Happy Monday evening
to you all!
We are having a bit of rain this afternoon
and into the evening.
For friends over on the East Coast,
here’s hoping the blizzard that is coming in won’t
knock out your power,
that you’ll be safe and snug
inside your warm homes!
Well, this past week and weekend,
I’ve begun clipping back the rose garden.
I used the electric hedge trimmers and
really thinned out the boxwood
around our central, large planter area
last weekend.
This weekend, it was more about the roses.
Still not done, but getting there!
to you all!
We are having a bit of rain this afternoon
and into the evening.
For friends over on the East Coast,
here’s hoping the blizzard that is coming in won’t
knock out your power,
that you’ll be safe and snug
inside your warm homes!
Well, this past week and weekend,
I’ve begun clipping back the rose garden.
I used the electric hedge trimmers and
really thinned out the boxwood
around our central, large planter area
last weekend.
This weekend, it was more about the roses.
Still not done, but getting there!
 |
| a last little rose, all mangled from rain and mildew ~ still ethereal! |
Cutting roses back for winter:
*For anyone who is new to roses, if you want
great blooms
they have to be stripped, cut back into a kind-of
spread-out-like-an-open-hand look.
*Also, cut out any dead canes
(they’ll be really brown or black).
*Depending upon where you live, you may have to
cut your rose bushes back to about a foot or two tall.
Where it gets really cold (0 degrees or lower), you’ll need
to cut your roses back to what I mentioned above,
plus
you’ll also want to cover them with a good pile
of straw or leaves, then some dirt. You’ll uncover them in spring,
after the hard freezes are over.
Here in California,
I can leave mine about 3′ tall, and here in So Cal, we don’t get
really much under 32 degrees F.,
so we don’t need to worry about mulching for winter.
Our mulching comes in the spring/summer
to help keep rose bushes from drying out!🙂
Here in this photograph, I’ve shown the beginnings
of cutting back the canes to an
outward-facing bud.
This is where a new branch will develop.
Next, I’ll cut out any canes that will cross each other.
These cause canes to rub each-other,
which can damage the plant and allow in bugs
that can damage or kill the plant.
 |
| This is one of our climbers, next to the pool. This photo shows how I cleared all the dead leaves from underneath. |
Every year or two,
you’ll also want to cut out an old cane or two
to bring in some new canes.
This keeps the plant healthier,
plus old canes get thick and woody.
They are hard to cut!
Sometimes needing a saw!
Now, for my climbers
I DO leave more of the old canes,
as they help support the new growth’s weight.
(Need those thick trunks to hold up all the arching branches.)
 |
| The backyard last week as the fog crept in. Boxwood in deperate need of clipping! |
 |
| One of a pair of local ducks who come and visit our bird feeder |
 |
| Our local falcon coming to check out the sparrow and mourning doves |
 |
| our lettuce and onions, and a few small yellow tomatoes |
Do make sure to clean up ALL of the dead and dropped leaves
from your roses,
as much as you can,
as these leaves if left will contribute to diseases lingering
from year to year.
Also, I only really spray my bushes after getting them all
cleaned up.
Use environmentally safe insecticides and fungicides,
whenever possible.
🙂
There are the boxwoods just before their latest trim, photo above.
Mr. Falcon visited our feeder
just after I took a water break.
I didn’t even have time to get the camera on the tripod…
Had to go with the blurred photo.
🙂
Our resident ducks and our salad greens…
Have a lovely evening,
and
Happy gardening!
Barb 🙂
Sharing with Feathered Nest Friday ~
~ Thanks ever much for sharing this blog! I do appreciate it. 🙂 ~
