaps you are conveying a message you do not intend. Follow this guide of rose colors to be safe:
Red - Romantic Love, "I love you"
White - Innocence and purity
Yellow - Friendship and caring
Orange - Fascination (alternatively, Desire)
Lavender - Enchantment, "I am falling in love with you"
Coral - Desire
Light Pink - Joy (alternatively, Sympathy)
Regular Pink - Happiness
Dark Pink - Thankfulness; good to send to someone in appreciation
Peach - Sympathy or Gratitude
Blue - (rare) Mystery
Mixture of White and Red - Unity
Red - Romantic Love, "I love you"
White - Innocence and purity
Yellow - Friendship and caring
Orange - Fascination (alternatively, Desire)
Lavender - Enchantment, "I am falling in love with you"
Coral - Desire
Light Pink - Joy (alternatively, Sympathy)
Regular Pink - Happiness
Dark Pink - Thankfulness; good to send to someone in appreciation
Peach - Sympathy or Gratitude
Blue - (rare) Mystery
Mixture of White and Red - Unity
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Tips for organic roses
Don't pray at the first sign of aphids. Instead, allow time for the birds, ladybirds and other predatory insects to discover them. They will lay eggs close by, or parasitise them. Rub out aphids with your fingers.
Use roses in mixed planting rather than in dedicated rose borders, as this lessens the chance of diseases like blackspot.
Underplant your roses with non-invasive herbaceous perennials such as Campanula lactiflora 'Prichard's Variety', Viola cornuta and hardy geraniums. This understorey will help to prevent fungal spores from splashing up from the soil.
Use some late-flowering nectar plants to sustain hoverflies and lacewings. Both have predatory larvae which feed on aphids.
Gaura lindheimeri, annual cosmos and penstemons can sustain insects and bees until late autumn.
Feed roses well - once in March and again after the first flush of flower. Use garden compost, well-rotted manure or a slow-release, sprinkle-on rose fertiliser.
Prune roses and make cuts that slope away from the buds - using sharp secateurs. Remove the dead, dying and diseased wood by late spring, keeping the shape open to allow a flow of air.
Mulch with well-rotted organic material during winter to create a barrier between soil and rose.
Be bold and replace disease-prone roses with better varieties. Ideally replace the soil or replant in a different position.
Plant one rose that produces hips to sustain the birds. Rosa glauca is a large shrub with dark foliage and cocoa-brown hips. It can be planted on a boundary edge.
Ask specialist rose growers to recommend their healthiest varieties. Prepare the ground well when planting and cut bare-root roses down hard to limit wind rock.
Use roses in mixed planting rather than in dedicated rose borders, as this lessens the chance of diseases like blackspot.
Underplant your roses with non-invasive herbaceous perennials such as Campanula lactiflora 'Prichard's Variety', Viola cornuta and hardy geraniums. This understorey will help to prevent fungal spores from splashing up from the soil.
Use some late-flowering nectar plants to sustain hoverflies and lacewings. Both have predatory larvae which feed on aphids.
Gaura lindheimeri, annual cosmos and penstemons can sustain insects and bees until late autumn.
Feed roses well - once in March and again after the first flush of flower. Use garden compost, well-rotted manure or a slow-release, sprinkle-on rose fertiliser.
Prune roses and make cuts that slope away from the buds - using sharp secateurs. Remove the dead, dying and diseased wood by late spring, keeping the shape open to allow a flow of air.
Mulch with well-rotted organic material during winter to create a barrier between soil and rose.
Be bold and replace disease-prone roses with better varieties. Ideally replace the soil or replant in a different position.
Plant one rose that produces hips to sustain the birds. Rosa glauca is a large shrub with dark foliage and cocoa-brown hips. It can be planted on a boundary edge.
Ask specialist rose growers to recommend their healthiest varieties. Prepare the ground well when planting and cut bare-root roses down hard to limit wind rock.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Disappointing Daffodils?
Tuesday April 19, 2011
Cathy wrote me to ask about something she'd recently been old about daffodils: I just heard a comment on daffodils. Do they only produce so many flowers in a life time? I do have some that are just the greens. Is this true? I just love daffodils and I would hate to know that I will only get so many years from them."One of the reasons so many of us plant daffodils is that they seem to last forever. According to the American Daffodil Society, "Under good growing conditions, they should outlast any of us. While some kinds of bulbs tend to dwindle and die out, daffodils should increase."
You'll often stumble over sweeps of daffodils in old fields, the last remnants, along with overgrown lilacs, of an old homestead. While the initial bulbs may give out, they should have produced many new bulbs over the course of their lifetime to keep the area in bloom. However there is a condition called "going blind", where the daffodil plants will come up, but no flower buds form. There are a handful of reasons for this, mostly to do with growing conditions, and they all can be corrected. If your daffodils were disappointing this year, check out these remedies, before you give up on daffodils.
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