22,153 Garden Web Discussions | Roses
Nothing smell related worked for me; milorganite, blood meal, predator urine, deer repellant.
I made 4 foot diameter by 4 foot high cages and don't worry about the deer anymore. I found out that the cages are heavy enough not to require anchoring.If I want HT aka deer crack, I cage them. I had well over 100 bushes and now I am willing to have, fewer but protected bushes.
Thanks, Cynthia! I may wind up getting Nahema ; the flowers look so beautiful in photos, but the comments on HMF make it sound like an uber-stiff plant, that really needs a WALL. I saw it at Rose Barni but it was not in bloom and the habit seemed stiff-ish, but since it had finished it's spring flush it was hard to tell. Thing is, I've had problems with Compassion and Polka in my garden,growing very stiffly and wanting to bloom only at the top, but I didn't know about that principal by which an unsupported rose will often grow shorter, with thick,stiff canes, in order to be self-supporting. Since then I moved both, but it's too soon to tell how they will do. bart
That makes sense, Bart. Nahema is WAAAY less stiff than Polka, who refuses to bend in almost any way so that I can get the main canes horizontal and then have the laterals blooming more profusely. My Polka only blooms at the ends as you mention so far, but I'm determined to at least arch it toward the ground and encourage those lovely laterals. Nahema is nothing like that much problem, and somewhat less stiff than Compassion, but then I haven't had as much problem getting Compassion's canes horizontal - it has been putting out nice blooming laterals in its second year and looks to be a nice consistent bloomer on my fence. Yes, any of these will get stiffer if they're unsupported and not forced to bend when they're young, but Nahema is the easiest to force of the three you mention.
Cynthia
The only Boerner rose I can recommend for no-spray gardens in the East is 'Aloha,' a large shrub or short climber that is resistant to blackspot in many gardens. The blooms are sumptuous, fragrant, and good for cutting, although sometimes I get bull nosed or proliferated flowers in the first flush. It repeats well. It should be marginally cane hardy in zone 5b, depending on the particular winter.
'Ivory Fashion' produces elegant sprays, but it was extremely susceptible to blackspot in my garden. I currently grow 'Apricot Nectar' and it is susceptible, but I like the large, very fragrant buds. 'Gene Boerner' needs fungicide here, but is not the worst BS martyr. Mike Shoup said it can be a no-spray rose in Texas, so maybe in Wisconsin? It is still an outstanding rose for prolific bloom and flower quality.
Same here, Jeri. There were frequently emails in both directions concerning anomalies in the garden; dumb things we'd each done or experienced; anything we thought the other might find interesting and, as you've received, I'd send him photos of new seedlings I found particularly interesting. When he became ill, he asked not to be forgotten, to be kept "in the loop". It wasn't difficult as the loop seemed to originate with him. Talk about a "hole"...
I do love what HMF has done with the Donations Tabs. Kim
I would be suspicious if such a puny rose as Fair Bianca produced a huge cane--could it be from the rootstock? The thorns look normal. On RRD canes, the thorns are typically awl-shaped and rubbery. It would be a good idea to post a SHARP picture of the top end of the shoot. If you take a number of pictures and display them on the monitor, you can tell which ones are focused.
yep, tanalised timber (lumber) is treated under pressure (to get the preservative, usually copper based, into the heart of the timber.
It is a highly satisfying thing, putting posts up (and yes, a 4foot level is much better than a shorter one - you can use it as a straight edge as well)
I am ambivalent about post-hole diggers (the ones with 2 blades, using a grasping movement) and always prefer a long-headed trenching spade - sometimes break up the ground with a landscaper's bar, a sort of heavy metal thing with a point at one end and a square chisel edge at the other - much easier and accurate than mattocks or picks.... and if I am feeling weak, I will get on my knees with a trowel and empty the hole slowly. Still, sounds like you are well on the case, Min, and MAC is a stunning rose when well grown and allowed a bit of freedom. My son grows it at his housing co-op and has lost count of the number of cuttings he has rooted for swooning visitors in June.
Camps, if I do the slow soak, it's very easy to dig down to 18+ inches, and takes me less than 10 minutes. Didn't go down a full 2 feet for my laundry poles, as that would make the stupid things chest high on me.... However, if I get the 12 foot poles the local lumber yard has, I will do the full 2 foot depth, for best anchoring. This yard is a really wild mix of dirt types. The side where Dr Huey has his stumps (my south border line) has beautiful soft black dirt. Diggable at any time. The driveway and the front bed of the house - rock hard pale dirt overlaid with 1" granite gravel in a layer nearly 3-4 inches thick in spots. Only soft in Digging Season, or when I run the water for a Long Time. Also the location of my only all day sun! The back yard has some of that same gravel, but even where the gravel isn't, there isn't going to be any hand digging with my trusty trowel due to bad hands and stupid shoulder. The long soak and a large shovel are the only way I'm going to be able to get a decent hole dug. I'll try and get the lumber next paycheck and get started on this.
Melinda
artisticcheese,
When to cut down roses depends upon your zone. I am in zone 9b, we strip our roses of their leaves and cut them down to force dormancy in late December or prior to about January 15th. During February, the temperature lows average in the 40's, and highs near 60, so our roses would not get a break. I own knock out roses and have used a similar, but more relaxed protocol ( no drastic pruning) with them.
We also cut the top growth down by 1/3 on all Moderns like hybrid teas, floribundas etc. around August 15th, and give the soil a good dose of organics to prepare for our Fall blooms that easily last through November. We stop fertilization in early October; by the 15th or so depending upon what is being used.
What you do can also vary according to the type of rose. There are old garden roses OGR's) that receive a different protocol.
Someone provided a link for knockouts. It would be a good place to start, as well as getting information specific to your zone, so I would really key in to the advice from the folks on this forum in "your" zone. You may have noticed, protocols vary according to the zone. You wrote that you reside in Dallas, TX which I believe is USDA zone 8A
Lynn
This post was edited by desertgarden561 on Wed, Aug 7, 13 at 11:50
A lot of what people "hear" about pruning/deadheading roses usually relates to the treatment of those in the hybrid tea class. Knock Out is in the Shrub class. It does not need (or want) a hard pruning at any time. In some zones, we do prune in late winter/early spring (March), and some of us follow when the forsythia blooms as an indicator of when to begin pruning.
The active fungicide ingredient in Bayer is tebuconazole. You may find the earlier thread below of interest.
Here is a link that might be useful: earlier thread
Hi,
my mother has a garden with various flowers. She has also roses and I know that she uses a special soil and conditioner for them. There are many variations of roses and every kind could react differently at the climatic conditions, and also may require a different care. I agree that you should go for a help to the rose society. They should help you. You can look for contact to them on this page http://plusaddress.com/ I use it very often and every time I find, what I need. I hope it will be better with your plants :-)
Cool! Man those deer are brutal!