I’m Charlie Nardozzi and this is
the Vermont Garden Journal. Roses can be viewed as the most desirable flower or
just a pain to grow. It depends on your attitude. As Abraham Lincoln once said,
"You can complain
because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses." One
of the challenges of roses is pruning and now is the time to do it. In spring
it’s easy to see any blackened, winter injured canes and live buds. Proper
pruning invigorates the bush creating more flowers, but less disease.
Landscape, shrub, and species roses
need only minimal pruning. Remove dead, broken or crossing canes, thin, spindly
canes coming from the base of the bush, and 1/3rd of the older canes. For
hybrid roses you’ll do all of that and more, cutting back the height of all
hybrid tea and floribunda canes by a third of their height. To encourage less
disease, make cuts at a 45 degree angle, 1/4 inch above an outward facing bud.
For the beginner rose grower, try the rosa rugosa or the
new Knockout roses. These are very forgiving roses that bloom almost in spite
of the gardener.
For this week’s garden tip, deter
moles in your lawn by spraying castor oil. Moles hate the smell of it, will get agitated, and leave after a few
days. Castor oil is safe for animals, wildlife, and people. Next week on the
Vermont Garden Journal, I’ll be talking about dividing perennials. For now,
I’ll be seeing you in the garden!