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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 ...
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Adventures In Eden - a book review

Adventures in Eden: An Intimate Tour of the Private Gardens of Europe by Carolyn Mullet (Timber Press, December 8, 2020)

The cover photograph of undulating ribbons of boxwood with tulips sprinkled within is a resplendent invitation to the contents awaiting inside this beautiful coffee table book.

The garden is Broughton Grange and it is just one of fifty private European gardens in the book authored by Carolyn Mullet, a garden designer and garden tour guide. The gardens are arranged in chapters divided by country and they include England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Scandanavia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Italy.

The book includes gardens for every taste. Large estate gardens with walled gardens, secret gardens contained within clipped hedges, small cottages smothered in wisteria,  and more are illustrated with enchanting photographs. The narrative discusses the history of the gardens and how they are maintained.


Some of the gardens profiled include The Garden of Cosmic Speculation in Scotland and Helen Dillon's new garden in Monkstown on Dublin Bay. A good majority of the gardens are ones designed in the popular Piet Oudolf style. One of my favorites was Jardin de la Louve in Provence designed by Nicole de Vesian who was seventy when she made it. 

This is a great book to dream with during the winter months.

 


 

I was provided with a digital review copy of this book from NetGalley.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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  1. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 6, 2020 at 2:58 AM

    Looks like this one will be a good one, as you say for winter.

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