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Winter Rose Care & Pruning

Although major rose pruning is not done until late February into early March, there are a few things I do to get roses settled in for the winter. First, I wait until the first frost has occurred before I do anything. That happened on December 1 this year, a little later than normal. If you do any pruning prior to that, new growth will be encouraged, and it will just be nipped later. I will then do minimal pruning, about 1/3 of the plant or to about waist-high. It does not matter how you make the cuts. More precise pruning will be done in late winter. Giving roses a slight pruning at this time will decrease the damage from strong winter winds. Roses are not deeply rooted, and any long canes can spell trouble. Pick off any remaining leaves, if possible. I know that can be a big job if there are still many leaves left on the plant but you don't want leaves, especially diseased leaves, left to fall and harbor spores for next season. Clean the area around the base of the rose. Rake out ...

The colors of autumn




Reds, yellows and oranges are blazing throughout the garden. The fall color seemed to arrive suddenly this year. I just wish it could last longer. It won't be long before colder temperatures will rip away this colorful tapestry.

The crepe myrtles are lovely this time of year. This one, "Muskogee", is at the entrance to our driveway. It was a foggy morning when I took this photo.

That same afternoon, the sun was setting and lit up the tree like it was on fire. I ran to grab the camera to get this shot -



Another colorful crepe myrtle is "Natchez" which is right outside the bedroom window.








Chinese Pistache is a small tree that seems to be gaining popularity. They are planted alongside one of our major roads here in Florence. Ours grows by the patio.



What would autumn be like without maple trees? These leaves are from 'Autumn Blaze' which lives up to its' name.





The Japanese Maple 'Sango-Kaku'



A trio of colorful trees - Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus), Dogwood and Crepe Myrtle.



The most colorful grass in our garden is Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)



Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi' hasn't been as floriferous this year but still commands a lot of attention.



A few mums still holding on



“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” - Stanley Horowitz

Comments

  1. Hey Phillip,

    You have some absolutely fantastic fall colors. The crape myrtles are spectacular...and the Chasmanthus looks perfect paired with the blue pot! Gold and blue is a great combo.

    Have a lovely weekend.

    Gail

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  2. just beautiful, some of them look as if they are on fire!

    The Brugmansia is pretty too, I like the way the leaf veins stand out too. I have a white one, but the leaves are pretty dull in comparision.

    Zoë

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  3. I like the picture of the foggy morning! The shots of the sun shining really captures the colors though. Our myrtles always look pretty in the fall but this year, they look better then I have ever seen them in the past! Brilliant colors of orange and reds.

    Isnt it fun to find all the brightly colored leaves on the ground like a pretty blanket?

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  4. Hi Phillip, such beauty at your place and so well captured! Thanks for giving me that camera info too. You have a great selection of small trees, all stand outs. Your garden is a paradise.
    Frances

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  5. Seeing all these pictures makes me want to visit your garden again.:-)
    I can hardly wait until next April and May.

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  6. I like the fact that you have tree formed crapes and not the badly pruned ones! They look great. The color on crapes certainly competes with any other fall color tree. Your Japanese maples look really good too!

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  7. How can any gardener go wrong planting Crape Myrtles (where they grow of course). They look good year round and ours are ablaze with color now as well. The Pistache is another good tree that I am seeing more of each year. Beautiful photos, thank you.

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  8. What a superb post, Phillip.
    In San Francisco we do not have such dramatic contrasts in the seasons.
    It has been such a pleasure to look at your blog this year.
    I think the images of the leaves of the Japanese maple "Sango Kaku" on the ground is so poetic.
    I love how you have taken the theme of the fall colors of the trees and shown exaples such as the Chasmantheum next to the blue glazed urn, and the copper colors of the other plant.
    What a fine and delicious post.
    My regards to you and yours,
    Philip

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  9. Love those crepe myrtles Phillip. The bark on these CM's are so beautiful too. Around here CM's are a small shrub that dies back most winters they never get large enough to have such lovely bark. They are probably a different variety. All of your color is outstanding.

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  10. Hi Phillip, you have some great fall color. Unfortunately, around here we have just about nothing. The few trees we do have that fire are not this year because everything has been so dry. The maple is gorgeous, and I love the photo of the red leaves on the ground - so picturesque.

    Jan
    Always Growing

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  11. Ah, autumn in Alabama I remember it well. Your colorful foliage is truly spectacular, Phillip. The Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku ' is a best seller at the garden center where I work. It is lovely beyond description.

    Thanks for sharing your Fall colors.

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  12. You got some really good shots here. The fall leaves look really nice against the fog.

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  13. Phillip--I'm with Skeeter--all the pictures are gorgeous, but my fave is the crepe myrtle in the fog. I can't tell you how many times I've left Ranunculus chafing for his walk while I run in to get the camera. Our color is still pretty intense--the leaves are almost off the dogwoods and cherries, but the oaks have barely started to turn . . .

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  14. Gorgeous, just gorgeous!! I wish we had a real autumn out here in CA... but at least I get to enjoy yours and those of other eastern bloggers vicariously.

    Love the urn fountain too!

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  15. Your garden has so much fall color, Phillip - love the glowing Chinese pistache! Your 'Muskogee' looks great, too. I have a small 'Catawba' crepe myrtle still in a container. It dropped most of the leaves without turning this year but it would be thrilling if is will have some fall color next year.

    I'm almost glad that I got here late and had a couple of posts at once - it was fun to see the contrast between this fiery post and the blues of the Florida coast in the last post.

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  16. I, so much, enjoyed the tour of your fall garden. Absolutely beautiful - great photos!

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  17. It is nice to see some lasting fall color as it makes its' way down the country. Lovely and ethereal photos of your treasures.

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  18. Beautiful photographs of beautiful fall scenes. The fall color on our place wasn't so great, so it's nice to come to your blog and see such brilliant fall foliage.

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