I must tell you that roses are my passion. Of all the garden plants and shrubs they are my favorite! The old wives tale about them being lots of work and finicky is simply not true. 

You have to get the right plant for your zone, believe me when I say that I have a great many of them and it is not hard to find roses for zones 2 to 5 in any color, shape or style.  In fact the last few years have shown that there is a wide selection for cold climates and it is getting better every year!

 

In my next few posts I will share…

♥  My first experience with roses, and what I learned from it! 

♥ My personal rose favorites and why!♥ What roses are new this year and where to get them. 

♥ My favorite rose sites and places of business with whom I had great service.

♥ The perfect time to order roses, and when the best deals are available.  ♥ How to get your soil ready for the Spring planting. 

♥ How to nurture your roses through their first year♥ And much much more! 

So if you are a rose enthusiast like me, beginner, advanced, or anywhere in between, we should have a lot of fun!  Be notified when I post!  Sign up for our email updates!  Until Next Time, 

Happy Gardening,Marie   

 

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Fall is my favorite season because of the cool weather, beautiful, rich colors, and of course it is free of nasty bugs like mosquitoes! What else could you possibly wish for??? I look at the Fall season as an extension of my summer gardening. I take care of my gardens now so I have less to do in the Spring. By doing a good cleaning and sprucing up, adding mulch to my tender plants and edging all around my gardens, I save a lot of precious time. I also take the time to…

â—? Look for diseased or broken branches

â—? Amend my soil with compost and manure

â—? Put away my garden ornaments and pots, and things like the lawn mower and

tiller/ edger

â—? Fertilize my lawn with the appropriate fertilizer

â—? Oil and sharpen my tools

� Collect seeds from dormant plants for next year’s bounty

Whew! I’m tired already! But all my hard work will be worth it in the Spring!

I also get my new garden started ahead of time by planting trees, shrubs, Spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, or other plants such as peonies, lilies, irises, poppies, roses and my favorite cooking herb- garlic!

If you don’t have anything to plant right now, you can still prepare your planting spot. I till the area and add all the amendments and finally I cover it with newspaper and a plastic tarp to keep the weed’s down until Spring planting time.

Fall is the time that all the sales and specials are offered by catalogs, internet sites and the local nurseries. Often you can get garden plants at half the price or less, so it is a great time to get the items off your garden wish list that you couldn’t afford during the summer! I check the internet and watch my mailbox for sale catalogs and peruse the newspaper for nursery sales.

**Tip**: For those of us that get our bulbs later than we should have (tsk tsk) you can continue to plant bulbs as long as the ground is not frozen, but if you are worried that your bulbs will come after the ground has frozen, this is what you can do…

If you would like to plant your bulbs individually (instead of in one giant 6 inch deep hole), there is always the option of digging the individual holes and placing a Styrofoam cup in the space. Take the soil gathered from the digging and store it in a Ziplock plastic bag in the house until your bulbs arrive. Then simply remove the cup and plant away!

Fall is also an excellent time to divide perennials. I like to divide my hostas, daylilies and irises. The rule of thumb is to divide these plants every 3 years or so. It is a simple matter to dig them up with a shovel and spade and transfer them to your new prepared spot, but do not forget to water and mulch around them! In general I like to keep an eye on them for a little while to see how they are adapting to their new home.

I hope these tips are helpful to all of you! Look for my next article on my delightful obsession- roses!

Until Next Time,

Happy Gardening!

Marie Suzanne

Hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!