Let's Get this (Garden) Party Started!

We are coming to the end of a long, cold Winter, I hope. I do so fervently hope! We had the first really warm, dry weekend of the year...as in, two whole days in a row of beautiful weather when both of us could work in the garden. And work we did!

►First up: pruning the roses. All 60 bushes! Yes, you may notice a reduction in the total number because the extremely harsh Winter we have just survived was quite unkind to 3 of the newest: two First Prize (pink) and one New Day (yellow), all  hybrid teas. And, most...if not all...of the remaining ones suffered damage in some way or other. Sigh.

Unpruned roses in
The Way Back Rose Garden

Still, that gave me a good excuse (like I really needed one) to order three new Grandifloras: Sweetness, Lagerfeld, and Wild Blue Yonder (AARS-winner)...all purple er, lavender, since the Rose World doesn't really recognize "purple" as a proper color for roses. Right. Plus, I will be ordering a Midas Touch, an AARS-winning hybrid tea which is my fave yellow rose of all time, and two The Alnwick® Rose, a beautiful pink David Austin "English shrub" rose.

I prepared for the chore by reading up on →rose pruning basics and by purchasing a →new pair of pruning shears. Both steps helped to make this the EASIEST year yet for pruning all our Rose Garden beauties.

→Basics: I have been researching Rose Pruning for a Master Gardening program I will be presenting in early March. I've used many sources, but I'll give a shout-out to the easiest to read, although it is an ancient publication by internet standards (1994): Roses for North Carolina. Here's what the NC State author had to say about pruning:

Pruning: Pruning could be one of the most important and necessary steps in growing roses. Correct pruning will improve the overall shape, promote new, healthier growth, and eliminate dead, (damaged), or diseased canes. Most of the annual pruning in North Carolina should be done in the spring, just as the buds break dormancy. [This is usually quoted as 'when the forsythia blooms'.] The most important thing is to look at the buds. The gardener who prunes too early will gamble future growth to frost, and one who prunes too late will have a plant weakened by loss of sap. So watch for the buds, when they begin to swell, go ahead and prune. Spring pruning also allows for removal of wood which was damaged by the winter. This is helpful in the overall shaping of the rose. The height of the plant can be controlled by pruning, and even after a severe pruning new canes will usually grow to the desired height.

Sharp pruning shears are necessary. Pruning cuts should be clean and at a (45-degree)slant. The wood should be removed about 1/4 inch above an outside bud. Be sure to cut a cane down to a point where the cross-section shows no sign of discoloration. Periodically dip the pruning shears in a 70% alcohol solution to decrease spread of disease organisms. Tree roses are pruned primarily for shape, thus requiring severe pruning cuts. Climbers are pruned according to class. The spring flowering ramblers are pruned immediately after blooming. The old wood is removed to stimulate new growth which will flower the next year. Many climbers are pruned to be kept within a basic boundary with the older canes pruned. Corrective pruning and pruning diseased canes should be done as soon as necessary.

Pruning, like thinning, is hard for me. Really, really hard. As I said to Mr. T while we were wielding our shears and whacking branches left and right, "I feel like Morticia." (Any Addams Family fans out there?) But, I have learned that the better job I do at pruning the roses in the late Winter, the fewer pests (critters and diseases) I will have to deal with come Summer. And the better quality of blooms I get! Win-win, as they say!!

Of course, a "better job" of pruning really depends on a "better class" of pruners. For years, I have used a pair of Fiskars general purpose pruners...mainly because they were inexpensive and readily available locally (I tend to loose them). But for the past few years, the arthritis in my hands has progressively worsened...leaving me in pain after a weekend of pruning our roses. Not this year. I was determined to find something different...something better. Let the research begin!

→Pruning Shears: The gold standard for rose professionals has long been Felco bypass pruning shears. Ask any Rosarian and you will most certainly hear the virtues of the brand extolled. Not my personal choice, though.  You see, I have these short, pudgy, arthritic hands, and I just haven't had much luck with getting pruners, including the top-of-the-line, to fit comfortably...until now, that is.

First, I found an interactive comparison guide to pruning shears online, which is great but does NOT include all models (as I was to learn later in my research). It did give me some guidance...and introduce me to the concept of shears for small hands, as well as some new names (at least for me) in the biz. It also helped me narrow down what I was seeking in my new pruners: shorter length, lighter weight, and ergonomic design. As always, I wanted to find the best...but my economical self was still in the room.

Since local offerings of the names on the list are slim-to-none (and Slim left town...pah-dum-pum!), I ordered several varieties from Amazon.com, including Fiskars, Corona, and Bahco, and gave them the squeeze test. It was immediately apparent which one would be the one I'd choose to whack my way through 60+ rose bushes: the Bahco. Surprise!

I'd never heard of Bahco before this, but after a weekend of heavy pruning, I will never be without Bahco Ergonomic Pruner for Small Hands PX-S2 again. I'm returning the others, considering the return shipping cost to be a small price to pay for being able to compare the different models in my kitchen (I couldn't actually use them to prune outdoors, since I knew I'd be returning them; so, I was limited in my "test" to holding and pretend-pruning).

So, here you have a picture of the Rose Garden as it looked on Monday morning. If you compare this to the one above, you will notice that you can see the containers around the bird bath...something that was hidden before.  The eagle-eyed among you might even spot Mr. T (upper left corner of the shot...:-).

Pruned roses
in The Way Back Rose Garden

►Second: preparing for planting potatoes. I prepped 6 bags (three black, three blue), as shown in the picture below. I plan on using the blue bags to grow the purple-skinned potatoes called Midnight Moon, that I have ordered from Burpee. Yes, I said purple potatoes! Cannot wait to see how they turn out this year!

Potato Grow Bags...
All ready for St. Patrick's Day!

I have had such good success with Grow Bags in the past, especially when I get the planting mix right. I use 1/3 top soil (bagged), 1/3 compost (bagged, mushroom), and 1/3 shredded leaves, with about 1/4 cup bone meal mixed into the bottom layer. Makes a perfect light, lofty soil for potatoes. Then, when it comes time to "hill up" as the green part of the plants grow bigger, I add more leaves and compost to create an easy, light medium for harvesting the potatoes. Heck, you can just stick your hand into the bag and grab a few early potatoes if you want!

►Last: cleaning up. While I concentrated on the roses and the potato prep, Mr. T worked like two men possessed on cleaning up the whole 1/4 acre we call the Way Back. It's surprising how much mess a hard Winter plus two Pound Puppies can generate in 4 months. If you look closely at the photo above, you can see where Winston likes to play King of the Hill!  On top of the bags of leaves, next to the fence. Whew...what an energetic puppy!

We did have a bit of excitement this weekend. Mr. T received a FitBit Flex wristband for Valentine's Day from moi. [For those of you who haven't read about our foray into fitness, check out the posts on our family blog, The Adsit Adventure.] Sunday night, after a day spent almost entirely in the garden, he noticed that the wristband was no longer on his arm. Uh oh. He took the flashlight out to the Way Back, but you can imagine how much luck he had with that. And, no luck by the light of Monday morning either. So, Monday afternoon after he'd finished work, he dumped both yard-waste toters...filled with prickly rose branches and other prunings...out; no luck there either.

He started making the round of "where I was at different times of the day," when he went to the compost bin where he'd dumped the remains of the prunings of the 4 pampas grass clumps. He pulled the front side forward and there it was...just hanging there, like it was waiting for him to find it. Relief!

BTW, about that foray into fitness? You might have read about my (pretend) bike ride across the USA to Disneyland in order to get/keep me in shape for gardening this year. Well, folks...it must be working! I challenged my body by working in the garden for 10-12 hours over the weekend...lots of reaching, pulling, lifting, twisting, stretching, kneeling, etc.; and I am here to report that, other than sore arm muscles, I felt fine on Monday morning! Hurrah!!

Now, we have snow in the forecast for tomorrow (!), but it should be a non-event. And we should be heading into warmer days as we flip the calendar over on Saturday. This gardener, for one, cannot wait!

Happy hoeing!