Rose Gardens require large amounts of water. Even in areas where rainfall is considered plentiful, occasional watering will usually be beneficial. A regular irrigation program is necessary to produce good roses in areas with a dry growing season or periodic droughts. The best method of applying water is in a small stream from a hose; … Read more
I became a rose gardener by talking too much. I declared within earshot of a lifelong rose grower and hybridizer that roses were difficult, picky, and hard to care for, and I wasn’t going to plant any in my yard. My rose-growing friend mildly remarked that I was misinformed and wagered that if I would … Read more
Summary: Climbing roses are effective where many other plants are not. Some are valuable for covering walls; others are ideal subjects for training on posts. Is there a climbing rose in your garden? If the answer is no, look around. Nearly every home property has room for at least one climbing rose bush. And, there … Read more
Spring pruning of established roses is always a gamble. If you prune too early, late spring frosts can kill all the canes. If you prune too late, some of the plants’ strength will be lost in the growth of the top shoots. You and you alone must judge when to prune your roses. All roses … Read more
Believe it or not, caring for garden roses needs “pruning” all summer. You probably have accomplished many of these described tasks but not called them “pruning.” If the essential jobs are done correctly, you’ll enjoy more rose blossoms and have healthier and larger rose bushes. Read over these descriptive summer jobs and follow suggestions where … Read more
I buy budded roses for the same reason you do, it is the only kind offered for sale by the nurseries. That is not to say l do it because I want to. On the contrary, I would prefer to buy a healthy plant grown on its roots. But since they are not available and … Read more
The first step in planting a rose garden in Arizona, Kentucky, or anywhere else is carefully selecting the plants. After deciding on the varieties, you’re going to grow (and how much money you can spend), the next question is, “What kind of rose plants are best to buy?” In checking the prices, you will find … Read more
The disease of roses “crown gall” has often been cited as one of the most insistent rose diseases. It appears as rough, knobby, tuberlike growths either above or below ground parts of the plant. In certain locations, it may develop on canes and roots. Galls may grow 2″ or 3″ inches in diameter, occasionally larger. … Read more
What my busy family likes most about floribundas is that they are practically as easy to grow and to maintain, in our southern Michigan landscape as common hardy shrubs. Actually, floribundas are hardy shrubs in every sense of the word. And who could ask more of a plant that blooms all season, beginning the first … Read more
Blood lily, botanically named Scadoxus multiflorus (ska-DOKS-us mul-tih-FLOR-us), is a bulbous herb belonging to the genus Scadoxus and from the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. It’s formerly known as Haemanthus multiflorus, initially described in 1795 by Thomas Martyn, an English botanist. In 1838, the Haemanthus multiflorus was moved by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque to a new genus Scadoxus, … Read more