Rose Garden Pests

Archive for July, 2010

The Sheer Bliss of Gardening

July 11th, 2010

Welcome to Bea’s Beatitudes
By: Bea Kunz

The Sheer Bliss Of Gardening

Summer is upon us and our thoughts are turning more and more to the outside part of our world.

I have read somewhere that gardening in the south is all about our ‘roots’ about who your people were and where you come from. After thinking about that for awhile I think it’s probably some truth in that statement.

When I’m planning my gardens, my mind takes me back to my childhood and the years of growing up on the farm. The gardens and the field’s with row after row of vegetables and flowers, almost without conscious thought I find myself planting the things I remember from those years.

Herb’s are a vivid memory and my first love in the garden. A bounty of culinary herbs is a grand gardening goal!

If you haven’t planted a garden yet, it’s not too late.

Now we know everyone doesn’t live in the country…but guess what? You can still have a garden, a few pretty containers on your deck or by your door overflowing with herbs and flowers will bring you the same joyful sensation as a more expanded garden would.

It’s easy, inexpensive and so much fun!

Gardening is magic and educational. You can travel all around the world and to ancient times as you search the history of different plants. Many have biblical roots.

Herbs are not only beautiful growing in your flower beds they are also beneficial.

Some Things You May Not Know:

Plant garlic in with your roses: Keeps pest away and is a great booster to the growth of the rose bush.

Marigolds scattered through-out your garden will keep your soil free of bad nemotodes.

Got A Question? We Have Answers!

Do you have a question or a topic you would like to see covered here? Let us know. Email Bea at: info@iwomenswork.com

You may subcribe to Bea’s Beatitudes Bi-weekly Newsletter simply by replying to this Email: info@iwomenswork.com

Or Visit the Website: http://www.iwomenswork.com

Bea Kunz is a free lance writer & owner of ‘Sage Hill Herb Farms’ in Petersburg, TN.

You may contact her through the website at:
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com/

Information in the content of Bea’s Beatitudes is not in any way offered as a diagnosis nor treatment for any disease, illness or physical condition. Consult your doctor before using any herb in a medicinal manner.

“A Woman’s Work Is Never Done!”
http://www.iwomenswork.com

Tips For The Rose Gardener

July 9th, 2010

Rose gardens are probably the most popular type of garden in the world, ranging from Marie Antoinette’s famous gardens before the French revolution to a few shrubs tucked in a tiny backyard. With their wonderful scents and lovely blossoms, it is no wonder these surprisingly sturdy plants are so popular. After all, no other flowers are used as frequently as roses to symbolize love and friendship. If you’d like to grow beautiful roses in your yard, try a few of these simple rose gardening tips.

1. Roses need to eat regularly, just like any other living thing. Start feeding your roses before you even place them in the planting hole by adding a scoop of compost.

2. Use specially formulated rose food to help your roses really bloom. If you prefer organic methods, give your roses each a small scoop of Epsom salts, a banana peel, and some rotted compost. They will absolutely love these homegrown garden remedies.

3. Roses need to breathe. Be sure you don’t allow other plants to get to close to your roses. Keep weeds away from the base of your roses with a 2 to 4 inch layer of rotted compost or chip mulch, but be sure you don’t place these weed barriers right against the rose’s stems.

4. Mulch also helps keep your roses from getting too dry. Mulch retains water, so your roses need to be watered less frequently during the summer months.

5. Trim out dead wood. Rose canes that are brown and dead may even be harboring insect pests, so remove them immediately. Always make a clean cut instead of crushing the canes as you remove them.

6. Prune out canes that cross over other canes. Those sharp thorns damage the rose’s outer skin as easily as they snag your hands. Always prune a cane above a bud that faces away from the inside of the plant. This bud will react to the pruning by sending out a new shoot.

7. If your roses are infested by aphids, spray them with insecticidal soap.

8. Always remove pruned canes and spotty leaves from the ground. If you don’t, any fungus on them will re-infect your roses when there is a heavy rainfall.

Finally, the most important rose gardening tip may just be to wear long sleeves and thick gloves when you are working with your roses. A rose thorn can really hurt, especially if it becomes deeply embedded in your hand.

10 Ways to Ensure That Your Garden Roses Stay Fresh in the Hot Summer Months

July 9th, 2010

The heat of summer might be nice for kids to splash in the pool, but it can wreak havoc on your garden roses if you don`t know how to keep them nice and fresh. Looking after your flowers means they`ll be around year after year and you`ll be able to enjoy fresh cut flowers indoors or blooming ones outside.

1. Fertilize. Using the right fertilizer is key, look for one formulated for roses. Also, be sure not to fertilize after August 15th or your roses will bloom too late in the season and be killed by the early frosts.

2. Prune. Do your pruning early in the season to allow for more blooms throughout the summer months. Snipping old flower heads and leaving five leaves below is the best way to do this. Pruning will cause the bush to grow quickly over the summer months.

3. Water. In the heat of summer, your roses will need more water than usual. A heavy watering in the morning is excellent and a light misting at night will help keep those flowers dewy fresh. Never water during the day, when droplets can concentrate the sunlight and cause the leaves and flowers to burn.

4. Soil. Having the right soil will allow the water to reach the roots of your bushes and will draw the roots down. This is why a heavy watering is good, it establishes a deep root system which means the roses will be drawing water even when the top layer of soil is dry. Look for soft, loamy soil mixed with a bit of sand for drainage.

5. Planting. To ensure that your new roses have the best chance at surviving summer, dig a 12 inch hole and fill it with compost and bonemeal. It`s a good idea to loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole, as well, to encourage deep roots.

6. Light. The majority of roses love sunlight and are quite happy with direct sunlight for 6 or so hours a day. However, it`s important to note that there are some hybrids that need shade, so check with your nursery to be sure you are planting your roses in the right place.

7. Spacing. Roses need room to breathe, so don`t crowd them into your flower bed. Allow for plenty of room for air to circulate around them and they will stay cooler and fresher during even the hottest parts of the day.

8. Spray. Unfortunately, all that warm weather is great for pests, too, so you`ll probably need to spray your roses with a repellant of some sort (home made or commercial) to keep these hungry critters at bay.

9. Mulch. Pile a little mulch around the base of your roses to hold in water and keep the roots cool. This is a very simple task that can be done throughout the summer as the mulch is dispersed.

10. Hose. Using the right hose is important. You want one that is flexible enough you can snake it between plants and water the roots.

Roses aren`t as finicky as many people think, especially these days, but they do need some special care for those hot summer months. Taking the care needed to keep the plants fresh and cool will result in healthier roses and fresher blooms throughout the summer, so you can enjoy your flowers all year long. Healthy roses during the summer can provide a myriad of opportunities. It really isn`t that difficult to look after roses if you follow the ten tips given above.

How to reuse your coffee grounds in the garden – Part 1

July 7th, 2010

Using coffee grounds in your garden can be great way to recycle, saving you money and helping the environment into the bargain. If you want to start on a small scale you can collect your own grounds but as your use expands you should be able to pick up grounds being thrown out by local coffee serving establishments. Talking to the managers of coffee shops should secure you these grounds or you can take part in a scheme such as Starbucks’ Grounds for Your Garden’.

One of the main ways to use the grounds in the garden is to utilise the nutrients they contain as a fertiliser. Acid loving plants such as evergreen, azaleas, laurels, rhododendrons, camellias and roses will flourish with grounds sprinkled around them. My own rose bushes thrived once the grounds had been added and this manifested itself in some really beautiful roses. However do be careful that when the grounds are scattered they do not touch the bush itself as this can cause burning.

Another way that I have used grounds to great effect was to mash them up and add them to bald spots on my lawn, within a few days I had healthy, green re-growth. If you have managed to get hold of a large quantity of grounds they can be spread across the whole lawn for an all over rejuvenation, you should see results within three days.

If you wish to use the nutrients from the coffee grounds with less time commitment they make a great addition to your compost bin. A major benefit of this is that they will attract worms into your compost and provide an excellent food source to enable them to thrive. This has the advantage that the worms will aerate your compost, a factor that is crucial for decomposition and they will also help to break down your pile of waste.

As well as attracting useful critters the grounds can also be used as a repellent for those we consider pests. Old grounds can be sprinkled in areas in which you wish to discourage ants, slugs and snails (for instance around a tomato patch). They can also be mixed with orange peel to discourage cats for using your garden as a litter tray.

Once you return indoors from a long day’s gardening the grounds come in useful again to wash the gardening muck from your hands. Simply rub a small amount of grounds in your hands as you wash them and this should remove any grease or oils as well as providing great exfoliation. You should be left with soft, clean, slightly fragrant hands.

Coffee grounds are a great product for recycling as they have so many applications in the garden. I would really encourage anyone to start using them for all the reasons listed above but primarily to help the environment through recycling and minimising the use of chemical based fertilisers.

Rose Garden Pests

Archive for July, 2010

Tips For The Rose Gardener

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10 Ways to Ensure That Your Garden Roses Stay Fresh in the Hot Summer Months

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How to reuse your coffee grounds in the garden – Part 1

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