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Rose Pruning Again

Late February to early March is the time for the major pruning of roses. Back in December, I did a preliminary pruning , now is the time for the last major pruning before the spring season begins.  First, a comment on hybrid tea roses. This is what most people have in their gardens. I only have a few hybrid tea roses. These are the roses that need the most drastic pruning. Basically, you cut all the canes down to about 1 foot, making the cuts right above an outward-facing bud. The result will be something like this -  Most of my roses fall into the shrub and climbing categories. These roses are pruned differently and not as severe as the hybrid teas. For shrub roses (and many of the David Austin English roses fall into this category), I first take out the older canes completely to the ground. The older canes are easy to spot - they will be thicker and darker in color. After thinning out the older canes, I remove any canes that are damaged, crossing one another and canes that ...

Snow today, gone tomorrow


It was here one day and gone the next! That is okay - it was beautiful while it lasted. A reader was telling me that she had not seen her ground for two weeks because of snow. I know that it can get old. It was strange though seeing everything covered in white yesterday morning and all gone by the afternoon.

I said in the previous post that I did not want to get out in it. I changed my mind and did venture out briefly to take more photos. It was a very sunny morning and so beautiful but very cold. The snow was melting fast and falling from the trees in heavy thuds. From inside the house, it sounded like gunshots. 

Believe it or not, next week we are supposed to have temperatures in the 70s! Typical weather for the south.

Now that snow is out of our system (that doesn't mean we can get more), I am ready for spring and thoughts are returning to gardening. I hope to get some vegetable seeds planted this weekend. 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy 














Comments

  1. Yep. Tired of it. I hope our snow goes away tomorrow or possibly Sunday. There is hope anyway.

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  2. You captured a lot of beautiful vignettes in your garden! Snow does have a magical effect on the landscape but I think I am glad we only get it in occasional doses.

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  3. Phillip, those are wonderful photos. The contrast between the evergreen plants and the snow makes the pictures more colorful and also seems to accent the extremes between green and growing and cold and frozen. In my garden everything has died back so my photos all look black and white.

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  4. Your Mahonia seemed to have earned it's keep, determined to bloom no matter what. It's wonderful scent must have encouraged you to take the pictures despite the chill.

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  5. I'll check back later, right now I'm only seeing the second picture, all others are a minus sign.

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  6. They are lovely photo's .....

    All the best Jan

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  7. Well, I know you aren't used to it, but I have to admit that it was a pretty snow! Now multiply that by day after day after day, and you'll see my dilemma. Boring! I'm so over the snow! But I enjoyed looking at yours----from afar!

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  8. Sure, you get the beautiful fluffy snow, we got the coating of ice.

    *envy*

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