Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Did you know that moss isn’t just a beautiful decoration for your home, garden and planters!? In fact certain mosses can help prevent erosion, can be used to enrich soil (peat moss!), and have many fascinating historical uses such as in the making of Scotch whiskey, bread, used to extinguishing fire, and even as first aid dressings during WWII (Sphagnum mosses).

If you are thinking of enhancing your garden with moss, growing a moss garden, or are even just looking for ways to get rid of it, you should read this informative article by Robert Muma that originally appeared in the 1986 summer issue of Wildflower magazine. It is simply loaded with useful facts such as the best times to transplant moss (Spring and Fall), types of mosses (complete with illustrations), and more!

Mosses in Your Wildflower Garden by Robert Muma

While you are perusing the many fascinating facts about moss, check out the beautiful and unusual paintings of moss by Robert Muma here.

Want even more information?

Wikipedia has a great post about moss

Also Michael Fletcher wrote a great (and detailed!) handbook for moss growers in pdf format.

All the pictures presented in this post were taken at Silver Falls on a lovely day trip to L’Anse Michigan while touring the area for colorful fall foliage. I simply fell in love with the rich green hues of moss and wanted to learn more about it so that next year I can enhance my own garden with the beautiful colors and soft texture! Moss is a very interesting element, it is often used in Japanese style gardens because it provides “a sense of calm, age and stillness to a garden scene.” I hope this post inspires you to give moss a try in your own gardens!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Now is the time to protect all the hard work you did in the garden this summer! The weather is turning colder and your roses need a bit of special care, here we will discuss how to protect your beautiful roses from the harsh winter!

Roses That Need Protection

If your garden includes any of the following, they will need winter protection!

Bourbons, Chinas, Grandifloras, Hybrid Teas, Miniatures, Climbing varieties, grafted roses, and any roses that are borderline zones (a rose that is really made for the zone above yours but you gave it a try anyway!).

Beware of the new varieties that are just out on the market! Take special precautions until you know for sure how they react to your climate!

Roses That Don’t Need Protection

Any varieties that are hardy to your zone (in our case zones 3/4)

In general roses on their own roots do not need winter protection because they simply die back to the ground and come back in the Spring.

The Canadian Explorer series (such as John Cabot, William Baffin, and Henry Kelsey), Rugosas, and Shrub roses are very good choices for cold climates (zones 2-5)!

How to Protect Tender Roses During the Winter

Since you stopped pruning, dead-heading, and feeding your roses in late August (like a good gardener!), your roses should be dormant now. You must wait until after the second hard frost (usually between late October to mid November) to prepare them for winter…

Step 1

Remove all the debris such as dead leaves, twigs, weeds and even the old mulch!

Step 2

At the base of your roses, apply composted manure mixed with a bit of alfalfa meal, fish meal, and kelp meal (I like a 2-1-1-1 ratio) along with a small hand full of magnesium sulfate (aka Epsom salt) and super phosphate. Mix it all together and shovel it around your roses about 8-12 inches deep.

This step has the added benefit of nourishing your roses while they are sleeping and it also gives you a head start in the Spring against the weeds!

Step 3

Gather some pine needles, fresh mulch, bark, straw, or wood chips and apply any one to the top and side of your roses. Aim for one foot deep as a minimum.

Do not use maple leaves! Maple leaves form a tight impenetrable barrier that won’t allow rain water to go through. Also they usually house pests! All in all, not a good choice for winter protection!

Other Options

There are other options available to protect your roses during the winter. However, in my experience, the method described above works best (especially since I have 100+ roses!). Other options include…

Rose Cones

Personally, I did not have a great amount of success with the rose cone. For me the mice got a nice home and pretty much ate my whole plants!

Wire Cages

Wire cages are great, but with the amount of roses I have, they simply are not practical for me! However, if you have 10 roses or less this is a viable option!

Upside Down Garbage Cans or Homemade Shelters

Again, a good choice if you have only a few roses (and a helper!). However, make sure to secure these down with tent hooks or some heavy objects so they don’t fly away during high winds!

For More Information…

Check out Ann Hooper’s informative article titled: “Roses: the straight scoop part 6 winter care for your roses - gardening” for a very detailed look at protecting roses in different climates!

Check out this informative video of Gerald Sunderberg demonstrating the “Minnesota Tip” method for Roses! This video will come in handy for any tender roses but especially Hybrid Teas and Climbers.

A Final Word…

As you can see, there are many different methods for protecting your roses during the winter. The trick is to find what works best for you.

As for me, I do not tie my rose canes with twine (to keep them from flopping around in the wind) or cut the canes back to a certain length. I do not spray my roses with dormant oil either. In my zone (3-4) we have a lot of snow (we get more than 4 feet) and so my roses have a nice blanket which gives a lot of protection. Other than that, I like to prune them in the Spring. I cut away all the Winter die back to a healthy green and remove the winter mulch when the chance of frost is gone and finally, I spread the remaining composted manure around the plant.

I don’t find roses particularly hard or expensive to take care of, in fact I believe that all my work is well compensated when I get to enjoy the beautiful scented blooms during the summer months. Here’s dreaming of summer!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Today we are going to conclude our three part series on Forcing Bulbs! If you are interested in learning about the items you will need, instructions on how to force bulbs, and useful tips and tricks to help make you successful, check out Add Holiday Cheer With Flowers: Forcing Bulbs Part 1 and Part 2. Here, in Part 3, we are going to take an in depth look at what to do after your bulb starts to sprout, keeping your bulbs blooming, and replanting that bulb next Fall!

What to do After your Bulb Starts to Sprout

You went through all the steps mentioned in Part 2, about forcing your bulbs, but what do you do now that the whole process is working!? Well if you see roots coming out of the bottom of the pot (this should take at least 6 weeks), and green shoots between 2 and 3 inches tall sprouting from the top, it means that your bulbs are ready for a new spot in your home!

Bring your container to an area of your home with indirect sunlight and make sure to rotate the container a quarter turn once every few days to keep your bulbs growing straight!

Make sure that the bulbs never go dry! Keep the soil moist at all times!

Finally, when you start to see buds on the stems, this mean that your bulbs will be in bloom soon, so move your container to a nice sunny window!

Keeping Your Bulbs Blooming

Want to get the maximum show out of your bulbs? When your container is in full bloom, return it to a window with indirect sunlight. This will help prolong the bloom period of your bulbs.

Save That Bulb!

Just because a bulb has bloomed once doesn’t mean its blooming capabilities are over with! Save those bulbs and plant them in your fall garden! Here’s how…

Step 1: Cut the stem (not the leaves!) back to the base (where the stem sprouts out of the bulb).

Step 2: Allow your bulb to go through the whole cycle of life by letting the leaves droop and die back naturally! As needed, remove dead leaves at the base with clippers.

Step 3: Store the pot in a cool dark place until late summer or early fall and then go ahead and plant outdoors! You should see your bulbs bloom the following Spring!

I hope I have encouraged you to try forcing your own bulbs! They can make such a special display around the holidays, aren’t very expensive, and can leave you with fond memories. Whatever the reason enjoy the experience and have fun trying it!

Stay tuned to the Daily Weeder for more tips, tricks, ideas, and inspiration on northern gardening!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne