Rose Gardening Tasks Early Spring

Rose - Photo: Pexels

When should you start preparing your rose garden for the onset of spring and summer?  Well, if you live in an area where you can start seeing the promise of spring in late March or early April, then you're an "early spring" rose, gardener. However, if you live where March and April still bring icy rain and snow, then just keep waiting out old man winter until your turn at spring arrives and then follow the tips in this article.

Early spring is a time of great activity in the rose garden as you prepare for the beautiful buds that will be sprouting almost any day. Here's a summary of what needs to be done in order to prepare your roses for the tough growing season that lies ahead.

If you covered your roses with dirt or mulch, your first step is to gently remove the protective materials so you can introduce your dormant bushes to the warming spring sun and rains that lie ahead.

Before beginning your spring pruning activities, cut back any dead and damaged canes that did not survive the winter. Be sure to clear away any debris and residue from around the bushes as well.

Prepare the soil to nurture your plants by adding some organic compounds. You can either buy pre-packaged organics from your favorite garden supplier, or you can mix up your own recipe using composted manure or mushroom compost, or any of the usual meal blends which can include alfalfa, cottonseed, fish or blood meal.  See below for some suggestions.

Work your soil with a spade or hoe if it has become too compacted during the winter or if you notice standing water after watering your plants. Roses require well-drained soil to thrive.

After soil preparation is done you can plant any new additions to your garden including container-grown roses.

Next, it is time to begin your fungicide spraying regiment either immediately or, if you prefer to wait, approximately 14 days after you complete your pruning.  Opinions on the best time differ. The choice is yours.

Remember to rotate through different fungicides during the year to prevent any fungi from becoming immune to any one product.

Don't use any pesticides unless you see evidence of damage, but remember to keep a sharp eye out for aphids which are as much a sign of spring as April showers are. Hit them with a blast of water to remove them, or apply insecticide in a mister to the affected areas.

Imagine how hungry you'd be if you just woke up from a long winter hibernation! Well, your Roses are hungry too. The best way to coax them from dormancy to budding is to feed them now and every other week through the remainder of the growing season. Water well after feeding!  Feed with a fertilizer balanced for Nitrogen (N), Phosphates (P2O5) and Potash (K2O). Nitrogen stimulates the growth of leaves and canes and increases the size of the bush. Phosphate stimulates the growth of roots, canes, and stems and speeds up flowering. Potash stimulates the production of top quality blooms and improves the drought and disease resistance of the plant. A well-balanced fertilizer with these elements is 10-10-10. 

Another popular spring fertilizer is Osmocote which is a controlled release fertilizer that releases nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium depending on soil temperature. The 18-6-12 (8 to 9-month term) formulation is recommended for this area. Osmocote is also available with trace elements added in a product with the name of Sierra 17-6-10 Plus Minors Controlled Release Fertilizer

There! Your rose garden is ready for spring, but remember your work is far from over. If spring is near then summer can't be far behind. Read our summer article at http://www.RoseGarden-How-To.com to learn how to prepare your roses for the coming summer heat.

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Gardening With SPRING Trees And Shrubs

Flowering Trees - Photo: Pixabay

Spring is the time when gardening becomes once more of interest to everyone who has any interest in gardening and any size of the plot, from a window box to stately acres. In most gardens structure is formed using hard landscaping, trees, and shrubs, but they are much more than just shapes. Trees make a functional and beautiful contribution to many gardens. It is vital to take time in selecting the right size and shape of spring tree and to think through what exactly you want from it. Not easily moved once established, never has the consideration of “right plant, right place” been more important in gardening than with trees! Many trees in spring, most famously fruit trees, cheer our hearts with their pink or white abundance of blossom. In fact, the vast majority of flowering and fruiting trees bear their flowers in the spring season.

Magnolias are spectacular trees and shrubs which look absolutely stunning when in full bloom. Gardening is so rewarding when you can see such a wonderful sight and know that you planted that beautiful thing, that you are responsible for its site and the marvelous contribution it makes to your spring display. Even in the smaller garden, Magnolias can be grown, notably Magnolia Stellata. Most Magnolias are happy in most soils, with the proviso that they are rich in humus, although some cultivars prefer lime-free conditions. Generally, in gardening terms, they are slow growing but very beautiful when fully mature.

Various Prunus varieties are wonderful trees for the spring garden. To mention but one, Prunius Avium ‘Plena’ reaches an eventual height of 50ft, it is hardy, prefers full sun and is a deciduous spreading tree. Its bark has a reddish tinge and it produces masses and masses of purest white flowers in spring. Its leaves are dark green but turn red in the fall before they, well…fall. A smaller Prunus is Prunus ‘Shogetsu’ with pink buds opening in late spring to form big double white flowers hanging in clusters. The green leaves turn orange and red in the fall. Gardening with spring trees and shrubs tends to bring interest in seasons other than spring, as spring flowers herald fruits and deciduous plants tend to have pretty autumnal shades.

Viburnum Plicatum ‘Pink Beauty’ is a lovely shrub for its spring flowers. Its blooms are white turning later to pink, then red (turning to black) fruits appear. Its eventual height is about five feet, and it is fully hardy. Gardening enthusiasts will be familiar with Ribes Sanguineum with its bright green aromatic leaves and deep pinky red flowers are borne in spring. Some people don’t like the scent too much. Acer Palmatum ‘Corallinum’ is a deciduous shrub which is very slow growing to an eventual height of five feet. Its young spring leaves are lobed and bright reddish-pink, turning green for summer and bright red, orange or yellow in autumn. Truly a shrub for all seasons (well, except winter I suppose, being deciduous). Amelanchier Laevis is a famous tree suitable for small gardens and with virtually all-around gardening interest. I include it here because of its gorgeous sprays of white flowers in spring. It has bronze spring leaves which turn dark green in summer followed by round, lush red fruits, and lovely autumnal foliage. Great in spring, but truly a tree for gardening through the seasons.

Spring is a wonderful time of year for gardening and while you are out there planting your bedding, do look around you and use your nose to smell the scent of the apple blossom and the gorgeous cherry blossoms. They are not around for very long so while you are doing the gardening, just take at least a few moments to contemplate the beauty of your spring trees and shrubs.

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