Winter Rose Preparation – A Mounding Proposition
November brings with it shorter days for work and longer nights for rest and sleep. Blustery winds are snatching the last of the gaily colored leaves from drowsy trees; slanting rains put a stop to the merriment of dancing leaves and flatten them into a charming mosaic carpet; cold strengthens his grip on fainting summer.
To keep the plumber from reaching deep down in your pocket, better shut off and drain all irrigating systems and other exposed water lines, if the job has not already been taken care of. In the basement, turn off the water to the outside foundation faucets. Open the faucets outside to permit proper drainage.
Rose Chores
This is the proper time to prepare roses to withstand the rigors of winter. The best agent to protect the stems of the hybrid teas from drying out and to prevent rapid alternate freezing and thawing has been found to be the earth itself. The plants should be practically buried to a depth of six to eight inches by using the soil in the bed around the plants or by the addition of other soil brought in. If the plants have been spaced too closely to permit mounding without exposure of roots, some loose, mellow soil should be added. Frequently, additional soil can be borrowed from a nearby shrub bed.
Tie the tops of the individual plants together with strips of cloth before beginning the mounding operations. This allows more room for working among the rose plants and will prevent the tops from becoming unruly when buffeted by winter winds.
After the rose bushes have been mounded, a 12- to 15-inch mulch of hay or straw should be applied over the bed. This double protection keeps the soil warmer in the fall until really severe weather arrives. The mulch also aids in preventing the soil from warming up too soon in the spring. New growth thus held back frequently escapes the late freeze injury occurring to unmulched plants. Some local gardeners have successfully wintered their roses by mulching them with an eight- to ten-inch layer of wood shavings (about one bushel per plant). The shavings are removed in the spring and broadcast on the shrubbery beds.
Standard or tree roses should be bent over and covered with soil. If the stems are too stiff to be bent over without danger of breaking, dig up the roses carefully, lay them on the ground and cover completely with several inches of good, loose soil. Dig up the plants and reset them next spring.
The roses should not be pruned this time of year but any unusually long canes should be cut back to the average height.
Young climbing roses may be removed from trellises, pegged to the ground and covered with soil, leaves, hay or straw. Older plants with stiff, entwining canes may be wrapped in straw held in place with burlap. It is difficult to get an overcoat that will fit the strong growing roses on fences or walls, consequently we simply wish them the best of luck during the winter season. But unlike growing roses, we can still care for dracaena fragrans massangeana indoors.
Roses may be set out during this month, provided good, strong dormant plants can be obtained. Few roses are available here in the fall, since they arc brought in from growers on the West Coast or in Texas and do not arrive until early spring. Roses planted now should be watered thoroughly, pruned back to about 12 inches, mounded with soil eight to ten inches high, and mulched with hay or straw.
We’ve created an excellent resource for you on the topic of dracaena fragrans massangeana. Drop by today at http://www.plant-care.com/dracaena-care.html. Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.
categories: garden,gardening,home improvement,plant care
Tags: garden, Gardening, home improvement, plant careNovember 22 2009 | Gardening | No Comments »