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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 ...

HPSO Garden Tour: Dragonfly Hollow


Fun day today. Michael, Rebecca, McKenzie and I visited two beautiful gardens on the HPSO (Hardy Plant Society Oregon) Garden Tour. There were five gardens altogether, all located in Vancouver. It was nice and cool, with temperatures in the 60s. It did come a brief shower when we got to the second garden but not enough to deter us.

First up was Dragonfly Hollow, not too far from where we live. This lovely garden was located in a heavily wooded area and chock full of interesting plants, spectacular plant combinations and artwork. It is the garden of designer Vanessa Nagel. Lots of inspiration and great ideas!

I will share photos of the second garden, Matsu Kaze (Wind in the Pines), in my next post. If you like conifers and Japanese maples, you are in for a treat!




























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Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Looks like a lovely garden, with some beautiful stone mosaics.

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  2. Wow. This is inspirational. I love all of those yellow-green grasses. I can't seem to get them to grow here. It must be our dry hot weather. I love the stone circle too. Lovely.

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  3. So glad you got to see Vanessa's lovely garden. She has such a good eye for plant combinations, and the whole garden is beautifully designed. And practically in your backyard!

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  4. What a great garden! The rock mosaic path and steps are absolutely gorgeous - and the plants, SO large and luscious...

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  5. Dragonfly Hollow? I love that name!

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  6. Yet another fabulous garden? Must have been a great day. Your photo of the Hakone grass, hostas, and...the other plant--just perfect.

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