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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 ...

Fort Vancouver Garden



I was not interested in watching the debate last week, so I decided to get out of the house. I've been wanting to visit the Fort Vancouver Garden for years and decided to go on the spur of the moment. 

Once I got there, it occurred to me that this was not the peak time to see a vegetable garden but what I did see was interesting and there were quite a number for visitors milling about. 

This garden once comprised eight acres and the food grown there fed the Hudson's Bay Company Fort's  residents. Today's garden is a smaller version and the vegetables and flowers grown there are some of the same varieties found in the fort's records.











Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. You chose a great way to spend the day, instead of tv. It's a lovely garden, I really like photo #3 showing off the pathways.

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  2. As vegetable gardens go, that's a very pretty one, especially given how late in the season is is!

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  3. Your photos are beautiful. I especially like the sunflower. We went in mid-June and again in late July. I guess it's time to go again to see the progression through the seasons. In June the rose arbor was completely covered in beautiful white blooms.

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  4. It sure looks like a beautiful place even here at the end of the growing season.

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