21,402 Garden Web Discussions | Roses

Article on Cornmeal & ants...
Cornmeal doesn't kill ants for one simple reason: ants don't eat solid foods. Ants carry solid food back to their nest. The food is then fed to the larvae. The larvae digest the food and regurgitate it to the worker ants. Worker ants then pass this food along through the colony. Ant larvae have no trouble digesting cornmeal, nor does it cause them to explode or starve.
Why Cornmeal Might Appear to Work
Cornmeal appears to work for a couple reasons. When sprinkled around areas where ants have been active, it disrupts their scent trails. Ants use scent trails to find food and water sources. Disrupting the scent trails stops ant activity for a short time --- at least until they get new trails laid down. Also, since many ants eat cornmeal, the ants have no need to travel past the line in search of food. So, the cornmeal seems like an efficient barrier but only because ants have no desire to go any farther. Pouring cornmeal on or around the nest also disrupts the nest, which causes ants to move, according to Kelly Loftin and John Hopkins, entomologists with the University of Arkansas. This seems like a good thing, but the ants are probably only a few feet away.
Read more: Does Corn Meal Really Kill Ants? : eHow http://www.ehow.com/info_8243816_corn-meal-really-kill-ants.html#ixzz2UF4XTGEy

You could try Neem oil diluted in water; pour it on the ant colony. I sometimes have intense ant problems, too,and pouring vinegar on them seems to work, but I agree that this might not be a good idea for a colony right near a plant. I think using a poison in this case could be the best solution,if Neem oil doesn't work; after all, it would not be sprayed around or anything. I would try to get rid of them ASAP; they don't do rose roots any good...bart

Follow Jeri's advice. She knows what she's talking about. But I'd just like to chime in on your question about every rose growing different in different peoples gardens. The answer is yes! You can't go by class alone. You have to watch and see how each of your roses grows in your yard because it will be different than it is in Jeri's yard or my yard. They all have their own personalities and it takes some time of just observing them and how they respond to what ever you do to learn what each one's likes and dislikes are. I've discovered with more experience that a lot of my roses don't particularly like being pruned all that much. So I've started letting them just grow how they want and I'm getting healthier roses that bloom more often for me.

Now, Seil said two things there that were massively important.
One is that your roses will grow differently in your garden than they will in my garden, or anyone else's garden (except, maybe, your next-door neighbor).
The other thing she said was:
" I've discovered with more experience that a lot of my roses don't particularly like being pruned all that much. So I've started letting them just grow how they want and I'm getting healthier roses that bloom more often for me."
There is, really, no law in the cosmos that says roses MUST be pruned. Toss that idea out, and give them a chance to show you what they want to be. They will! Just cut off dead stuff.
And since you live in the Delta area, I would very much like you to take a day-trip to the Sacramento City Cemetery's Historic Rose Garden (1000 Broadway, Sacramento). The day we walked into that rose garden -- in mid-November! -- changed our life. Go there, and spend a day at least, and see what roses are like when they're allowed to show what they want to be.
Jeri


I adore 'Poulsens Yellow' and there are very few modern roses I'd grow. The growth habit, and delicate blooms remind me of a China, and if I lived in a cold climate , where I couldn't grow Old Garden Teas or Chinas, it would be very high on my wish list.
Good luck with your new roses.
My last order from vintagegarden.com included a Florence Bowers Pink Tea' and I bought the last band of Forest Ranch purple Pom-Pom' (a purple Hybrid Perpetual that Sherrie B. found in Chico, ca)that they had at their table at the Old Rose Celebration. I hope to root a plant from it to give to the raffle there next year.
Luxrosa

I'm glad we were both able to get those two Nasatara! I don't grow any roses from Jacobus...I'll have to check him out. If I find a breeder whose roses do well for me, I tend to stick with them (same for ones who don't do well). Right now I'm in lover with Gene Boerner...I can't get enough if his creations!
Thanks for the encouragement on Poulsen's Yellow. I'm always searching for a good yellow rose, so hopefully it will like it here :) I rec'd Forest Ranch Pompom my last Vintage order and it just finished blooming...really pretty plant and very healthy so far as we're going into blackspot season.
Tammy
Tammy


Thank you Michael. I did as you suggested and most of the plants had one cane which showed some green just above the ground. If these are alive will new shoots come up from below ground? Another one showed no green stem above ground at all. Should I dig out around the plant and see what is going on underground?



I live close enough that I was able to go there in person. Unfortunately it wasn't a great time (July) and it was 100 degrees, but we still toured the greenhouses and gardens. I had pre-ordered a bunch of roses and they held them for me. It's a true Mom & Pop organization, so I understand why they don't take credit. And they truly love roses. I had a great time talking to them about roses. The roses I got from them are all doing quite well.

I was reading about using fish emulsion as some kind of "cide" on citrus trees. I have a bunch to do and hope to use the hose end sprayer to "fish wash" the trees.
I know the dogs, cats, etc will LOVE me when I am done....Wonder how many showers it will take to remove the scent?
And yes.....would you know if it was "bad" and not just bad....

oh my god! I, as well, was at Home Depot and also purchased a JC's rose. The perfume like fragrance was amazing. You just dont smell roses so pretty any more. But obviously what caught my attention was the big purple magenta like flowers, Another lady and I were fighting over it. This WILL BE an award winner! One of the best new roses I have seen in a long time.

I need to bring the camera. But I can see why the breeder would want his name on this rose.
The sprays are big enough to fill a vase and hold on the bush for what seems like forever. So far mine is a mannerly size and had had a spray or two for the past month.


If it's throwing blind shoots you don't need to prune it back that hard to get new growth. Just prune back the tips to the first leaf set and see if it puts on some new buds. As for why it only blooms once or twice I don't know. It may just not be a very heavy bloomer. I have a few that only put on two flushes a season too. I don't worry about it because that seems to be their norm.

I don't know why it is puny, so I don't know whether it will be OK, but maybe it will. Give it appropriate amounts of water and fertilizer and see what happens. Pick off the spotted leaves. If it doesn't perk up by fall, you could try moving it during the winter. Roses need at least 5 hours of direct sun and decent soil.
I hope you enjoy your roses.

I know you probably don't know what kind of rose it is but that information would be helpful in knowing if there is anything wrong or not. It doesn't look at all unhealthy really, except for that touch of black spot, so it could be that it's just a smaller rose to begin with. Not all roses get really big and bushy. Some of them can be quite small too. If you can post pictures of the blooms maybe we can ID for you.

I can't really comment on your container questions...all of my roses are in the ground with the exception of two miniflora Deja Blu roses in pots. But the pic of your pink rose looks like The McCartney Rose to me. It's a good rose for me, but will blackspot some. I also grow Livin Easy...great, easy rose for my hot, humid climate...no blackspot whatsoever. I'm not sure how they do in containers, but in the ground, McCartney gets about 6 ft tall, but stays narrow. Livin' Easy gets around 6 ft tall and about 4 ft wide...very bushy and always blooming.

I don't think the smart pots are a good idea for roses. Like you said, they dry out quick. In your hot summer you'll have to be constantly watering them. That may be partly why they don't seem to be growing much. But from the pictures you posted they look pretty healthy.
If you can get some big nursery pots for a good price I'd go with those. I think they're 4 or 5 bucks at my local nursery so they shouldn't break the bank. You don't want to buy a bunch of expensive containers if they'll only be in them for a few months.


Thanks for the tips! I will definitely feed it more this year, especially before doing any pruning next spring. It usually gets quite a few beautiful hips that stay on until Jan in our mild PNW winters (Christmas time is a great one for this rose.) I like the idea of selective and gentle pruning. It's been a great rose, one of the first things I put in the garden when we completely renovated it, and I'd like to see it stick around many more years.
Maybe take out a few old canes at the base without severely pruning the others in length. That can spur the rose to put out new canes. You can then take out the remaining older canes in following years. I have found that direct sunlight on the base really gets new canes to sprout.