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 ...
What a delightful cornucopia of evergreens. Each and every are charming in their own way. I really like the small norway pine with those little cones on it and the shaggy blue shrub. Nothing like giving me a bad case of the wants.
ReplyDeleteYou have some really lovely specimens! I admired Cedrus deodara very much when we first moved here, but I was afraid of how big it might get.
ReplyDeleteAlison, this particular one is not supposed to get that big (4' I think).
DeleteI adore conifers. They MAKE the northwest winter garden. There is such a verity of size color and shape I never tire of them. I can never name any of them, including the unnamed specimen you moved the first year. A couple of times I try to relocate a conifer, but it didn't survive. You should feel proud; your move seem to have been very successful!
ReplyDeleteThey're all gorgeous ! Did you get them from Y&G ?
ReplyDeleteI just did a count and they all came from YnG except for five. The sequoia came from Gossler Farms and some of the larger plants (like the Spanish Fir) came from a nursery that is no longer in business. I bought a lot of things there before I even knew YnG existed.
DeleteI followed a photo when researching Catherine Elizabeth and was pleased to find your lovely conifer collection. I have oodles of them. Two hopefully useful comments: I have a Kelly's Prostrate that is over 3' tall and 6-7' wide, from a 10" tall x 3' wide 10 gallon after 10 years. It's still growing several inches a year! And the yellow one at the end of your post looks just like my new Chamaecyparis lawsoniana "Treasure Island". Thanks for sharing your beautiful conifers with us. Steve
ReplyDeleteHi Steven, thank you! Oh my, I may need to consider moving Kelly's Prostrate if it gets that big. I had no idea!
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