Beginner Tips, by Elena Williams

Rose Showing

If you have never entered a Rose Show, don't feel shy! It is an adventure and a learning experience. Yes, there are rules and entry tags to be filled out properly, but if you attend the TCRC meetings this spring, our Consulting Rosarians will explain and demonstrate those details.

Your job now is to grow and care for the roses you will show. Keeping the foliage clean and disease free early in the growing season is important because most categories require some foliage on the stems with blooms. Regular fertilizing and watering will also help the roses on the way to the show. There will be entry classes for many types of roses including shrub roses, miniature roses, large flowered hybrid teas and others. Arrangements of roses are also an important part of the Rose Show. Be eager to try, to learn, to make new friends and to become involved in your hobby and your club.

Pruning Winter Damaged Canes - A Two Step Approach

By the time you will be reading this, the most severe part of the winter will be behind us and some rose canes in you garden will be showing signs of winterkill. Each bush in your garden is unique. It would be a mistake to just go out and prune each bush to the same height, on the same day. The combination of plant genetics, location of the bush, winter protection and severity of the winter all affect the amount of rough pruning you will need to do. This may also vary from year to year on the same bush!

Winterkill is easy to spot. First, the cane just looks dead. The outer bark may look brown or black and the bud eyes will be dry and brittle. Some canes may be several years old and will need to be totally removed, while others require pruning at the point where the cane is green and the bud swell is showing. Thick gloves should be worn when pruning. Use sharp bypass pruners to cut the cane at a 45 degree angle so the top bud is facing outward.

Continue examining the roses as the spring progresses and you will notice that additional pruning may be necessary to thin out weak canes and to provide an appealing shape for the space available. Plan to have the process completed while you can still see the structure of the plant, before the leaves and flower buds are the focus of your attention. Don't forget to enjoy the fresh air, sunshine and visitors to your garden as you complete these important early spring tasks.