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Spring & Early Summer - Mid-Atlantic
Give Roses Full Sun
Roses need sunshine, with full sun all day long being the optimum. If you have to go the partial sun route, try for at least six hours a day of full sun. It's best if those hours include midday when the sun most intense.
Mulch Roses
Mulching is one of the kindest things you can do for your roses. Use old chopped leaves, fine bark particles, half-finished compost, cocoa bean hulls, herbicide-free grass clippings or landscaping straw, whatever is available. Apply a flat layer several inches thick over the root area, but do not allow it to touch the stems or canes.
Give Roses an Alfalfa Tonic
Try this summer tonic for roses in need of a little TLC (tender loving care). Soak four cups of alfalfa pellets or fines in five gallons of water (or 3/4 cup to one gallon) for about a week or until it ferments, stirring occasionally. Use one gallon of liquid per bush monthly. Add the dregs to your compost pile.
DeadHead Roses
Deadheading means removing the old flowers when they fade and look bad. On repeat bloomers, deadheading will increase flowering. Cut at about a 45-degree angle just above a leaf. The leaf should be heading in the direction you want the plant to grow next -- usually outward.
Invest in Rosarian Tools
Experienced rosarians know that having the right tools can make tending roses more enjoyable. Use a sharp bladed by-pass pruner sized to fit your hand; a rotating model can enhance hand and wrist comfort. Long gauntlet style gloves and a nifty little thorn stripper for cut roses will come in handy, too.
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Resources
Web site:
Rose Pruning
Rose pruning can be a bewildering task for the new grower. The Pruning Methods Web site from Texas A&M makes it quite simple and provides great information on pruning many types of roses. Bookmark it for later reference!  Website
Recipes
Rose Hip-Apple Jelly
Ingredients:
3 quarts ripe rose
hips, washed and
trimmed
3 tart medium-size apples,
cored and chopped
5 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
3 rounded teaspoons Fruit-
Fresh or ascorbic acid or 3 tablespoons lemon juice
6-1/2 cups sugar
5 drops red food coloring
(optional)
1 package (1-3/4 ounces)
powdered Sure-Jell or
other powdered fruit
pectin
Preparation:
Wash, air dry, trim, halve, and remove seeds from rose hips. Combine hips with apple, water, wine, and Fruit-Fresh in a large stainless steel or enamel pan. Boil until apple is soft and the hips begin to split, or about 15 to 20 minutes.
Crush apples and hips and boil a bit longer. Remove from heat and process in a blender or food processor. Strain solids through a jelly bag. This should yield about 5 cups of juice. If not, add additional wine to make 5 cups.
Return juice to a clean pan, add food coloring, if desired, and bring back to a rolling boil. Continue boiling for 5 minutes. Stir in Sure-Jell and bring back to a full boil (one that cannot be stopped by stirring).
Add sugar and bring back to another full boil. Stirring constantly, boil 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove any foam as necessary.
Ladle into sterilized jars to within 1/4-inch of the rim. Cap and band jars immediately, then turn jars upside down for 10 minutes. Turn over and wait to hear the "pop." Label and date.
Makes seven half-pint jars. | |
