Hello Fellow Gardeners,

As if you didn’t have enough to do with Spring cleaning indoors, now we’re adding a few more tasks to your list to do outdoors! While Spring may not be officially here quite yet, there are a few things you can do ahead of time that will help make your garden look its best!

□ Spring Training!

Right now is a great time to shed those winter pounds in anticipation for Spring gardening! You may not remember, but gardening typically requires significant bending, lifting, and lots and lots of energy! So start slow and build up, but get moving! ALWAYS check with your doctor before starting any type of exercise or diet routine!

□ Tune Up Equipment!

You’re going to want to check on any and all equipment you typically use for gardening and lawn maintenance. Check on your lawn mower, rototiller, leaf blower, weed eater, and more! You may not need them now, but when you do, it’ll be nice to have them in good working order!

□ Clean Bird Houses, Bird Baths, and Feeders!

Our feathered friends are going to be making a come back shortly! Welcome them by giving everything a good cleaning! Check on your bird houses, bird baths, butterfly houses, bird feeders, and bat houses. Don’t forget to replace that bird seed!

□ Touch Up!

Take out your benches, pots, fences, trellises, and other garden ornaments, give them a once over, and see if they need a bit of a touch up! A little paint can really dress up your garden decorations! Don’t be afraid to go ahead and get creative! This is the perfect project to do outside on one of those nice sunny and warm days we’ve been enjoying more of lately!

□ Sharpen Those Tools!

While you may not need your shovel, pruners, or edgers yet, you should check on them and see if they will need a bit of sharpening or even replacement. Don’t forget to check the handles for cracks, and weak or rough spots that could cause problems later on. These are the tools you will use most often in your garden, so it’s important to have them in perfect condition and ready and waiting for Spring gardening!

Today we featured a list of items you could start right now, but stay tuned for those important Spring chores to do once the snow is finally gone! It’s coming sooner than you think!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Spring is in the air folks! The snow is finally melting and you can actually see some bare spots! Temperatures are rising (albeit slowly) and, stores are simply brimming with colorful garden displays from pots to pansies and everything in between! Gardening season will start soon, so it’s time to start thinking about what you need for Spring!

Here’s a spring shopping list for you to print out and mark off!

□ Landscaping Fabric

□ Mulch

□ Soil

□ Fertilizer

□ Organic Pest Control Items (think nasty slugs, aphids, or even bigger pests such as deer and squirrels!)

□ Pavers and Stepping Stones

□ Fencing and Netting

□ Rake, Shovel, Spade or Rototiller

□ Rain Barrels

□ Plant Supports (cages, trellises, and arbors!)

□ String and Ties (these are extremely useful!!)

□ Gloves (good gloves to protect your hands from thorns!)

□ Wheelbarrow

□ Clippers

□ Pruners

□ Sun Block and Hat (keep those rays for the flowers!)

□ Kneeling Pad (an old pillow will do fine!)

□ Garden Decorations! (This one is fun! Think birdhouses, chimes, pots, statues, and more!)

□ Hose and Gasket

Phew! Shopping is going to be quite a chore! But wait there’s more! Stay tuned for a Spring Garden Checklist– what you need to do now for Spring!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Today we’re going to take a look at a few of my favorite climbing roses for zone 5. If you’re interested in climbing roses for zones 3 and 4, please check out previous posts Part 1 and Part 2. However, note that you can plant zone 5 roses in zones 3 and 4 as long as you provide them with winter protection. A little more work, but a lot more selection!

Albertine

An old fashioned pale pink beauty, Albertine is noted for it’s “delicious fragrance.” Now, this rose is listed as growing between 15 and 18 feet, but if you live in a colder climate it will likely not grow that high, but you should get at least a good 5 to 7 ft of growth! Albertine blooms once in late Spring/Early Summer.

American Beauty

This stunningly pink/purple rose, American Beauty is fragrant. It is listed to grow between 12 and 15 ft, but again, it is more likely to grow between 7 and 8 feet in colder climates! American Beauty blooms only once, but produces a spectacular display!

Constance Spry

This is one of my absolute favorites from my own garden! Constance Spry grows between 6 and 8 feet and is extremely fragrant! Again, Constance Spry blooms only once, but oh what a show it gives!

You may have noticed that these three roses each bloom only once. I just wanted to mention, that you cannot consider this a fault because the bloom time for “once bloomers” is typically 6 weeks or more! You really get a spectacular show, and you get to enjoy it for a long time!

Please stay tuned for more tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration on cold climate gardening from the Daily Weeder!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne