Zachary Woods

Gardening With Joel by Joel Raeber

Aug 25, 2007

I frequently have neighbors stop to comment about my roses, and ask advice. Most say that I seem to be working in the yard all the time. However, I seldom ?“work?” in my yard. I ?“play?”! But, here are some of the growing tips, and advice I can share.

One of the first things you probably noticed is that the soil around Zachary Woods is not ideal for growing much of anything. When I started my rose beds I removed the top foot of dirt (and rocks), and used it to fill in other places in the yard. I dug up the next foot of dirt too, and mixed it with mulch, grass clippings, leaves and soil conditioner. With all the additions, I was able to fill the bed to almost the original level. I filled the rest of the way with top soil that I purchased.

I give my wife roses for Valentine?’s Day every year. But, instead of cut flowers, she gets rose bushes. That way she gets to enjoy them through the summer and fall. We order by mail in January. There are also several garden centers within a mile or two of Zachary Woods that have top quality plants. They should usually be planted in spring, March ?– May, and blooms will appear within a month or two. I picked a few roses before Easter this year, but the hail and late freeze slowed things down again.

I have also rescued some rose bushes from the ?“bargain?” rack at the local garden centers as late as July. You have to pick the plants carefully to be sure they are still healthy, and take more care when planting, but plants that sell for $20 in March are available for $2 to $5 in July.

There are several types of roses?—I have hybrid tea, floribunda, grandaflora and shrub roses. Hybrid tea are traditional long stem roses, Floribunda have several flowers on shorter stems and grandaflora have lots of flowers. The shrub roses are covered with small flowers, but don?’t make good cut flowers.

Roses need a lot of water. I water newly planted bushes regularly for the first few weeks. When the weather turns hot and dry in July and August, I usually water once a week. Water early in the morning, and do it slowly, giving each bush about 3 gallons of water each time.

Mulch also helps keep moisture in and weeds from growing. Because of the diseases and insects that can accumulate in the mulch, I replace mulch every few years.

Insects are a constant problem with roses. Spring brings aphids, and other bugs come throughout the year. I usually check the plants before spraying and pick off any ladybugs first. Ladybugs are helpful and actually eat the aphids, so I want to keep them around. Beginning in May, the June Bugs, or Japanese Beetles, arrive. There are several kinds, but all are the adult stage of grub worms that chew up your grass roots later in the summer. I spray once a week with an insect/disease spray. This controls most of the bugs, but the best way to control the beetles is to pick them off and squash them.

Roses are prone to diseases like Black Spot, Rust and Powdery Mildew. Keeping the bushes pruned, and spraying regularly with a fungicide helps keep diseases from taking over.

Cutting roses for the house, or to share with neighbors is actually good for them. Cutting the flowers encourages the bush to make more flowers. This is the only part of rose care that my wife really enjoys. We usually have fresh roses in the house from May till November.

About the Author:
Joel Raeber swears he?’s not a gardening expert but his beautiful flowers tell us otherwise! You?’ve probably seen him ?“playing?” in his garden year ?‘round right here in the neighborhood. He?’s the friendly gardener who always has time to help his neighbors by giving us gardening advice.